Woman ‘Rabba’ Roils Orthodox World

A prominent Orthodox rabbi who recently granted rabbinic ordination to a woman is coming under fire from top ultra-Orthodox religious authorities, and now is said to be engaged in negotiations with the country’s mainstream Orthodox rabbinic association over the issue.

Rabbi Avi Weiss’s decision in January to confer the title of “rabba” upon Sara Hurwitz and make her a full member of the rabbinic staff at his Bronx synagogue, the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, drew a stern denunciation from Agudath Israel of America’s governing rabbinic council.

“Any congregation with a woman in a rabbinical position of any sort cannot be considered Orthodox,” the Aguda’s 10-member Council of Torah Sages — considered American ultra-Orthodoxy’s most authoritative rabbinic body — proclaimed in a February 25 statement.

The controversy over Weiss’s move also extends into the Rabbinical Council of America, a body representing Modern Orthodox rabbis and of which Weiss is a member. Sources close to Weiss and the RCA told the Forward that the RCA is now engaged in negotiations with him over the issue.  Read Article

By Debra Nussbaum Cohen