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| Rabbi Alina Treiger |
In a moving ceremony at Berlin's liberal Pestalozzi synagogue, attended by the German President among many other dignatories, Ukraine-born Rabbi Alina paid tribute to the world's first woman rabbi, Regina Jonas, who received her semiikha (ordination) in Offenbach in 1935.
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| Rabbi Regina Jonas |
Sadly, it was on exactly this day in 1942 when the Gestapo arrested Rabbi Regina and had her deported to Theresienstadt where she stayed for two year, often lecturing to Jewish inmates, before being moved to Auschwitz in 1944 where she perished in a gas chamber just two month later. Regina was only 42 years old.
"Vielen Dank, Regina", which means thank you in German, whispered Rabbi Alina twice during yesterday's emotionally charged service in Berlin.
I have discovered that a handwritten list of 24 of Rabbi Regina's lectures entitled "Lectures of the One and Only Woman Rabbi, Regina Jonas," still exists and can be found in the archives of Theresienstadt, which is only a 45-minute drive from Prague. Five lectures are about the history of Jewish women, five deal with Talmudic topics, two deal with Biblical themes, three with pastoral issues, and nine offer general introductions to Jewish beliefs, ethics, and festivals.
It took until 1972 for another woman to become a rabbi, when Sally Priesand was ordained in the United States, and thankfully there are now many in the world of progressive Judaism.
"It is only important if a rabbi is good, not whether it is a man or a woman," said Rabbi Alina.
I beleive there can be no job in the world that should be excusive to either gender. I was brought up in a traditional, United Synagogue community in North London where female rabbis were certainly non-existent. I remember encountering my first woman rabbi in the United States. It seemed strange at first, but after getting used to it, I found myself wondering why women are denied the opportunity to take up a career in the rabbinate, if they so choose.
As progressive Judaism grows, so will the number of female religious leaders. There are many diffrerant kinds of Jew, and I fully respect people's rights to a broad range of opinion. While there will not be women found in the pulpits of orthodox synagogues any time soon, I am sure that the increase in female reform and liberal rabbis is something to which we will become increasingly accustomed.
I do hope that the orthodox factions in Israel, which currently command undue influence on secular laws in your country, will remove their obstacles to the progressive movement's right to flourish. At the time of writing this, reform and liberal communities have no formal status in Israel, and marraiges are not recognised by the State.
My wish would be for you to grow up in a pluralistic society, where Jews of all kinds, can live together in Israel, free to practice their religion however they want. This includes a proliferation of wonderful women rabbis.
Grandpa Jonathan
Prague, Czech Republic
