First Israeli woman to be ordained as a rabbi (Archive photo)
Photo: Haim Zach
Woman heads rabbinical seminary for first time
Rabbi Dr. Einat Ramon appointed to serve as dean of conservative Schechter Rabbinical Seminary
The Board of the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem has appointed Rabbi Dr. Einat Ramon to serve as dean of the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary.
Ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in 1989, Rabbi Ramon was the first Israeli woman to be ordained as a rabbi. She is also the first woman to head a Conservative/Masorti rabbinical school.
Rabbi Ramon has been a courageous spokesperson for the Masorti Movement on crucial issues such as the conversion bill and the right to hold egalitarian prayers at the Western Wall. She serves on a part-time basis as the rabbi for the Masorti “Havurah” in north Tel Aviv.
As the first Sabra to head the Schechter Rabbinical Seminary, Rabbi Ramon’s appointment will advance the development of the Masorti Movement as an indigenous Israeli movement.
In addition to her struggle for recognition of the Masorti Movement in Israel and for the status of women within the movement, Rabbi Dr. Ramon is also a leading scholar and lecturer in Israel. She holds a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from Stanford University and has published numerous articles on Modern Jewish Philosophy and Feminist Theology.
The appointment of Rabbi Ramon is another milestone in the Masorti Movement’s commitment to promoting the equal status of women in Halacha over the past twenty years, demonstrating the myriad possibilities now open to women in the movement.
Since she commenced working as the interim dean in June 2005, Rabbi Ramon has initiated pioneering innovations in the rabbinical school’s curriculum, such as the establishment of the first accredited program for hospital chaplaincy in Israel.
