Rabbi In Residence

-The Conservative movement's scholar in residence
breaks new ground for Jewish women.

JILL DAVIDSON SKLAR STAFF WRITER

A

lthough she doesn't have a
long beard or a propensity
to wander around the
desert for any length of
time, Rabbi Debra Orenstein is a
lot like Moses.
As one of the first women to be
ordained into the Conservative
rabbinate, Rabbi Orenstein is
leading the members of her move-
ment into a new age, where Jew-
ish women are making historic
changes in Judaism.
In fact, the Los Angeles-based
rabbi is the first female scholar in
residence to be sponsored by the
Conservative movement in De- Rabbi Debra Orenstein:
troit. A three-year-old tradition, Disciple of change.
the program's previous scholars
"In addition to the core knowl-
have been Rabbi Moshe Tutnauer edge, she has a depth of under-
and Rabbi Reuven Hammer.
standing that is unique to her, and
"It is landmark in that she is that is that she is a woman," he
the first woman," said Tom Wex- said.
elberg-Clouser, executive direc-
A seventh-generation rabbi, "I
tor, Great Lakes Region, Jewish always knew I wanted to be a
Theological Seminary (JTS). "We
rabbi from the time I was about
decided we wanted to go for a dif- 8," Rabbi Orenstein said. "When
ferent kind of experience within
I turned 14, I got serious about it,
the Conservative movement
even though it was not possible at

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that time."
bi Orenstein switched from the
She finished high school, spend- Ph.D. program to the rabbinical is lecturing in Conservative con-
ing her senior year in Israel as a program. Because she had com- gregations which are happy to
volunteer translator of English pleted much of her course work have her speak but probably
wouldn't count her in the minyat-
and French for the country's De-
through the doctoral program, she or consider her as a candidate to
partment of Absorption. She
was able to graduate in 1985, and fill a rabbinical post.
helped people making aliyah with became one of the first female
`There are synagogues that will
bureaucratic red-tape issues. "I Conservative rabbis in America.
say, We don't want to interview
dealt with a lot of irate people,"
Since then, she has written two
she said.
books: Lifecycles Vol. I: Jewish any women,' but there probably
aren't any that will say they won't
She returned to the United
E States and attended Princeton Women on Life Passages & Per- interview men," she said.
sonal Milestones and a second vol-
`The Detroit community is less
E' University, where she majored
ume,
which is expected to hit the egalitarian than the rest of the
• in history. She continued her ed-
bookstores in the spring.
country," she said, "but it is
ci ucation at the Jewish Theologi-
Rabbi Orenstein is currently se- derful that that doesn't influence
cal Seminary in New York City,
• where, the prohibition against nior fellow and project director at who [its members] are willing to
the Susan and David WiLstein In-
female rabbis still in place, she stitute of Jewish Policy Studies in learn from."
With the trials come the re-
pursued a doctorate in Jewish Los Angeles. She also tours the
history.
wards. In being a rabbi who hap-
country, speaking on topics such
With her heart still set on the as Jewish spirituality and gender pens to be a woman, Rabbi
Orenstein finds she can offer a dif-
rabbinate, she began to look to issues in Judaism.
ferent view on texts and on being
other movements and went for
But while Rabbi Orenstein is a Jew in everyday life.
informational interviews at Re-
successful by any definition, her
constructionist and Reform semi- struggles in the male-dominated
"Women rabbis have been able
to offer the American Jewish com-
naries. "Neither seemed quite profession continue.
right for me," she said.
munity a lot," she said. "In the
"There are the obvious chal-
On Oct. 24, 1983, her path lenges," she said. "Women rabbis simplest terms, women can offer (,
changed. A vote by the faculty of are less well compensated, less a view that men generally have
not [offered]."
JTS allowed women to enter the easily promoted."
For example, the first syna-
seminary for the first time and to
She faces a sort of hazing from
be ordained. (Currently, 39 per- members of the Jewish commu- gogue-based day care center was
cent of the student body in the nity, a challenge to her knowledge instituted by a female rabbi. The
Jewish response to domestic vio-
rabbinical school is female; of the and skill.
lence has been largely female
1,400 Conservative rabbis who be-
"Sometimes people in the com-
long to the Conservative move- munity will treat female rabbis in dominated; female rabbis have
ment's Rabbinical Assembly, 77
also been instrumental in raising
a way that they would never treat
are female.)
the
issue of rabbinical sexual mis-
a male rabbi," she said.
conduct.
Without much prompting, Rab-
Even in her visit to Detroit, she RABBI page 12

