Jul 23, 2026 · 21 min · 12 segments
Most of the world's great religions have reserved most of the authority for men. This was certainly true of Judaism, but in the early 20th century, Regina Jonas was trained and ordained to serve her…
Historically, all of those women are difficult to deal with because the written records that survive are from many, many years after those women lived.
By the time we have contemporary written records, Judaism was like many other great religions in that authority was mostly reserved for men.
Ancient ordinations were intended to keep that unbroken line of authority alive.
But this form of ordination was broken with the scattering of the Jewish people in the first few centuries of the Common Era.
In more modern times, the ordination of a rabbi is done at the completion of serious study and after an examination on a question of Jewish law.
The exam is meant to prove that you know the scriptures and the law well enough to judge on questions of Jewish law and lead a religious community.
For many centuries, no woman was ever ordained because no girls ever received the necessary schooling.
You can't pass an exam that no one prepares you for.
The 19th century saw an enormous rise in the idea of formal women's education, and Jewish women were no exception.
Being allowed to take the classes is one thing.
Being allowed to take the exam is something else.
Being allowed to pass the exam is still another hurdle, and finding someone willing to employ you afterwards might be even harder.
Women in many fields found that successfully jumping through one hoop only meant they could more clearly see the next hoop that still needed jumping through.
There was no great clamoring in the Jewish community for female rabbis, and there were none.
Historically, all of those women are difficult to deal with because the written records that survive are from many, many years after those women lived.
By the time we have contemporary written records, Judaism was like many other great religions in that authority was mostly reserved for men.
Ancient ordinations were intended to keep that unbroken line of authority alive.
But this form of ordination was broken with the scattering of the Jewish people in the first few centuries of the Common Era.
In more modern times, the ordination of a rabbi is done at the completion of serious study and after an examination on a question of Jewish law.
The exam is meant to prove that you know the scriptures and the law well enough to judge on questions of Jewish law and lead a religious community.
For many centuries, no woman was ever ordained because no girls ever received the necessary schooling.
You can't pass an exam that no one prepares you for.
The 19th century saw an enormous rise in the idea of formal women's education, and Jewish women were no exception.
Being allowed to take the classes is one thing.
Being allowed to take the exam is something else.
Being allowed to pass the exam is still another hurdle, and finding someone willing to employ you afterwards might be even harder.
Women in many fields found that successfully jumping through one hoop only meant they could more clearly see the next hoop that still needed jumping through.
There was no great clamoring in the Jewish community for female rabbis, and there were none.
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