Weaving Between the Debates... As a Woman - Ah. The joys of my conversion process often include navigating through the long-standing traditions of various denominations, and having to get caught up on the jargon and terms that many people seem to take for granted. I am still trying to understand the long traditions amongst the Conservatives, the Orthodox, all the sub-sets of Orthodoxy, the Reforms, the irreligious but culturally identified Jews--all my brethren.

How This Got Started - It all started when I saw this post:
http://onthefringe_jewishblog.blogspot.com/2010/03/re-traditional-role-of-women-in-judaism.html - "On Maharat Hurwitz becoming Rabbah Hurwitz" by Shira Salamone Thursday, March 04, 2010

So I had to back up and read up on:
http://riverdalepress.com/full.php?sid=11305¤t_edition=2010-02-04 - "New title, but restrictions remain for religious leader" by Kate Pastor, February 4, 2010

... to learn about Sara Hurwitz, the first "Orthodox rabbah" (the feminine version of the Hebrew word rabbi). It has been mentioned that she has received ordination (Semicha).

....and I read this article:
http://www.frumsatire.net/2010/02/24/rabbi-sara-hurwitz-is-the-first-orthodox-woman-rabbi-is-this-wrong-or-just-against-the-status-quo/ - "Rabbi Sara Hurwitz is the first orthodox woman Rabbi – is this wrong or just against the status quo?" by Heshy Fried on February 24, 2010

...so I could better understand this article:
http://www.frumsatire.net/2010/03/01/too-much-tolerance-seems-to-make-people-intolerant - "Too much tolerance seems to make people intolerant" by Heshy Fried on March 1, 2010

...and the LONG list of comments from readers. I skipped over all the comments about politics (Bush v Obama comparisons, issues for left v liberal v anything/everything else), and tried to follow the conversations about women in leadership.

All this, just soo I could see what Shira Salamone was responding to in the first place!

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Reviewing the Vocabulary - After this dizzying tour of the internet, I also had to run around Google to look up the meaning of several words: Maharat (a new acronym, stands for "manhiga," "hilchatit," "ruchanit," "toranit," --leader in Jewish religious law, spiritual matters, and Torah), Semicha (ordination), tznius (a group of laws regarding modest clothing and headcovering), Serarah (leadership and authority, restricted for women), kol ishah (which I looked up on purpose, to find out what the name of the prohibition is for women singing in public or in front of men ... discussed here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tzniut#Female_singing_voice)

Confused much yet?

One of the Questions I Still Have - I hope that someone point me to a few sources that discuss the point about Judges, and how various traditions deal with Deborah. I'm still unclear who denies which roles to women and why. Being a woman who has always been part of the leadership in volunteer organizations, I'm still learning how to appreciate and respect (and respectfully disagree with some of) the various opinions around me in the Jewish community as a whole.

Feeling at Home - And if anyone wonders why I'm feeling at home in my partially Reform, partially Conservative, completely unaffiliated with any denomination synagogue --> I'm at home in community that values: Women in leadership, Women in Music, Formal Traditional Services, Informal Progressive Services, Men and Women studying Torah (together!), a Community that participates in learning and serving and volunteering and acting together, a congregation that invites Single people, Married people, Partnered people (yes, I mean Gay and Lesbian partners), Families, and All Ages to be part of the congregation. They encourage social action, community participation, Hebrew learning, religious education for children, continuing education for adults, charitable action in the world, care for the elderly and the sick... the whole package.

These are my people. Clearly.

Now, if only I better understood my brothers and sisters in other congregations and denominations.