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Second Orthodox woman rabbi takes teaching role in London

Jofa UK welcomes Rabbi Eryn London as its new scholar in residence

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A second woman with rabbinic ordination is to take on a role with the UK branch of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance.

Rabbi Eryn London, who is a graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, the Orthodox academy for women in New York, arrived in Britain last month and will be Jofa UK’s scholar in residence for the coming year.

She follows last year’s scholar, fellow American Rabba Ramie Smith, who has settled here.

Rabba Smith will remain involved with Jofa as resident rabbinic fellow.

Rabbi London, who has taught in Jerusalem and worked as a hospital chaplain in New York, said she was “excited to be living in London and honoured to be part of the Jofa UK team. I have already met so many warm and welcoming people since arriving a few weeks ago.

“I look forward to identifying new opportunities for me to teach and ways I can support local communities.”

Lauren Hamburger, the organisation’s co-chair, said: “Having two Maharat graduates based in the UK is both an honour and an opportunity to showcase the potential for women’s learning. We are excited with the plans being discussed for the year ahead.”

Graduates of Yeshivat Maharat, which was launched by Rabbi Avi Weiss of Riverdale, are increasingly making their mark in the Modern Orthodox world, despite the rejection of women’s ordination by the mainstream American Orthodox establishment.

Maharat is a new-fangled term, standing for “leader in Jewish law, spirituality and Torah”, although more recently alumnae have been using “rabba” or “rabbi”.

The only British graduate of Yeshivat Maharat is Rabbi Dina Brawer, who now teaches in the USA.

 

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