OPINION: Equality means no more labels
By Rabbi Paul Freedman
I went to a concert about 30 years ago and still remember that the orchestra was conducted by a woman. That wasn’t in itself what stuck in my mind.
Rather, what I still remember is noticing that the programme referred to her as the ‘conductress’. I think, or hope, that today she might simply have been referred to as a ‘conductor’.
Similarly, we might list the actors in a film, even though the Oscars and BAFTAs are still awarded to ‘actors’ and ‘actresses’.
Ten years later, I was living in Bristol and wondered why all the cameras and news teams had gathered outside the cathedral one day.
Only later did I discover that inside, they had been ordaining the Church of England’s first female priests.
Twenty years ago, it was groundbreaking. And, once ordained, they were priests, or sometimes ‘women priests’ if the distinction had to be made, but a female priest was not a ‘priestess’. Apparently, the bishop who officiated at that ordination predicted that it might take another 10 years before there were female bishops.
In the end, it took more than 20, with the first being consecrated earlier this year. And no question, Libby Lane is a bishop not a ‘bishopess’ – nor did we feel the need to invent the word. This month, we mark 40 years since the first British woman rabbi received s’michah (ordination). Gender equality in Hebrew is a trickier business.
In Hebrew, a rabbi is a ‘rav’, but then is a female rabbi also a ‘rav’ or instead the feminine form ‘rabbah’? If she is a ‘rav,’ is she a woman in a man’s role? But if a ‘rabbah’, is it a different job? Forty years on, Rabbi Dr Jackie Tabick is now convenor of the Reform Beit Din.
In English, no new feminine term was created. While we celebrate the 40th anniversary of that groundbreaking rabbinic ordination (20 years before the Church of England ordained women as priests), we celebrate Tabick’s considerable achievements over those 40 years – not just as the first British ‘woman rabbi’ but simply as an outstanding rabbi.
• Rabbi Freedman is senior rabbi at Radlett Reform and chair of the Assembly of Reform Rabbis UK
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
