More Orthodox Jewish women are ordained; change is uneven

By YONAT SHIMRON of Religion News Service and ILAN BEN ZION of The Associated Press

Reform and Conservative Jewish movements have ordained women as rabbis for decades. Only recently has the Orthodox tradition begun tapping women for leadership roles. The Modern Orthodoxy movement is leading the way. But change is halting and somewhat uneven. A seminary in New York City is the only one in the U.S. that ordains Orthodox Jewish women — it has ordained 50 of them since it opened in 2009. In Israel, a handful of seminaries ordain women and a growing number of academies train women in Jewish law. Orthodox women now serve as school principals, community educators and legal authorities.