Sara Hurwitz
Encyclopedia
Sara Hurwitz is a Modern Orthodox
Jewish
spiritual leader who received ordination from Rabbi Avi Weiss
. She is the "Rabba" at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
in Riverdale, New York and the dean of Yeshivat Maharat in Riverdale, New York.
Hurwitz was born in South Africa
. She graduated from Barnard College
and is the curricular researcher and writer for JOFA's
Gender and Orthodoxy Curriculum Project.
. Weiss announced amidst criticism that the term "Rabba" would not be used anymore for his future students. Hurwitz will continue to use the title Rabba and is considered by some to be the first Orthodox woman ordained in the United States.
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law, with the secular, modern world....
Jewish
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
spiritual leader who received ordination from Rabbi Avi Weiss
Avi Weiss
Avraham Weiss is an American Modern Orthodox rabbi who heads the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in The Bronx, New York. He is an author, teacher, lecturer, and activist...
. She is the "Rabba" at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
Hebrew Institute of Riverdale
Hebrew Institute of Riverdale is an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in the Riverdale, Bronx neighborhood of New York City. Rabbi Avi Weiss has led the congregation since 1973....
in Riverdale, New York and the dean of Yeshivat Maharat in Riverdale, New York.
Hurwitz was born in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. She graduated from Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
and is the curricular researcher and writer for JOFA's
Jofa
Jofa, originally short for Jonssons Fabriker is a maker of sporting equipment for sports such as ice hockey, bandy, horseback riding, based in Malung, Sweden.Niss-Oskar Jonsson founded Jofa in 1926...
Gender and Orthodoxy Curriculum Project.
Title
In June 2009, Weiss ordained Sara Hurwitz with the title "Maharat" (an acronym of manhiga hilkhatit rukhanit Toranit) rather than "Rabbi". In February 2010, Weiss announced that he was changing Maharat to a more familiar-sounding title "Rabba". The goal of this shift was to clarify Hurwitz's position as a full member of the HIR rabbinic staff. The change was criticised by both Agudath Yisrael and the Rabbinical Council of AmericaRabbinical Council of America
The Rabbinical Council of America is one of the world's largest organizations of Orthodox rabbis; it is affiliated with The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, more commonly known as the Orthodox Union, or OU...
. Weiss announced amidst criticism that the term "Rabba" would not be used anymore for his future students. Hurwitz will continue to use the title Rabba and is considered by some to be the first Orthodox woman ordained in the United States.