After my mum died last year, I went to shul almost every day to say Kaddish for her, for the 11-month period of mourning — which is not a common practice for women in my shul. As a result, there is now a mechitzah for the weekday services, so any woman who would like to attend now knows that there is a place for her.

Towards the end of my mourning, a woman said to me on Shabbat: “You are saying Kaddish for all of us.” I felt proud but I was also saddened that others might feel uncomfortable saying Kaddish for a loved one. There are in fact numerous women who say Kaddish quietly and I believe that with support, many more might want to do so, confidently and proudly.

The advent of the new “women’s officer” proposed by the Chief Rabbi and the United Synagogue will open up this opportunity and others like it for women in the United Synagogue.

The role will mean at least one woman in a senior leadership role in US communities. Given that women represent 54 per cent of US membership, I believe it is crucial that women are involved in decision-making for their community. Shuls which already have a woman serving as an honorary officer (such as my own shul, Bushey United Synagogue) will now benefit from a much more balanced conversation at executive level, on every aspect of communal life, not just on women’s issues. This development is a step towards ensuring that having women in leadership roles in US shuls becomes the norm.

Imagining the kind of impact that the women’s officer could have in a short space of time is very exciting.

She would serve as a role model, motivating other women to participate more widely in their community. She would also work, together with the rebbetzen, to develop opportunities for women’s learning and experiential programming, such as women’s-only prayer and study groups.

Many women find services challenging because they do not read Hebrew easily, do not know the structure and may feel without a role. A women’s officer could address this by promoting classes on the services and Hebrew reading crash courses.

The women’s officer could co-ordinate a team of women to help women find a seat, locate siddurim and chumashim, find the right page and be available to answer questions. They might hand out copies of the memorial prayers to enable women to follow if they have yahrzeit or the text for bensching Gomel when they have been through a life-threatening experience.

There are so many opportunities for women to engage more closely with communal life. With the support of women’s officers, I look forward to seeing many more women take advantage of them over the coming years.

Nicky Goldman is a member of Bushey United Synagogue