A number of people walked out of a United Synagogue because they objected when a woman gave a dvar Torah (Torah talk) there for the first time, Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis has revealed.
Rabbi Mirvis recalled the incident as an example of the reaction to advances for women in Orthodox synagogues when he visited one of his congregations on Shabbat last week.
But his office would not divulge in which synagogue the walk-out had taken place, or when it had happened.
The role of women in Orthodox synagogues has become increasingly sensitive for the United Synagogue, with renewed controversy last month over partnership minyanim (PMs) – services where women lead some prayers.
In a letter last month to rabbis and rebbetzins restating his opposition to PMs, the Chief Rabbi made it clear that people who went to such services should not be excluded from taking part in US activities.
But he said he was leaving it to local rabbis to act in the interests of their community.
The letter followed the ruling of one US minister, Rabbi Chaim Kanterovitz, of Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue (BES), which barred members who led prayers at a PM from conducting High Holy Day services in his synagogue.
But at a US council meeting on Monday night, Barry Shaw, a representative of BES, argued “something as important as this issue” should not be left to local rabbis. There ought to be a “global policy”, he said.
Defending the Chief Rabbi’s stance, Stephen Pack, US president, said: “To give a little bit of leeway to local rabbonim to decide what is appropriate in their communities – and local honorary officers for that matter – is entirely right.”
Mr Pack said the Chief Rabbi had established two red lines: a woman cannot lead prayers on behalf of men and she cannot leyn (read publicly) from a Sefer Torah.
Other than those red lines, it was up to local rabbis to decide what was right in their synagogue.
But the Chief Rabbi was “very keen” not to push people away, Mr Pack stressed. “We don’t want to exclude anybody at all.
“If somebody feels they wish to go and experience different sorts of minyan, whatever spectrum it is - they can go to a Charedi shul in Stamford Hill, they can go to a Liberal shul - they can still come back to us and we will welcome them within our chevrah (company).”
