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Grandmother's bid to become Sephardi exec

February 25, 2010 14:09

BySimon Rocker, Simon Rocker

1 min read

A London grandmother is bidding to become what is believed to be the first female executive member of Britain's oldest Orthodox synagogue body.

Doris Osen is standing for election next month to the mahamad of the Spanish and Portuguese Jews' Congregation, despite reservations from the Sephardi Beth Din as to whether Jewish law permits her to serve on it.

Mrs Osen, in her 70s, is descended from two of the families who founded Bevis Marks Synagogue in the City of London in 1701 and has chaired a number of the synagogue's committees down the years.

Earlier this month the Sephardi Beth Din expressed the view that that there was "no provision" in the S&P's constitution to include women as members of the mahamad "which would satisfy all the halachic requirements".