The first ever female Czech rabbi was ordained on Monday at a service at Westminster Synagogue.
Rabbi Dr Kamila Koprˇivová was ordained after completing her rabbinical training at Leo Baeck College, the only Progressive seminary in the UK.
The ordination, led by Rabbi Benji Stanley of Westminster Synagogue, sees Rabbi Koprˇivová take up the role of assistant rabbi at the synagogue, having previously served as a student rabbi for the same community.
Rabbi Koprˇivová, who received a PhD in Jewish studies and theology from Charles University in Prague, told the JC that she decided to join the rabbinate after doing community work in Prague because she felt that “an academic career was too dry, but the rabbinate allows me to work with people and a community.”
Rabbi Koprˇivová, who joined the Leo Baeck College for the final year of rabbinical training after deciding to leave the Abraham Geiger Kolleg in Potsdam following a scandal involving abuse of power, said that her studies in London provided her with “such a rich experience because of how deep Jewish life is in London.”
As a Czech rabbi, Westminster Synagogue holds a particular significance, given that Kent House, the home of the shul, houses more than 1,500 Torah scrolls, saved from Prague in the 1960s. Rabbi Koprˇivovásaid she was “so honoured to be able to work at the Westminster Synagogue, which for us Czech Jews is such a special place.”
After being promoted, she is keen to expand the tikkun olam social action team at Westminster Synagogue, as well as making sure that the shul continues to be a welcoming environment describing it as her “family.”
Rabbi Benji Stanley, senior rabbi of Westminster Synagogue, said: “Kamila has already been a huge asset to our community, bringing her heart and skills to various aspects of synagogue life.
“From helping to develop our community’s passion for singing, to mentoring b’nei mitzvah students in their Jewish journeys, as well as engaging members with meaningful learning and moving sermons.”
Giving the ordination address, Rabbi Dr Deborah Kahn-Harris, principal of Leo Baeck College, reflected to Rabbi Koprˇivová that: “In your moves from Prague to Potsdam to Jerusalem and in your then aspiration to move again to London, you had already faced numerous challenges, requiring inner strength, determination, and bravery of spirit.
“I trust that both the Leo Baeck College and Westminster Synagogue, where you have been a trainee and where you will serve more permanently from today as a rabbi, have been these places of security for you.”
