ByLSJS
As the home of high-level learning for women, LSJS offers courses on topics such as women’s in-depth parashah, as well as its Iyun programme, which raises the standard of women’s knowledge of the UK’s halachic process. The course focuses on building their skills, from reading and understanding Rishonim (leading rabbinical authorities of the 11th to 15th centuries) to analysing concepts developed from the sources.
Last year, LSJS launched Women’s Gallery, an exciting podcast with LSJS CEO Joanne Greenaway, which strives to amplify women’s voices and Jewish leadership journeys. The series features conversations with women including Dr Yardaena Osband, founding member of the Orthodox Leadership Project; Rabbanit Surale Rosen, founder of Matan’s Women’s Online Halachic Responsa Project; Esty Shushan, a Charedi Mizrachi social activist, entrepreneur and trailblazer; Keshet Starr, CEO of the Organisation for the Resolution of Agunot and Dr Mijal Bitton, the Rosh Kehillah of the Downtown Minyan in New York City.
The most recent episode features Rabbanit Yafit Clymer, co-director of Rikmah, the YCT Beit Midrash for Rabbinic Leadership in Israel, Matan lecturer and rabbanit of the Midreshet Amit girls’ high school in Modiin, who discussed dealing with the emotional fallout of war in school.
Greenaway was inspired to develop the series by the lack of role models and clarity about leadership roles for women, and she explores this in the podcast. She believes there are many areas where women’s voices are increasingly included and where new roles can be established, including religious leadership in schools and overseeing kashrut, where women are quietly and effectively performing important roles, as well as in communities.
Women’s Gallery addresses issues such as agunot activism, community building, religious roles for women in schools and universities and in interfaith work and peace building. It also explores how women are influencing rabbinic courts, pioneering the women’s Talmud revolution, picking their battles, creating sustainable female leadership and building ideal Jewish lives.
The podcast demonstrates multiple ways to be a Jewish leader and gives women doing great things, and often carving their own paths, the opportunity to tell their stories, share their experiences and inspire others. As the first female CEO of LSJS, Greenaway is using the platform to promote women’s learning and leadership as well as empowering and supporting women to grow and develop as teachers and educators. She draws her guests from a wide variety of countries and sectors. Women’s Gallery explores different models of leadership in schools, shuls, universities, batei din and more, showcasing the women defining Jewish leadership today.
Women who have always wanted to get to grips with Gemara, but didn’t know where to start, now have the ideal opportunity with LSJS’s free, online Unlocking Talmud course. The four-week course, starting this month, is perfect for beginners and anyone looking to build their confidence in studying the primary source of Jewish religious law. Each session will explore a different topic while teaching essential skills for decoding the text.
Rebbetzin Lauren Levin, yoetzet halachah and rebbetzin at South Hampstead Synagogue, will provide expert guidance, equipping participants with the ability to delve deeper into Jewish learning. Students will also learn how to navigate the language, structure and reasoning of the Talmud, empowering them to engage with its timeless wisdom.
The course is in memory of LSJS’s beloved teacher Maureen Kendler, who died in 2018. She was an inspirational Jewish educator, writer and broadcaster who believed passionately that Jewish women’s opportunities for involvement in Jewish life were limited by a lack of Jewish education. She taught, inspired and empowered thousands of LSJS students, especially women. As more and more women seek to enter the world of Talmud learning, LSJS is excited to facilitate this inspiring learning development. Unlocking Talmud is in partnership with the Maureen Kendler Educational Trust and South Hampstead Synagogue.To learn about the Maureen Kendler Educational Trust, which gives bursaries to women looking to advance their Jewish learning, go to maureenkendler.org.uk: for more on LSJS courses events, see lsjs.ac.uk