Daniel Landes

Image by Wikipedia

By Forward Staff November 14, 2016

The Rabbi Whose Ordination of Women Is Pushing the Envelope of Orthodoxy

In 2016, Rabbi Daniel Landes pushed the envelope of Modern Orthodoxy in Israel by ordaining women rabbis in an Orthodox-style ceremony. The former head of the Pardes Institute — a coeducational beit midrash, or religious institution of Jewish study — Landes has been one of the leaders proposing new forms of gender equality within observant Jewish settings.

Over the summer, Landes ordained 21 rabbis, including eight women, at a ceremony hosted by the Modern Orthodox Kehilat Yedidya synagogue in South Jerusalem. It was seen as a watershed in the movement to introduce female religious leaders into more traditional corners of Judaism. However, the egalitarian impulse has provoked deep controversy within the broader Modern Orthodox movement, and has threatened to splinter the fragile sub-denomination.

Born and raised in Chicago, Landes, 65, grew up in an observant household and spent his summers at the Conservative-affiliated Camp Ramah. Entering the rabbinate, he studied with such Talmudic giants as Joseph Soloveitchik and Zvi Yehudah Kook.

In addition to his work in Israel, with Pardes, Landes has taught in America at the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Wexner Foundation.

Landes has also become a commentator in the wider world on issues relating to Judaism and Israel, writing columns for Haaretz, Tikkun, the Daily Beast and the Jewish Review of Books. Though his thought has spread through these secular outlets, his real influence will be felt in the inclusivity of Orthodox Judaism for generations to come.

The Forward’s staff contributors are listed in our masthead.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO