Congregational Intern—an odd title if you think about it. Are these women preparing to become congregations? Rabbis? Are they preparing for any future at all? When I served as the intern at Congregation Ramath Orah in Manhattan, I was given many titles by my congregants—congregational intern, shul intern, Drisha intern, rabbinic intern, rabbi intern who is a girl (one of my personal favorites), and simply our intern, or Shayna, by those who were not comfortable with any title. The question of title may seem academic; however it underscores the larger question of what role these women serve and whether that role has a viable future.
To start with, it is important to understand what a congregational intern does. A female congregational intern has many of the same responsibilities as a male rabbinic intern. Just as rabbinic interns’ duties vary from shul to shul, so do the duties of a congregational intern. These duties may include, teaching classes, giving sermons, organizing and running shiva minyanim, bikur cholim, answering halakhic questions, pastoral counseling, and there are also specific requirements for attending Shabbos and weekday services. In short, the position entails being part of the rabbinic staff of the shul. It may also include specific tasks like organizing women’s tefillah, for which a male rabbinic intern may not normally be responsible, and trying to help create and sustain a general feeling of warmth, comfort and commitment amongst the women in the congregation. The addition of a female to the rabbinic staff creates a great role model for women and girls—seeing a woman in shul on time on a regular basis, teaching Torah and helping to coordinate the religious aspects of the synagogue may help to make female congregants feel more religiously invested, and impart a sense of ownership and responsibility for their own experience in shul that many women lack when they are “on the other side of the mechitza.”
To date, there have been seven congregational interns; one at Lincoln Square Synagogue, one at Congregation Ramath Orah, one at the Hebrew Institute of White Plains, and four at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale. They have all been in shuls in New York. The first interns were hired in 1997, and most have served for one or two years. Currently there is one woman serving as a congregational intern. Women who have fulfilled this role have usually spent numerous years studying Torah as adults. They have a desire to serve the Jewish community and give back some of what they have learned, and are attracted to the forum of the synagogue, which they feel allows for a much richer and oftentimes more complete experience of communal involvement than teaching in a school, another commonly accepted professional option for Toraheducated women. Some of them would become rabbis if ordination for Orthodox women were a possibility.
“…a great rolemodel for women and girls”
I think it likely that many women, in addition to those who have served as congregational interns, would be interested in working full-time in a rabbiniclike capacity in a synagogue, but have not been afforded the opportunity to do so. Part of the reason for this is financial. Rabbinical schools may help fund internships for their students; however educational institutions for women currently do not provide such funding. Synagogues, constantly balancing financial needs and constraints, may hesitate to commit the necessary funds to new initiatives not deemed integral and vital by the synagogue leadership. Another reason for the small number of Orthodox synagogues offering this position is the novelty of having a woman in this role. Many shuls do not want to be perceived as the forerunners on an issue still considered somewhat controversial.
However, you, as a member of your shul, have the power in your hands to help change this situation. If you would like to see a woman hired as a congregational intern in your synagogue, then speak to your rabbi and the shul leadership about it. If you are in a position to financially support the hiring of women as congregational interns then consider committing the funds to do so, both in your shul, and in other shuls that may be willing to consider the position.
Notwithstanding the availability of congregational internships, the question remains: what happens to these women after they have completed their intern ships? What then? Are there related long-term professional opportunities available to women within the Orthodox community? The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale has a madricha ruchanit, a permanent position which may be described as the female equivalent of an assistant rabbi. Barring that, there is not currently a clear career path for Orthodox women whose interests lie in this area. Nevertheless, the dearth of further professional options at present should not prevent us from hiring congregational interns. I would like to see synagogues across the country hire qualified women as congregational interns, because interning is a vital stepping-stone in the establishment of any career path. As more synagogues hire congregational interns, the Orthodox community will grow more accustomed to the idea that women can fill this role. As more synagogues hire congregational interns, more opportunities will be created for women who are now studying Torah, but are not sure what jobs are open to them. It is only by changing these two dynamics, the expectations of the community, and the expectations of female scholars, that we will change the reality on the ground, and create a viable career path for the abundance of talented Orthodox women who would like nothing more than to serve the Jewish people and have a voice in its leadership.