As a passionate supporter of learning and ritual in Orthodox Judaism, as a mother of a first-born girl and two boys, and as a professional advocate, I recognize the important impact that lay leaders can have on gender sensitivity in the educational environment of Jewish day schools. It is in the day school setting that our children spend most of their time, and where our future Jewish community learns, grows, and develops. As parents and members of that community, we have the opportunity, through our participation in the lay leadership of the school or through directed donations, to significantly mold the school’s hashkafa, or philosophy, and curriculum, as well as the nature of the administration, faculty, and board of trustees. Much can be accomplished through sensitive and committed advocacy, within the context of the particular school and community.
Gender-sensitive issues may arise in a day school in the following ways. The general philosophy of the school should be inclusive of girls and boys, giving all students access to the same education, and equal treatment regarding religious, secular, ritual, and leadership matters, to the extent permitted by halakha. Students should have equal access to Judaic texts and the same curriculum for Mishnah, Talmud, Tanakh, and Halakha, for the same number of periods. Honors programs on the same level should be offered for both girls and boys. Hebrew language should be a major focus, with emphasis on Ivrit b’Ivrit, to the extent possible. This language proficiency is crucial to enable women to excel outside the day school environment, where knowledge of Hebrew is key to learning Judaic texts and commentaries.
Tzniut is a concept that should be taught in a careful way. Many schools reduce the issue to a dress code for girls—to the detriment of the girls’ self-image. Instead, the focus should be on all students achieving the general concept of modesty on an inner spiritual level, reflected in their outer appearance. The dress code should include gender-sensitive dress requirements that are in parity for girls and boys. Finally, a major goal for the school should be engaging the community at large in its gender-sensitive approach, with the head of school (HOS) facilitating this endeavor.
Choosing the Head of School
Most would agree that the most important element of a school is its HOS, who is responsible for its dayto-day operation, curriculum, and decorum, as well as the hiring, training, and mentoring of faculty and administration. Therefore, the hiring of an HOS is a key factor in the shaping of a day school and is typically the function of a search committee. In carrying out this task, the members of the committee have the opportunity to ask questions, including ones that will elicit responses regarding gender-sensitive matters. The committee also has the power to hire a female HOS, who can demonstrate by her actions that an Orthodox Jewish woman can be a leader in Jewish education, learning, and ritual.
The box on page 5 illustrates some sample questions to be asked at an HOS interview to provide insight into the candidate’s general hashkafa and to touch on the issues previously identified, including hashkafa, access to texts, ritual inclusion, dress codes, and community engagement.
After the hiring, the school must continue to support the HOS as s/he acclimates to this new role. Accordingly, an HOS Support Committee is typically formed for the first year or two, providing another opportunity for input by lay leaders.
Board and Committee Participation
Another closely related opportunity for lay participation is through the Board Nominating Committee. This committee is key, because board members work hand in hand with the HOS and provide further input through their responsibility for policy-making, curriculum, budget, donor development, marketing, and recruiting. When nominating to the board, one can target people who are sensitive to gender issues. Moreover, board members become the officers and, ultimately, the President of the school. Lay leaders in these positions enjoy an even closer working relationship with the HOS, which more easily facilitates discussion. For example, as Vice President, I was able to provide suggestions to the HOS on matters of general curriculum not brought before the Education Committee. Moreover, women board members may rise to the presidency, reflecting the ultimate role model for students. The President is the most visible lay leader, who speaks at school functions and gives divrei Torah. Although students may be accustomed to having women teachers and role models in the field of education, having a woman president is yet another step toward modeling female communal Jewish Orthodox leadership.
Board committees also play an important role in connecting the lay leader with the HOS and the school’s day-to-day function. The Education Committee focuses on curriculum, as well as faculty training, mentoring and related issues. While serving on such a committee, one can facilitate a variety of feminist goals by relating to matters of curriculum, such as implementing the study of Talmud for girls, the Halakha curriculum, the Tanakh curriculum for boys, and the caliber and type of Hebrew language instruction. By serving on a Dress Code Committee, one can ensure that the dress code is appropriate and does not single out girls over boys, and one can work to increase sensitivity in the enforcement of the dress code.
Another entrée to the education process is via the Library Committee. When I chaired this committee, we made sure to select sefarim, secular books, and media that were gender-sensitive. A Naming Committee can similarly affect the entire essence of the school by choosing a name for the school that is gender-inclusive.
A very influential way to impact curriculum and policy is through the Donor Development or Finance Committees. A school might seek to institute an honors Talmud class for girls as well as boys, but the Finance Committee, for recruiting and budgetary purposes, might decide to prioritize a girls’ or boys’ class. Working on this committee can ensure that the interests of the girls are not neglected. In addition, through donor cultivation, one can find individuals or institutions willing to fund these and other gender-sensitive programs.
Similarly, participation in a Marketing or Recruitment Committee can facilitate the implementation and growth of a gender-sensitive environment insofar as the marketing materials and programs, both within and without the school, express the school’s hashkafa. Lay leaders can also ensure that the brochures, newsletters, emails, and other communications highlight the activities and achievements of all the students, alumni/ae, faculty, and administration.
Finally, serving on the Legal or the Personnel Committee can have a beneficial impact on female day school constituents by addressing problems that arise from a lack of parity in the compensation packages of male and female teachers. As one example, “parsonage” for female Judaic faculty is an unresolved legal issue for day schools. Male rabbis, through their achievement of semikha, are clearly considered “clergy” by the taxing authorities, but a woman, with a parallel degree in advanced Judaic studies, may not be considered as such. A related and very important issue is their relative salary levels, which is a more global problem that has recently received media attention in the context of Jewish communal workers in the Jewish nonprofit sector, as well as in the workplace at large.
Navigating Politics to Bring about Change
Even though the greater goal of a lay leader might be to implement as many gender-sensitive policies as possible, not every item may be acceptable to every school. One must be aware of the underlying politics of the school, the board, and the local Jewish community. If a school is the only one in the community, one must balance the needs of the modern Orthodox population with those of the remaining constituents. For example, in the area of Talmud study for girls, it may be necessary to compromise and offer the girls the option of electing a Torah she-B’al Peh class that does not include the study of Gemara, for the families who are hashkafically uncomfortable with this practice. On the other hand, one cannot allow the diversity in the community to sidetrack the feminist activist, when there is only one choice of school. When the mission of a school is stated to be modern Orthodox, the task becomes a bit easieralthough the community issues still exist. These need to be handled carefully so that the community will be comfortable with the outcome.
Of course, one cannot “build a village” alone, but must forge alliances among board and committee members, as well as with the parent body and surrounding community. There is strength in numbers, which means, from an advocacy perspective, demonstrating that a particular issue is sought and supported by a significant segment of the community. Support for an issue may come from unexpected sources, including from those who do not consider themselves “feminist” in any way. The process begins by developing one’s own role and reputation in the community. If a feminist advocate is seen in a positive light as a good person and moral individual, as well as a serious, religiously observant person, this adds clout to the Jewish feminist mission, which might otherwise be rejected out of hand as radical.
In addition, one cannot implement all issues at once. Especially when starting out, issues should be prioritized within the context of the circumstances of the particular school and addressed one by one. Another option is to have different issues dealt with simultaneously by different committees, such as the Education and the Dress Code Committees. It certainly is more effective if a diverse group of people are advocating for the various issues, providing communal clout. If defeated on one issue or faced with negative responses, one should not take it personally or give up. Rather, one should reevaluate one’s approach and possibly reframe the issue, look for additional support, or wait until a more opportune time to revisit it.
For those who want to have an impact on gender issues in the Jewish community, through our Jewish day schools, there are many lay venues from which to take action. However, don’t wait to be asked. Rather, step up and volunteer, with the caveat that it may not be an easy task. But if you invest your energy, good ideas, optimism, and politically attuned attitudes, much can be accomplished over the long term for the good of the entire community.