Chief Rabbinate must allow women to take same rabbinical tests as men, High Court rules

Israeli women must be allowed to take the same rabbinical tests that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel administers to ordain male rabbis, the High Court of Justice rules.

The Chief Rabbinate administers tests in the major areas of Jewish law, including kashrut, family purity laws, Shabbat, mourning, and marriage laws.

While candidates who pass at least six of such tests can be appointed as local rabbis, they also receive a certificate that has significant social and economic benefits — for example, the certification is considered equivalent to an academic degree for teaching positions, and it is a prerequisite to apply for specific public jobs.

The current ruling does not state that women are entitled to be ordained as rabbis, but that they should be allowed to sit for the tests and receive the same certifications and benefits as their male counterparts.

The petition was brought before the court in 2019 by five female Torah scholars, the religious rights organization ITIM, the Rackman Center for the Advancement of Women’s Status, and the Kolech Religious Women Forum.

“This is a historic and significant moment not only for religious women, but for religious Zionism as a whole,” ITIM head Seth Farber says in a statement. “Women’s Torah study is one of the most important and impressive enterprises of recent decades, and today it is finally receiving institutional recognition of equal value.”

“The State of Israel has stated in a clear voice,” he adds. “Women study Torah out of commitment, talent, and fear of God and have a place of honor in shaping our spiritual lives.”