Efrat Community Appoints Israel’s 1st Female Orthodox Spiritual Leader

 

The Shirat Tamar community in the town of Efrat south of Jeruselam has made history by appointing a woman to head the community, without a rabbinical figure at her side. Shira Merili Mirvis (40) an alumnus of the Ohr Torah Stone’s Susi Bradfield Women’s Institute of Halakhic Leadership, was appointed as “halachic and spiritual leader” for the community after a majority of 83% voted for her.

While studying in the Ohr Torah halachic program for the last 5 years, Mirvis served as a halachic advisor, answering halachic questions under the auspices of the Beit Hillel rabbinic organization. She also volunteers in the community as a Mikve attendant and in the Chevra Kadisha and supervises together with her Chavrusa a special blog for women, Daf Mishelahen, explaining halachic and Talmudic concepts.

Mirvis said after the appointment that “I am grateful to my friends in Shirat Tamar for the opportunity they have given me to lead and maintain this wonderful community. The official appointment is a natural continuation of my communal work. I pray that Hashem will light our way and we will continue to grow together in our Torah observance.”

Community leaders congratulated Mirvis on the appointment stating that it was “official recognition of her broad activities for building Torah and for her contribution to the community.”

Rebbetzin Devorah Evron, the director of the Women’s Institute of Halakhic Leadership, welcomed the appointment and said that “Shira will know how to serve the community with wisdom and warmth. Her good traits, patience, generosity and wisdom will contribute greatly to the community. This is a significant step for Rebbetzin Shira in particular and for women’s leadership in general.”

Rabbi Dr. Katriel Brander, director of the Ohr Torah institutions, said that this is a pivotal moment for Judaism as we recognize that female halachic and spiritual leadership can go hand in hand with halacha and our tradition. There is no doubt that Rebbetzin Shira has deep Torah knowledge, commitment to tradition and immeasurable compassion and will be a tremendous asset both for the local community and for the entire Jewish world. I believe we will look back at this moment as a halachic breakthrough allowing women to take their proper place as spiritual leaders in an orthodox community.”

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