144 Walter Jacob
Hirsch was the first rabbi to invited women to address the congregation from the pulpit.*’ In 1928 Lily Montagu preached in the Berlin Reform congregation, and subsequently women leaders of the congregations were also invited to share the pulpit.*! The first time that women's ordination was debated was following the reading of a responsum on the question in 1922. Its text has been provided in this volume. Its author, Professor Lauterbach of the Hebrew Union College , began apologetically with statements about the high regard that the rabbis had for women, but that they were assigned different roles, and then he provided the usual arguments of tradition. Ultimately, as Moses selected seventy male elders to assist him in judgements, so this pattern continued with no discussion and only occasional references. He then argued that if a change were made, the ordination of the Hebrew Union College would no longer continue the “long chain of authoritative teachers,” but would be different from the ordination of all other rabbis.... It would“create a distinction between the title rabbi, as held by the Reform-rabbi and of the title of rabbi in general.”*> He did not wish to jeopardize the“authoritative character of ordination.” Furthermore, he felt ‘as wholesome an influence
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that women would not exercise upon the congregation” as men. He concluded that this kind of decision would not be unjust, as numerous other avenues are open to women in the field of education, and so on. This responsum was followed by a lively debate, rare for a responsum, in which many indicated that they favored the ordination of women whereas others, as so often on different issues, argued for caution with due attention to the rest of the Jewish community. Rabbi Neumark, also of the Hebrew Union College faculty, whose daughter had applied to the College for rabbinic training, dealt with some of the Talmudic arguments in detail and demonstrated that they could be seen in a different light.** It was some time before the courtesy of the floor was extended to the women who were present. Despite this debate, the responsum stood, and eventually the Board of Governors of the Hebrew Union College found it needed to make no decision, as the single woman candidate who had presented herself no longer wished to pursue this path. In contrast to other issues, the rabbinic assembly did not take action independently.