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The Case of Feminism— Mechanisms of Change 89

63. Ellen Uimansky in her analysis of this issue wrote that Lauterbach, at the conclusion of a lengthy discussion at a Board of Governors meeting of the Hebrew Union College , reluctantly agreed that as Reform Judaism has departed from the tradition in many ways, it cannot logically refuse the ordination of women. (Ellen Umansky,“Women’s Journey toward Rabbinic Ordination,” in Gary P. Zola (ed,) Women Rabbis- Exploration and Celebration, p. 32. Her documentation cites HUC correspondence. Lauterbach'’s final position remains unclear as he did not withdraw his responsum. Also in 1922 The Jewish -Institute-of-Religion founded by Stephen Wise in New York admitted Irma Levy Lindheim as a rabbinic candidate, but she was not able to complete her studies.

64. Other led congregational services after some self-study; the best known among them was Ray Frank. For more on her and others, see Ellen Umansky, /bid. and Gary P. Zola ,“Twenty Years if Women in the Rabbinate,” G. Zola(ed.) Women Rabbis- Exploration and Celebration.

65. Rabbi Eduard Baneth , the professor who presided over ordinations, died before Ragina Jonas passed her final oral examination. His successor Chanoch Albeck refused to ordain a woman. He did not wish to be the first to do so.. This meant that no one from the faculty was willing to grant her ordination. Mostly such a refusal occurred through ideological differences. For example when my grandfather Benno Jacob had completed his studies at the Jiidische Theologisches Seminar in Breslau in 1887, the Seminary’s ordaining rabbi refused to ordain him as he was a disciple of Heinrich Graetz , who also taught there. He and other Students who were in the same position were then ordained by a special committee of the Allgemeiner Rabbiner Verband.

Jonas’ path to ordination has been described in Elisa Klapheck (ed.), Fraiilein Rabbiner Jonas, Teetz, 2000, pp. 38 ff. This book also published Jonas’ paper "Cana Woman Become Rabbi”(German). For more on women in the Hochschule lir die Wissenschaft des Judenthums, see Esther Seidel, Women Pioneers of Jewish Learning, Berlin , 2002; Katharina von Kellenbach ,“God Does Not Oppress Any Humand Being: The Life And Thought of Rabbi Regina Jonas,” Leo Baeck Year­Book, New York , 1994, Vol. 39; Alexander Guttmann,“The Woman Rabbi: An Historical Perspective,” Journal of Reform Judaism, Summer, 1982, Vol. 29, Nu. » Pp. 21ff.

66. See Katharina von Kellenbach ’s essay. I have not yet had an opportunity to Study Jonas’ thesis, but plan to make it available.