New program brings halakhic study for women to int'l community

• Author: Arutz Sheva Staff
• Published date: 08 November 2021
• Publication title: Israel National News (Israel)

Without the opportunities for intense study to allow for the mastery of halakha, women in the Orthodox Jewish community have been limited in the halakhic leadership roles open to them, and the impact they can have on Orthodox communal and spiritual life.

Now, within a world of Orthodox Jewry that is becoming increasingly respectful and welcoming to the place of women in positions of educational and spiritual leadership, the Ohr Torah Stone network's Susi Bradfield Women's Institute of Halakhic Leadership (WIHL) has launched an international program catering to women leaders from around the world.

Rabbanit Dr. Hannah Hashkes, Director of the new International Halakha Scholars Program (IHSP) explains that the initiative came in direct response to a changing climate towards females in leadership positions. "This program is working to match the pace of a Jewish world that has expressed a clear need for women as proficient and involved partners in matters of halakhic discourse and communal leadership," she said. "In this day and age, there is no option to leave women out of the conversation, and we are deeply appreciative that Ohr Torah Stone has recognized the need and is responding to that new reality."

Aided by the recent transition of programs to online platforms, the IHSP has launched with a class of 26 professional women from the United States, Germany, Canada, England, Australia and Israel to join the inaugural program. Participants are required to study eight hours per week, made up of both online classes and chavruta-style study groups that can also be held online. A four-year program, an in-person intensive seminar is being scheduled for every other summer. The women will receive advanced training in the subjects of Shabbat, Mourning, Kashrut and Nidda (Family Purity and Fertility.)

"Advancing learning...