Expanding Learning Opportunities for Orthodox Women

Women studying in an Ohr Torah program. Photo credit: Ohr Torah Stone

New program helps female professionals in the Orthodox community grow their halakhic expertise

As a teacher and halakhic advisor at SAR High School, a Jewish school in Riverdale, New York, Zissy Turner often faces questions from students and community members about halakha and Gemara (Jewish laws and rabbinic texts). Thanks to the International Halakha Scholars Program (IHSP) of Ohr Torah Stone Institutions of Israel, an innovative new program for female Jewish scholars and community leaders, she and other highly qualified peers now have additional opportunities to gain specialized knowledge in this area.

With support from Walder Foundation, the first cohort of the new three-year intensive program kicked off virtually last October, with 25 women from around the world who were eager to gain knowledge that will help them boost their careers.

“It was incredibly meaningful to be in a cohort of women in all stages of life who value Talmud Torah and dedicate their time to it,” said Turner. “I feel lucky to be a member of the first cohort, and I hope there will be many more to come after.”

Program participants hail predominantly from the United States, as well as England, Germany, Australia and Israel. Among the esteemed learners are an associate principal of a Jewish day school, the executive director of a Jewish organization, and a community scholar for an Orthodox synagogue, just to name a few. The faculty includes educators from Ohr Torah Stone’s Susi Bradfield Women’s Institute of Halakhic Leadership (WIHL), leading American rabbinic figures, and prominent Jewish communal leaders.

The program consists of weekly online classes that each dive deeply into a specific area of Jewish law. (This year’s study is focused on Shabbat.) Each week, the teachers post the source material online, and then on Sunday, participants “meet” for a spirited three-hour Zoom discussion. The virtual nature of the program allows the participants to seamlessly connect despite geographic location and in a way that is easily integrated with their other professional and personal responsibilities. All classes are recorded so women whose work or time zone poses a challenge can tune in later.

In addition to the classes, the women spend several hours per week studying the material with their chevrutot, or study partners. One of the program instructors frequently joins the pairs via WhatsApp to check their progress and answer questions. In the summer of 2022, an in-person seminar is also planned to take place in Israel at the Midreshet Lindenbaum’s Jerusalem campus.

At the conclusion of the program, graduates are awarded accreditation for their mastery of halakha, demonstrating their professional qualifications for positions of Jewish educational and communal leadership.