Sally Opened Doors: The Story of the First Woman Rabbi

Rabbi Sally J. Priesand, America's first female rabbi, finished her rabbinical studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in June 1972. At that time, there were no women reaching at seminaries and few Jewish women leaders. One of the professors would not sign her diploma. Congregations were reluctant to bring a woman to their pulpits. She was the last person in her graduating class to be offered a job.Rabbi Priesand became the assistant rabbi at a large synagogue in New York City, where she served for seven years, but when the congregation was ready to hire its senior rabbi, she was not even considered. For two years she was not able to find a synagogue willing to accept a woman as its only rabbi. Then in 1981 she became the rabbi of Monmouth Reform Temple in New Jersey, where she served for twenty-five years, until her retirement, upon which she became rabbi emerita.Rabbi Sally Priesand became a leader in the Reform movement: she introduced inclusive God-language into worship; and she worked on behalf of those experiencing poverty, hunger, and homelessness.Thirty-seven years before Sally, another woman, Regina Jonas, has become a rabbi in Berlin, Germany, but her story was forgotten for a long time. With Sally, a new era began for women who wanted to become rabbis. Two years after her ordination, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College ordained Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso (1974). The Conservative movement ordained Rabbi Amy Eilberg in 1985, and Open Orthodoxy ordained Rabbi Sara Hurwitz in 2000. There are more than a thousand women rabbis in the world today.

Sally Opened Doors is a captivating and beautifully illustrated work . . . It provides a model of perseverance that will inspire young people to create a more just world. --Rabbi David Ellenson, Chancellor Emeritus of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion"A beautiful and inspiring story of how one young woman's vision, determination, and generosity enabled her to fulfill her dreams and also make history." --Dr. Judith Rosenbaum, CEO, The Jewish Women's Archive"Young readers will come away with an important and timeless lesson: 'Get up and get on with it.' Rabbi Sandy Sasso counsels, and follow your dreams. This delightful story book constitutes a moving tribute from one remarkable trailblazer to another." --Dr. Gary P. Zola, Professor, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and Executive Director, The Jacob Rader Marcus Center of the American Jewish Archives"Sally Opened Doors reminds us that everything is possible with hope, courage, and perseverance. In addition to its powerful life lessons, this book celebrates our communal history through Rabbi Sally Priesand's unique story." --Rabbi Mary L. Zamore, Executive Director, The Women's Rabbinic Network"The modern era has introduced many changes into the lives of Jewish women. Undoubtedly, one of the most notable was the Reform movement's 1972 ordination of Sally Priesand as the first American female rabbi. As a token of our gratitude, we have the very Jewish obligation to teach children about her courageous persistence. Priesand did indeed open doors for those women, and men, who acknowledged the need for gender reform in traditional Jewish spaces. Fifty years later, Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and Margeaux Lucas have crafted an accessible introduction to Rabbi Priesand's life, perfect for young readers who may not realize how firmly shut those doors once were.While Lucas's pictures capture the time period, they also depict a modernization that is central to Priesand's quest. For instance, when she and a friend are conversing about the likely opposition to women in the rabbinate, their dark brown hair and mid-century fabric patterns stand out against the more generic congregants seated in front of them.For Sasso's part, much of the story relies on invented dialogue to advance the narrative. While each sentence accurately reflects the attitudes of the era, the cumulative effect is somewhat ideological. "I now know what I want to do. I want to be a rabbi ... like you," remarks one grateful young woman. Priesand's skeptical friend, whose "jaw dropped" at the mere notion of female rabbis, warns her that no one will accept her aspirations: "Sally ... look around! Women serve coffee, tea, and cake after services ... they never take out the Torah." There is no disputing the reality of these prejudices, but the characters who articulate them seem more like symbolic adversaries than real people. Sally Opened Doors is effective in that it focuses on the most important parts of Priesand's life, simplifying certain issues for young readers and maintaining the momentum of an exciting story. Yet some nuances are important. One visitor to Priesand's synagogue rudely contends, "A woman rabbi? Outrageous! You start opening the door to change, and this is what happens." Here it would be appropriate for Sasso to comment on the irony of his objection. Reform Judaism, after all, was predicated on a perceived need for change. Priesand's main concern was not resistance to change in general, but the hypocrisy of those who opposed reform purely on the basis of gender.Sasso and Lucas showcase a Priesand who refuses to let naysayers discourage her. Adults reading this book with children will have opportunities to discuss the limits imposed on women in the past and present, and to consider the ways in which a little bit of anger might be productive in the face of ongoing inequality. We are fortunate to have this new resource about a trailblazing Jewish feminist who would not take no for an answer." --Emily Schneider, The Jewish Book Council