May 15, 2009 By: yunews
May 15, 2009 -- This Shavuot, National Synagogue of Washington, D.C. and Ahavas Torah of Silver Spring, MD will offer talented young Jewish women the opportunity to serve as scholars-in-residence as part of the Women鈥檚 Leadership Initiative鈥檚 first-ever scholar-in-residence program. The Initiative, part of 糖心破解版鈥檚 Center for the Jewish Future (CJF), seeks to empower, educate and train female students of the university towards the objective of assuming professional or lay leadership roles within the Jewish community.
The Women鈥檚 Leadership Initiative, made possible in part by a grant from the Covenant Foundation, offers Orthodox women a comprehensive and structured process of leadership development within the Jewish community through mentorships, professional training and a wide-range of activities and programs designed to engender a sense of empowerment and communal responsibility.
鈥淭here is a need within the Jewish community for talented, trained and well-educated female role models,鈥 said Daphne Fishman Secunda, director of the Women鈥檚 Leadership Initiative. 鈥淥ur goal is to both inspire new leadership and to create new and emerging opportunities.鈥
As part of the Initiative, a select group of students, known as Women鈥檚 Leadership Fellows, are exposed to female Jewish leadership models in various professional and lay capacities. Fellows hoping to enter Jewish professional fields are offered seminars throughout the year on a wide array of topics, such as public speaking, adult education, communal counseling and shiur [lecture] organization.
鈥淢y entire community and I are very supportive of expanding opportunities for women to learn and teach Torah,鈥 said Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz of Ahavas Torah, located in Silver Spring鈥檚 Woodside neighborhood. 鈥淲e applaud CJF for making these opportunities available.鈥
The scholars-in-residence, Malka Adatto of Seattle, WA; Vera Wexler of Silver Spring; Talia Cottrell of Teaneck, NJ; and Rebecca Winter of Toronto, ON, will deliver lectures on Torah and Halakha to teens and adults over the Shavuot holiday. The young women are all either currently enrolled in or are graduates of Stern College for Women鈥檚 Graduate Program in Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS), a two-year program which aims to develop an elite cadre of female scholars of Talmud and Halakha.
鈥淭he entire congregation was excited to learn that the scholars were coming to D.C.,鈥 said National Synagogues鈥 Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, YC 鈥95 RIETS 鈥99. 鈥淭hese women serve as positive role models, demonstrating that an Orthodox woman can be a spiritual and intellectual leader in an Orthodox setting.鈥
To learn more about the Women鈥檚 Leadership Initiative contact Daphne Fishman Secunda at 212-340-7700, ext.430 or email dfishma2@yu.edu.
