Episode 128: Orthodox Women Rabbis Crack the Stained-Glass Ceiling

In June 2025, the thirteenth cohort of Orthodox women rabbis graduates from Yeshivat Maharat, the first Orthodox yeshiva in North America dedicated to ordaining women. In this episode, we look at the status of the so-called stained-glass ceiling for Orthodox women rabbis as they seek pulpit positions, and we talk about the unique challenges for women’s leadership in the Orthodox movement. We speak with Rabbanit Leah Sarna, Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman, and Yeshivat Maharat’s founder and president, Rabba Sara Hurwitz.

This episode includes Tiny Putty from Blue Dot Sessions.

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Released June 3, 2025

(From left) Rabbanit Leah Sarna, Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman, and Rabba Sara Hurwitz.
Rabbanit Leah Sarna. Photo courtesy of Leah Sarna.
Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman in her office at Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, MD. Courtesy of Maharat Ruth Balinsky Friedman.
Courtesy of Yeshivat Maharat.
Students and teachers studying at Yeshivat Maharat, which trains Orthodox women as clergy. Courtesy of Yeshivat Maharat.