A woman born into a Christian family in France was no obvious candidate to become a pioneering Orthodox rabbi in Israel, but 40-year-old former journalist Eliora Peretz did just that.
After her conversion to Judaism and three intensive years of Jewish studies, Peretz was recently ordained as one of the few women in Israel to be an Orthodox rabbi.
Female rabbis are increasingly common in more liberal Jewish denominations, but among the Orthodox, opportunities for high-level religious studies and positions of religious authority are reserved for men.
Israel’s Orthodox-controlled chief rabbinate has also refused to recognize Peretz’s credentials, meaning she cannot officiate in a recognized synagogue.
Peretz told AFP she doesn’t see herself as an activist promoting rabbinic gender equality, but rather as a “pioneer” — and one who likes to highlight injustices in Israel’s rabbinic establishment.
“There is nothing in our religious texts to prevent a woman from marrying a couple, but it is forbidden in Israel,” Peretz, a married mother of two, said in an interview at a synagogue in Jerusalem.
While current rules prevent her from officially leading a congregation, she said she “can be a spiritual leader, offering lessons and answering questions from believers … just like any male rabbi.”
Peretz, a French-Swiss dual citizen, received her ordination from Daniel Sperber, recipient of the prestigious Israel Prize for his achievements in the study of the Talmud and a revered rabbi who has challenged the Orthodox establishment.
Sperber in particular made headlines in 2020 for speaking out against “gay conversion therapy,” a practice widely viewed as a human rights abuse, as a rare member of the Orthodox community.
– ‘I had no choice’ –
In 2019, a group of Orthodox women went to Israel’s Supreme Court to overturn a ban preventing them from taking the rabbi’s exam, which is reserved for men. A final decision in the case has not yet been made.
Currently, only one Israeli citizen leads an Orthodox congregation. Shira Mirvis has been appointed “spiritual leader” of a community in the settlement of Efrat in the occupied West Bank, but she too has not been recognized by the Israeli rabbinate and does not officially serve as a rabbi.
Peretz, born Alexandra in Strasbourg, had other career paths open to her. She earned her doctorate in political communication and journalism before turning to religious studies.
Judaism, she said, has spoken to her since childhood, and after a “personal journey” she is seeking conversion.
Her decision to become a rabbi was fueled by her thirst for more knowledge.
“I realized that what was on offer for women was limited in terms of the depth of the topics covered.
“So I had no choice but to become a rabbi if I wanted to study what fascinated me,” she said.
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