August 26 is Women’s Equality Day, commemorating 105 years of U.S. women exercising their right to vote. The Hadassah Foundation is committed to women’s equality every day of the year. We envision a world in which women are working within and across communities to inspire and drive economic, social, and political equality for all people – and our grant recipients in Israel and the U.S. Jewish community are working every day to make that vision a reality.
On Women’s Equality Day, we celebrate all of our grant recipients. Together, they are solving problems and creating lasting social change. Meet one of them — Yeshivat Maharat — below:
THE PROBLEM: Orthodox women lacked opportunities to prepare for and serve in religious leadership roles– and faced unique obstacles to advancement.
THE SOLUTION: Established in 2009, Yeshivat Maharat has ordained 100 Orthodox women, preparing them to serve in synagogues, Jewish schools, and other educational institutions, as chaplains, and in community organizations throughout the world. It provides ongoing support and networking opportunities that enable alumnae to navigate and grow in their careers, and its various programs build a pipeline for Jewish women leaders, elevate women’s thought leadership in the Jewish world, and build acceptance for women leaders within Orthodoxy.
Two Maharat alumnae were among the petitioners in an Israeli High Court case that resulted in a landmark ruling that women must be permitted to take the official examinations for rabbinic ordination offered by the Chief Rabbinate. Barring women from taking the same exams as men, the judges ruled, “is prohibited discrimination without sufficient justification.”
The Hadassah Foundation has awarded a total of $180,000 in multiple grants to Maharat.
Rabbi Marianne Novak, a Maharat alumna who joined the Hadassah Foundation board in 2022, says she “went to Maharat to get credentials, but I got so much more.”
“I have a whole cohort of amazing women rabbis who are actively involved in Jewish life and who share advice on halakhic (Jewish law) questions,” she explains. “Even if there’s pushback from some who say, we’re not legitimate leaders, when we are there and we’re doing the work, it makes it very hard to continue with that kind of statement.”
Maharat is one of 19 current Hadassah Foundation grant recipients and one of almost 120 organizations and initiatives that we’ve supported since 2000. On September 2, we’ll be announcing five more: our 2025 Core Israel grant recipients. Meet all our current and grant recipients here.