Rabbi Weiss clarifies his position on women rabbis
By <A href="mailto:staceydresner@jewishledger.com">Stacey Dresner</A>

NEW YORK - Rabbi Avi Weiss, senior rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale (HIR) and founder of the Yeshivat Chovevei Rabbinical School, says he will not ordain Orthodox female rabbis.

In January, Weiss named his intern, Sara Hurwitz "Rabbah" the feminine version of "Rabbi."
She had already held the title of "Maharat" - an acronym for "Manhiga Hilchatit Ruchanit Toranit" - which means spiritual leader and teacher of Torah. 
Several of the Orthodox movement's religious bodies weighed in on Weiss's move. Among the most vocal was Agudath Israel of America which  released a statement from its Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of America (Council of Sages) concerning Weiss's smichah - ordination - of Hurwitz:
"These developments represent a radical and dangerous departure from Jewish tradition and the mesoras ha Torah, and must be condemned in the strongest terms. Any congregation with a woman in a rabbinical position of any sort cannot be considered Orthodox." 
After discussion with the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), Weiss made a statement late last week.
"It is not my intention or the intention of Yeshivat Maharat to confer the title of 'Rabba' upon its graduates. Yeshivat Maharat prepares women for positions of religious leadership in the Orthodox community. Each student who completes its course of study in Tananch, Talmud, Halacha and Jewish Thought, and is deemed fit by her faith, knowledge of our Mesoret, ethical integrity, and temperament to assume positions of religious leadership in Orthodox institutions will be confirmed as manhigeh, hilkhatit, ruhanit, toranit - (Maharat)."
A statement by the the RCA said that the organization was "gratified that during the course of these conversations, Rabbi Weiss concluded that neither he nor Yeshivat Maharat would ordain women as rabbis and that Yeshivat Maharat will not confer the title of 'Rabba' on graduates of their program."
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