Israel’s Religious Services Ministry has announced it will open slots for female Halachic advisers, who will perform similar duties to community rabbis.
The revolutionary move will enable women to serve as community spiritual leaders, including in communities without a rabbi, with the encouragement of the state.
For the first time, the state will recognize and fund the majority of the advisers’ work as integral to the community. The goal is to fund the hiring of Halachic advisers for 21 communities to provide religious women with female Halachic figures to provide advice on personal and sensitive issues.
In a statement announcing the move, Deputy Religious Services Minister Matan Kahana clarified that the move was aimed at making women an integral part of Halachic instruction in the religious space.
This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.