Women’s Gallery: Showcasing Women in Jewish Leadership

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. NEW! Talk to us at womensgallery@lsjs.ac.uk and tell us about amazing women who you’d like to hear interviewed. This week, I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Yosefa Fogel Wruble to the podcast—turning the tables a bit, since Yosefa herself is an accomplished host of not one, but three podcasts in both Hebrew and English. Her mellifluous voice and natural storytelling draw you in, but it’s her deep Torah insights and thoughtful reflections on personal growth that make this episode truly special. Yosefa teaches Tanach, Biblical Exegesis, and Jewish Thought at Migdal Oz Beit Midrash,  lectures at Herzog College and Herzog Global, and serves as a Yoetzet Halacha and madrichat kallot. She’s also a member of the second cohort of Sacks Scholars and hosts a widely acclaimed weekly Parsha podcast for Matan Women’s Institute for Torah Study, alongside a new show on women and mitzvot with Shayna Goldberg. In our conversation, we dive into her journey from Albany, NY to Efrat, the mentors who shaped her, and how she balances spiritual growth, leadership, and daily life. We explore topics we’re all thinking about as we approach Rosh Hashana including personal growth, very practical methods for teshuva, habits that foster growth, differences between Israel and the diaspora regarding women's roles and leadership, and where we have and haven’t made progress in women’s learning. To learn about the parasha in Yosefa’s unique style, visit the Matan Parsha Podcast. Stretch your mind and soul through ideas based learning in free and paid classes, courses and events - visit the new LSJS website at www.lsjs.ac.uk.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. I’m delighted to be joined by Jo Grose, the first ever female CEO of the United Synagogue. Jo stepped into the position in 2023, after many years of senior leadership within the organisation, as well as leadership roles at PaJeS and PJ Library and an earlier career in educational publishing. She is also an active member of her local community, where her passion for community-building began, and serves as a trustee of her local Jewish school trust. For those unfamiliar, the United Synagogue (US) is the main umbrella body of centrist Orthodoxy in the UK, an influential organisation with over 60 synagogues and responsibility for Jewish life “from cradle to grave.” We discuss how a CEO can find honest feedback and people who will stretch them, the value of developing skills outside the Jewish community, rapidly responding to October 7th, the male-female dynamic at the US including the more challenging informal moments, successfully professionalising the role of rebbetzens, allowing for innovation in a traditional framework, and so much more. Having had the privilege of working alongside Jo both at the US and in my role at LSJS, I know Jo as a consummate professional, an inspiring leader, and a wonderful person. It’s been eye opening to explore her journey, her vision for Jewish communal life, and her reflections on leadership.

***1st Anniversary Edition!*** It’s our birthday! For this special anniversary edition the tables have been turned on me! Joanne Greenaway is Chief Executive of LSJS. Experienced International Arbitration lawyer and formerly Director of Get cases for the London Beth Din, she is part of Ohr Torah Stone’s International Halakha Scholars Program and a Sacks Scholar. One year ago, she launched THIS podcast to inspire women to find what they uniquely bring to the world and create roles for themselves to do so - by showcasing other women in Jewish leadership who’ve done just that. Dr. Erica Brown does a fantastic job of probing me and we discuss humanity, finding your north star, what it means to be role model, creating sisterhoods, career pivots, holding internal tensions and so much more. Many, many thanks to Erica for agreeing to interview me.  Erica is Vice Provost for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University and Founding Director of its Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks-Herenstein Center for Values and Leadership, as well as a prior guest on the podcast, friend and mentor. Erica’s book, Morning has Broken: Faith after October 7th is available at amazon.co.uk/Morning-Has-Broken-Faith-October/dp/1592646832. This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. This week I am delighted to be joined by Dr. Haya Langerman. Haya is a medical advisor with a doctorate in diabetes who has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for 30 years. For the last 21 months she has been on the frontlines of support for hostage families and fighting for their return (after 669 days now), as a lead volunteer for the Hostage and Missing Families Forum. We discuss what prompted Haya to drop everything and take up this work when the war started, her decision not to go back to Israel at that time, how the Forum handles the rapidly changing situation, and what everyone can do to help the families of the hostages.    

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. This week I am delighted to be joined by Shana Aaronson, Executive Director of Magen, where she first began as Social Services Coordinator, supporting families where children had been physically and sexually abused. Magen is dedicated to creating safer Jewish communities in Israel and around the world by developing and implementing programs that foster transparency, prioritizing the well-being of victims, holding perpetrators accountable, and eliminating the stigma surrounding sexual abuse. Their work spans advocacy, education, and direct support for survivors. Shana also volunteers as a Jewish marital law coach and birth assistant for women with histories of sexual and physical abuse. She lives with her family in Mateh Yehuda, Israel. We speak about the difficult but essential work of confronting abuse in religious communities, the role of communal silence, how to shift shame from victim to perpetrator, and what change could look like when survivors are believed and supported. This is a wide-ranging and powerful conversation about truth telling, accountability, and building safer futures.   If you're affected by the issues discussed, please reach out for help. Some community resources are: Jewish Women’s Aid – Supporting Jewish women affected by domestic or sexual abuse Magen – Child protection and abuse prevention in religious communities

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. I’m delighted to welcome Rabbanit Chamutal Shoval, Director of the Susi Bradfield Women’s Institute of Halachic Leadership at Midreshet Lindenbaum, and a graduate of its rigorous five‑year program as a Morat Hora’a and Manhiga Ruchanit - empowering women with halachic authority and spiritual leadership and enabling female halachic leaders to claim their place in discourse, advisory roles, synagogues, schools, and more, both in Israel and abroad. She spent two transformative years, alongside her husband and five daughters, at Ohr Torah Stone in Springfield, NJ teaching Talmud and Jewish law at Rae Kushner Hebrew Academy. A WIHL alumna, Chamutal follows in the footsteps of trailblazer Rabbanit Devora Evron. I also reflect on my own journey through the IHSP flagship program and the privilege of learning under Chamutal’s emerging mission. We explore role models and trailblazing pathways, titles and recognition; how we create meaningful roles for women in the synagogue setting; and encouraging more women to write halacha, publish books, build communities and shape the next 20 years of Jewish life. Gain rare insight into the mindset and mission of this influential female halachic leader today - her vision for the future, her personal journey, and her impact on Jewish leadership globally.  

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. Gila Pfeffer is an award winning author, breast cancer prevention advocate and mum of four. Her recent book, Nearly Departed: Adventures in Loss, Cancer, and Other Inconveniences, was the 2024 winner of the Gilda Women’s Book award and had me laughing hysterically and sobbing in equal measure. She describes it as “about losing both my parents to cancer, trying not to get cancer myself, then getting it anyway”. We answer questions like: why would you choose humour as a vessel for discussing breast cancer and loss? How do you navigate the publishing world as Jew in the current climate? What do you say at a shivah? And, why are there so many photos online of you holding up two large, round objects? To find out more about breast cancer awareness, take a look at the resources below: Cancer Research UK: cancerresearchuk.org The Breast Cancer Research Foundation: bcrf.org Jnetics - Improving the prevention and diagnosis of Jewish genetic disorders: jnetics.org Sharsheret - the Jewish breast and ovarian cancer community: sharsheret.org #FeelItOnTheFirst

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. Today I’m honoured to welcome Sharon Rosen, a leader in interfaith peace building in Israel and around the world. Sharon served as Search for Common Ground’s Global Director of Religious Engagement from 2017 until recently. She also co-founded and directed Education for Life, an NGO that provides tools for the development and wellbeing of children within state educational systems. She was also a faculty member at the Jerusalem Center for Near East Studies, teaching courses on Bible, gender, and contemporary relevance. From her father’s survival as a prisoner of war and how that projected the family into Israel as some of the first olim, to the challenge of seeking female leaders to connect and build bridges with in the Muslim world, this conversation is really wide-ranging. Sharon is an expert on designing and implementing interreligious programming that builds collaboration across religions and promotes peace. She is also an experienced facilitator in conflict resolution and strategic planning. Her advice for women and for the world, to amplify feminine traits of caring, compassion, mediation and dialogue over dominance, strength, assertiveness and competition, demonstrates the decades of experience it comes from.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. Rabbanit Nicole Duke is not an obvious leader, but her guidance behind the scenes at crucial times and life cycle events helps countless people through both difficult and wonderful times. First she is a shomeret, a kashrut supervisor enabling kosher functions to take place. She is also responsible for the chevra kadisha - the organisation dedicated to caring for the deceased and preparing them for burial - at the main Orthodox cemetery in London, and she single-handedly runs a hotline advising, guiding and arranging help for people who have just lost a loved one. We discuss the emergence of women into these roles and what women can bring to the world of kashrut in particular, as well as revealing some of the little known world of what happens when a person passes away.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. I learn every day with my chavruta in Israel using Sefaria sources. So I’m delighted to be interviewing Rabbanit Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld, Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, the online database and interface for Jewish texts. Sara is passionate about Talmud education and about expanding Jewish textual knowledge and its accessibility for all. She writes and teaches widely about Jewish texts and Jewish law, and her current projects focus on applying Talmudic ideas to questions of advancements in digital technology. We discuss ways she uses AI to improve accessibility on Sefaria, her goals for women’s learning in the future, and worrying trends in access to texts commonly cited by antisemites. Sara is also a member of Class Six of the Wexner Field Fellowship and an alumna of the David Hartman Center at the Hartman Institute of North America. She serves as Scholar-in-Residence at Ohev Sholom Congregation in Washington, DC and her research and writing focus on the intersection between Jewish ethics and advancements in technology. Sara’s writing has been published in The Atlantic, First Things, and Religion Dispatches, as well as numerous Jewish publications.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you.  What’s it like to be part of the Jewish community in Hungary? Home to the second largest synagogue in the world yet a hidden Jewish population that no-one can count, how does it function and what will its future be? Jewish educator, historian and tour guide Szonja Komoroczy is Vice Rector at the Jewish University of Budapest and has lectured and published extensively in English, Hungarian, Hebrew, and Yiddish. As an educator, her passion is to tell the story behind the facts, and, as a tour guide, to show the stories behind various layers of a city or region - historical, social, and architectural, alike. Behind the scenes, she’s something of an unofficial ambassador of the community. With a PhD and two MA degrees from Oxford and Budapest, Szonja’s main field of research and interest is Hungarian Jewish history and cultural history, and she is especially intrigued by issues related to changes in national identity and language choice. I think Szonja’s story and that of Hungarian Jewry is not well enough known and I’m really happy for her to share it more widely on this podcast. For more Jewish learning journeys, connect with us at lsjs.ac.uk/connect. 

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. Dr Tanya White is a much loved teacher at LSJS and Matan, and a lecturer in Jewish Philosophy at Bar Ilan University. Tanya lives in Israel with her husband and four girls, and she writes, teaches and lectures on Tanach and Jewish Philosophy. She has a very unique style that is both inspiring and intellectually stimulating and our students here at lsjs.ac.uk love her. I always learn so much from her approach and her take on ideas – really profound and really personal and authentic. We discuss bridging the gap between israel and the Diaspora, responding to October 7 as an educator, what’s next on the horizon for Orthodox Jewish women, and bringing Pesach Torah concepts to life. For more Pesach learning and other learning journeys, connect with us at lsjs.ac.uk/connect.

Today, we’re live! I’m at the Orthodox Women’s Torah Leadership Convening with Ann Pava and Elizabeth Walder, trailblazers of Jewish philanthropy, strategically growing the field of Orthodox Jewish women’s Torah leadership. As we sit onstage at the Convening that Ann and Elizabeth made happen, they reveal how they choose where to invest, and how they go forward as partners with those organisations lucky enough to receive their help. We marvel at how far this field has come - programmes in learning and leadership that are now available for women and girls, and positions held by women that were traditionally reserved for men. We discuss the challenges for Orthodox women seeking a career in Torah leadership as well the hurdles we’ve overcome, and the work still to do in this field. Anne Pava is the president of Micah Philanthropies. An activist, philanthropist, thought leader and community builder, she loves to mentor and empower women, especially to lead, and to make the world a better place and has been pivotally to the Prizmah Centre for Jewish Day Schools, the Jewish Federations of North America, the Hebrew High School of New England and the Jewish Federation of Western Massachusets. She is involved in many other boards and has won an award for outstanding women philanthropists. Elizabeth Walder is president and executive director of the Walder Foundation and the board chair of Walder Operations. She is a lawyer by training and led a multicultural immigration law practise helping thousands of immigrants reach their full potential. Later she served as the chief sustainability officer at IDT before establishing The Walder Foundation with her husband. Through its Jewish Life pillar the Walder Foundation founds many initiatives to empower Orthodox women’s Torah leadership and Elizabeth was awarded the Hinda Institute’s Heroines of Hope award in 2022 given to a visionary broad-minded philanthropist who personifies leadership and compassion. Special thanks to Dr. Elana Stein Hain, who organized the convening. (You can hear Jo's Women's Gallery interview with her here.) Listen to Jo's interview with Rabbanit Michelle Cohen Farber here.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. Suzy Goldberg is a pillar of the London community who embodies humble leadership. She’s a mother, grandmother, shadchanit (Jewish matchmaker) and Torah teacher of over 30 years. She’s also a graduate of the LSJS BA and MA degree programmes in Jewish Education and she works today with an organisation called Shidduch.im, the UK’s branch of the fabulously-named Saw You at Sinai Jewish dating app, and she’s encouraged, counselled and guided many couples to the chuppah with incredible skill. We discuss the common thread connecting Jewish education and matchmaking, what it feels like to watch a couple you connected get married, our responsibility to help people find their other halves and of course, how to know if this is the right match for you!    

This podcast is powered by LSJS - the London School of Jewish Studies. Connect with our Jewish education courses, tours and events, online and in person, via lsjs.ac.uk/connect. Hadassa and I met over Chanukah when she was in London promoting her new book - a book which has made a huge impression on both me and my daughter. Hadassah started this book project in the wake of October 7th to help parents talk about the trauma of that terrible day, and to cope with the trauma that developed in its wake. Hadassah has emerged as a genuine role model in that sense, and I'm very excited to talk with her more about the book and its impact, as well as about her life, her world, and particularly about parenting. She’s a mother of seven which, as a mother of four, sounds impressive! We talk mother to mother about parenting in the digital age, setting digital boundaries, self regulation, the power of stories, and resilience. We also focus on taking social responsibility and connecting with your inner hero, and discover the surprising truth about when she learned English! The Heroes of October 7th may be purchased in the UK here, and in the US here.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. My dear friend Rebbetzen Dr Hadassah Fromson is rebbetzin of Golders Green United Synagogue here in the UK. She is a counselling psychologist who works with individuals and couples both privately and for Chana, a fertility charity in the UK. She’s also a yoetzet halacha and a teacher here at LSJS. We discuss the importance of strengthening your relationships, and what brings satisfaction - in work, in relationships and yes, even in the bedroom, based on her research into sexual satisfaction in long-term Jewish relationships, Learn with Hadassah in Unpacking Parasha at lsjs.ac.uk/parasha. Join us for Unlocking Talmud on Wednesday evenings at lsjs.ac.uk/talmud.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk for our full Jewish learning programme, including Rabbanit Yafit Clymer, & find something that suits you. How do we help our children cope with the emotional fallout of war? This is just one of Rabbanit Yafit Clymer’s current roles, achieved as Rabbanit Beit Sefer of Midreshet Amit Girls High School in Modiin where, through Yafit’s unique blend of pastoral and spiritual guidance, she’s helping girls deal with loss caused by the war, anger with God, and how to pray in these times. Having a school rabbanit, a role that doesn't exist all over the world, has been vital and we discuss what the role means and why it’s needed. Also a teacher of Tanach & Talmud at Matan and LSJS, Rabbanit Yafit is currently studying for a doctorate in Jewish Philosophy at Bar Ilan University. We consider how to find the right balance in a syllabus between factual knowledge and spiritual awareness, and touch on Meshivat Nefesh, a responsa website where men and women answer halachic questions in all areas. Then, in explaining how to see God talking to us through history, Rabbanit Yafit delivers a powerfully real message that I think can uplift us all in these incredibly testing times. Catch Rabbanit Yafit on Covenant and Continuity: Rabbi Sacks’ wisdom, taught by his students. Book at lsjs.ac.uk/shemot.

Esty is a Chareidi Mizrachi social activist, entrepreneur and trailblazer. We met when she was in London screening Woman of Valour, a documentary film about her life and activism, and I was blown away by her bravery and her achievements. In 2012, she launched No Voice, No Vote, a social media-based protest movement calling on ultra orthodox Chareidi women not to vote for parties that barred women from their ranks, and on the back of that she founded Nivcharot, which raises awareness on women’s rights in Chareidi society. She’s a pioneer establishing all sorts of online forums promoting an honest exchange of views on subjects like divorce, birth control, sexual harassment, abuse and arranged marriages, all of which are to some extent still taboo in the Chareidi world. Esty has a new podcast in Israel called Chareidit Meduberet (Spoken Chareidi) where she interviews people who share this fresh approach and voice to discuss challenging issues in a new, open way. We speak about change management, using a pseudonym to write about politics as a Chareidi woman, and shifting practises away from that, the potential dangers of the future of Israeli politics, how not to feed the monster of social media, and struggling with the F word - feminism. Click here to learn about Esty's film, Akara.  

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk for our full Jewish learning programme & find something that suits you. Rabbanit Michelle Cohen Farber is the founder of Hadran, advancing Talmud study and Daf Yomi for women. Michelle studied Talmud at Bar Ilan University and at Midreshet Lindenbaum Scholars’ Programme. She’s taught gemara and halacha in Pelech Jerusalem, Midreshset Lindenbaum and Matan Hasharon. Together with her husband, she founded and leads Kehilat Netivot in Ra’anana where they live with their 5 children. We discuss how the anchor of Daf Yomi kept her going through the traumas we’ve been through as a people, why she focuses on women learning Talmud rather than Tanach, and how, while peers left studying for teaching, she continued to invest in her own learning until she judged the right time to move to teaching, and the difference that’s made for her and for others. Links: Women's Gallery Episode with Dr. Rachel Levmore LSJS Masters Degree in Jewish Education: lsjs.ac.uk/ma The Iyun Programme: Advanced Halacha Learning for Women: lsjs.ac.uk/iyun Unlocking Talmud: lsjs.ac.uk/talmud Unpacking Parasha: In-depth, text based learning for women: lsjs.ac.uk/parasha Hadran

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk for our full Jewish learning programme & find something that suits you. This week we’re meeting Hadassah Shemtov. Hadassah lives in LA where she teaches Gemara and Chumash to high school girls, particularly within the Chabad community. Hadassah noticed amongst the women in her community an underlying ‘estrangement from the source of our tradition’. She saw that many high school students were unfamiliar with the evolutionary process of halacha and thought it to be arbitrary rules. She found a low expectation for rigorous scholarship within Torah study that led peers to seek intellectual satisfaction elsewhere. So she co-founded the Batsheva Learning Center in 2015, and has spearheaded numerous innovative learning opportunities for women there, primarily in the New York area but also across the US. Hadassah and I discuss standing on the shoulders of giants such as Sarah Schnierer, what Chabad schools teach that others don’t, and the leadership advantage that Chabad ‘shluchot’ have over other female leaders. Women's Gallery Episode 10 with Dr. Erica Brown Women's Gallery Episode 4 with Dr. Elana Stein Hain Listen to Hadassah's podcast Real Women, Real Torah, and read her Substack.