JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Hebrew title for an ordained female rabbi is rabba, a religious women’s forum decided.
Participants in the Kolech Religious Women’s Forum conference in Jerusalem last week voted to select a title, Ynet reported.
The voting comes several months after a woman completed the same course of training and examination as male Orthodox rabbinical students at a liberal Orthodox seminary in New York City and was given the title maharat, a Hebrew acronym that stands for Torah leader, halachic and spiritual.
The Kolech board of directors will now appeal to the Hebrew Language Academy in Israel to make the word rabba an official part of the lexicon.
Other suggestions had included "maharat," "rav" and "hachama," or wise.
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