Women's Gallery: Showcasing Women in Jewish Leadership

Aliza Lavie moves seamlessly between public leadership, scholarship, culture and creativity. A former Member of Knesset, best-selling author and leading scholar of Jewish culture, Aliza has spent her career amplifying women's voices and strengthening connections across the Jewish world. From founding global initiatives that revive women's prayer and heritage, to shaping national conversations on religion, state and gender equality, her work bridges Jewish tradition and contemporary life. As a senior academic, cultural entrepreneur and visionary leader, Aliza offers a rare perspective on how women's leadership can transform Jewish communal and spiritual life across generations.

We discuss working in the knesset, creating change at this difficult time, and the power of bringing together diverse groups of women. We talk about clarity of mission, giving a voice to those who don't have one, finding leadership in unexpected places and the vital aguna legislation Aliza passed that impacted my work at the Bet Din so much.

It's a broad conversation that bounces from prayer to politics to chessed, united by Aliza's vision of bringing back our collective knowledge to create tools for the present.

Aliza's website collecting women's prayers can be found at: tfilatnashim.com

Her book, Iconic Jewish Women, can be purchased on Amazon.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/learning to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. NEW! Talk to us at [email protected] and tell us who you'd like to hear interviewed.

I'm thrilled to welcome Michele Weiss, the first Orthodox Jewish woman to be elected mayor of an American city. Michele already has over 15 years of service on City Council of University Heights, Ohio, including multiple terms as Vice Mayor. She also serves as the Chief Financial Officer of the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, teaches as an adjunct professor, and is a founding member of the nonprofit AMATZ Initiative, which supports professional development for Beis Yaakov school leaders. A trained accountant with an MBA, she's a powerhouse with a strong commitment to tzniut who puts her children firmly first yet still manages, as she puts it, "to do a couple of other things." Our conversation flies from spirituality to imposter syndrome to Trump and Israel to achdut in Cleveland to raising a family, with the super-relatable Michele calmly explaining her roles and views in it all, making it look almost easy. This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/learning to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. NEW! Talk to us at [email protected] and tell us who you'd like to hear interviewed.

In this episode we meet Rabbanit Shayna Goldberg, mashgicha ruchanit and teacher to Israeli and American post-high school students in Migdal Oz, an affiliate of Yeshivat Har Etzion. Shayna is also a yoetzet halacha, a contributing editor for Deracheha: Womenandmitzvot.org, co-host of the podcast "Women Talking Mitzvot" and the author of the book: What Do You Really Want? Trust and Fear in Decision Making at Life's Crossroads and in Everyday Living, and we found a great deal of common ground.

We discuss her role in helping young women to grow while staying connected to their home and roots, how she empowers them to take responsibility for their own decisions, how she helps them hear themselves in this process, and her conscious aim for lasting rather than drastic change.

We cover the changes she's seen in her career, a move towards questioning authority in her students' search for meaning, and the growing hunger to know how halachic decisions are made, as well as what motivates her to write and the surprising way in which that began. We also touch on the growing world of female leadership, contrasts between the secular and Jewish worlds in these areas, and our hopes for the future.

Shayna's book, What Do You Really Want? can be purchased from Koren Publishers.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/learning to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you.

Seasoned shlucha Danielle Chaimovitz has nurtured communities in Estonia, Poland and Germany. A daughter of olim, she was always drawn to communal roles in Jewish life, and she and her husband have made it their specialty to help small communities thrive.

Danielle and I discuss the role of a shlucha - what does success look like? How much should your children be part of your work? Should you ever be advising your community to leave?

I'm surprised and touched to learn the incredible ways the Munich community supported them through the October 7th war, and fascinated by the subtle differences she's discovered between communities, and how that's affected her leadership style.

Our new beginner's Gemara course starts this Thursday, 4th December - a deep yet accessible course to help students feel confident navigating the Talmud. Find out more and book at In Depth Talmud: Studies in Sanhedrin.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/learning to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you.

NEW! Talk to us at [email protected] and tell us who you'd like to hear interviewed.

This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you.

Who do you look after when you can't look after everyone? How does a leader react when she's the one in need of help? What do you do if you feel pidgeonholed by your education or career choices? Rebbetzen Yael Roodyn, much loved Rebbetzen of Finchley Federation Synagogue, gives us insights into caring for and inspiring her close-knit community, bringing out the leadership in others and ensuring that everyone feels part of the family.

With a Master of Research in Computer Vision and Image Programming, Yael began her professional life at KPMG Tel Aviv as a trainee actuary. She later taught in several seminaries in Jerusalem, and now, as well as being Rebbetzen of her shul, handles Aish UK's Campus Follow Up for women. Yael and her husband are blessed with eight children.

Our conversation reveals a deeply thought-through set of decisions which led Yael to where she is today, the theme of which is finding the right balance of caring for others, bringing up her family, and developing herself. Yael shares creative leadership guidance, self-care principles and wisdom that can help us all feel more balanced, productive and fulfilled.

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 Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash, one of the most refreshing and challenging voices in contemporary Jewish learning. Based in Jerusalem, Nechama teaches Talmud and halachah at the Pardes Institute and Matan, where she's known for tackling some of the most complex questions around gender and relationships with honesty, warmth and depth.

Her recently published book, Uncovered: Women's Roles, Mitzvot, and Sexuality in Jewish Law, offers a fearless, richly sourced exploration of women's ritual obligations, religious identity and sexuality in Jewish law. Nechama's teaching combines rigorous text study with a rare sensitivity to lived experience.

Link to the book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Uncovered-Womens-Mitzvot-Sexuality-Jewish/dp/9655243753

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 [email protected] and tell us about amazing women who you'd like to hear interviewed.

Joanne Greenaway is joined by Rabbanit Chana Henkin, founder of Nishmat: The Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women in Jerusalem, and Head of its Research Institute.

One of the great pioneers of women's Orthodox Torah scholarship, Rabbanit Henkin has transformed the landscape of women's halachic and spiritual leadership. Together with her late husband, Rav Yehuda Henkin ztz"l, she founded the Yoatzot Halacha programme, training women experts in Jewish law and women's health, whose work has changed the way halachic guidance is sought and given across the Orthodox world.

A beloved teacher and visionary, Rabbanit Henkin has received honorary doctorates from both Bar-Ilan and Yeshiva Universities and was awarded Israel's prestigious Agrest Prize for innovative religious education.

She reflects on resilience amid personal loss, explains the vacuum that prompted her to start the Yoatzot Halacha programme, discusses continuing her late husband's work on women in halacha and demonstrates how halacha has given agency to women. We discuss the difference between a yoetzet and a rabbi, and the changing relationships between women and rabbis in the information age, and she inspires us with a message about serving the community in the future.

Responsa on Contemporary Jewish Women's Issues (New Expanded Edition) is available here.

To access our full LSJS programme of learning, visit lsjs.ac.uk/learning.

Our new women's gemara course, A Taste of Talmud starts on Wed 22nd October. Book it for free here.

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 [email protected] and tell us about amazing women who you'd like to hear interviewed.

Joanna Benarroch joined Rabbi Sacks' Office of the Chief Rabbi in 1997 and worked for Rabbi Sacks for the next 24 years, first as his Executive Director and then running his private office. Since his passing, Joanna has played a key role in establishing the Rabbi Sacks Legacy to perpetuate his values and teachings.

We discuss what drove Rabbi Sacks to keep seeking and writing, the far-reaching plans he made and high standards he held himself to, as well as his relationship-first approach and genuine interest in people and what made them tick.

Joanna Benarroch talks about her own trajectory as a behind-the-scenes leader and the privileged position she found herself in, as well the explosion in popularity of Rabbi Sacks right across Israeli society since his death and her mission now, post-aliyah

The Rabbi Sacks & the Scholars LSJS course begins this November with a free taster class, Judaism at the crossroads of tradition and modernity. Discover the beauty and clarity of his teachings. More info and book at: www.lsjs.ac.uk/sacksandscholars.

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 [email protected] 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.