Sha’arei Tsedek Synagogue marked International Women’s Day with a special Shabbat morning service celebrating the contributions of women to Jewish life, both within the community and across the Progressive Jewish world.
The service featured a conversation between Rabbi Shulamit Ambalu and Rabbi Professor Deborah Kahn-Harris, Principal of Leo Baeck College. Their discussion reflected on the legacy of women in the synagogue and the wider movement, exploring both the progress that has been made and the challenges that remain.
In her introduction, Rabbi Shulamit spoke about the remarkable role played by women in the history of the community, with particular mention of Dee Eimer and Michelle Charkham-Gold. Archival material displayed during the service highlighted the breadth of their contributions, including prayer resources created by members of the congregation, such as a moving service for those who have lost a child, a Rosh Chodesh liturgy, and material that helped shape the Reform Synagogues of Great Britain’s first booklet on women and the tallit.
Women also played a key role in the synagogue’s leadership and development. Among them was Estelle Gilston z”l, the synagogue’s first chair and Life President, who served three terms between 1987 and 1999, alongside others who helped build and sustain the community and contributed to new liturgies used beyond the synagogue itself.
Rabbi Shulamit placed these achievements within the wider context of second-wave feminism, noting that the work of women in the synagogue was part of a broader cultural movement for equality and opportunity. The impact of those efforts has been felt across generations, with many growing up today experiencing far greater equality in Jewish life within the Progressive movement.
A pioneer of feminist biblical scholarship and the first female Principal of LBC, Rabbi Deborah has led the College at a time when women now make up a significant proportion of rabbinic students. For the community, welcoming her back to the synagogue where she once served as a rabbi made the occasion especially meaningful – a reminder of how far Progressive Judaism has come, and of the generations of women whose leadership helped shape it. The congregation is also donating its huge archive of material to Leo Baeck College.