By: Nomi Kaltmann as seen in The Age

August 22, 2021

One of the oldest synagogues in the world is the Altneuschul in Prague, which was completed in 1270. The synagogue’s attic is said to hold the body of the mythical Golem of Jewish folklore.

While visitors walk through the gothic archways and are shown through the large men’s section, they are not given the opportunity to sit and look through the equally sized women’s section as there isn’t one! The women’s ‘section’ of the synagogue is an outer room of the building, with women expected to watch services through small windows in the thick stone walls.  

While a Synagogue would not be built like this today, in orthodox congregations around the world, men and women are required to be segregated when they pray and there are still separate sections for men and women—although usually in the same room!

I am an orthodox Jewish woman who lives in Melbourne. I grew up in a family that is deeply traditional; as a child I would watch my dad go to daily prayer services and along with my siblings I would attend synagogue each week on a Saturday for the Jewish Sabbath.   

Yet despite my strong religious upbringing, I never had a strong connection to the synagogue as I was always ‘put to the side’. This is not only in physical location, but in the way that orthodox Judaism regards the role of women.

While modern synagogues are trying to make the physical design more equitable, most women still feel like they are observers to the tradition. Not that much has changed in Australia to advance the role of orthodox women, while around the world things are beginning to shift.

I care deeply in the tradition and orthodoxy I was brought up in, but I also believe that things can be better for women while staying within the rules of orthodoxy. That is why, this year, I established the first ever Australian branch of the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA), a global organization of women who are seeking to change things in orthodoxy, within the tradition, to push the agenda of women.   

Judaism is an ancient religion, it doesn’t necessarily like change, but sometimes change is inevitable, as the emancipation of women comes at light break speed in all other areas of society.   

I know that I speak for many orthodox Jewish women when I say this: Jewish women want to be a part of the tradition and we want to be seen.  

Perhaps the global pandemic has been the pause we all need to reassess what changes need to be made before we all pile back into our communal places of worship. Women have had the chance to stop and think about their weekly religious practices and question why they are accepting of second class treatment in their personal religious lives when they would never accept such treatment in their professional careers.

When services resume, orthodox women want to be seen and heard. We want meaningful opportunities for advancement and leadership.