A VAUCLUSE woman has been ordained Australia’s first Hebrew Priestess.
Keshira haLev was one of 13 women to receive smicha — ordination — by the Kohenet Hebrew Priestess Institute at a recent Connecticut ceremony in the US.
The new Kohanot — Hebrew Priestesse — were the fifth graduating class since Kohenet was founded 12 years ago.
“The mere existence of Hebrew Priestesses is incredibly significant in a world where, for so long, women have been denied their rightful place, as leaders, as Jews and as humans,” Ms haLev said.
“Kohenet is a program which acknowledges the role of women from pre-Rabbinic times, and which encouraged women to reclaim their voices from that place, in a way that I have not seen offered anywhere else.”
The Kohenet certification empowers and enables new graduates to build on the work they are doing in various positions throughout communities.
Read the full article by Shaya Laughlin at Wentworth Courier.