Community, Identity, and Religious Leadership as Expressed through the Role of the Rabbi's Wife Susan J. Landau-Chark A Thesis in The Department of Religion Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Concordia University- Montreal, Quebec, Canada March 2008 © Susan J. 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The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada ABSTRACT Community, Identity, and Religious Leadership as Expressed through the Role of the Rabbi's Wife. Susan Landau-Chark, Ph.D. Concordia University, 2008 This study analyzes the role of the Canadian rabbinical wife married to a rabbi who can be hired and fired from his position. While archival sources and secondary historical sources were utilized to some extent, the substantive work of the research is to be found in the interviews conducted over a period of three years. Interviews took place in areas where major Jewish populations reside such as Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver; and in the smaller Jewish communities throughout Canada, such as the Maritimes, Ottawa, Hamilton, London, and Winnipeg. The interviews were sorted according to the year of birth of the interviewees. This provided a contemporary perspective on how these women function in the role today, as well as demonstrating the consistency of the position from the early 1950s to the present. Fifty-nine women, either currently or previously married to congregational rabbis, met with the researcher. They were asked to respond to a series of questions addressing aspects of their lives as rabbinical wives. The initial interview was tape-recorded and transcribed. The transcripts were then used in a follow-up email and/or phone interview to clarify issues that arose during the initial interview. These interviews allow us to hear from the women themselves. Many of the women were wholly involved in their communities, despite the fact the role has no official status within the Jewish community. The rabbinical wife is required to be gracious and attentive to the needs of the community and will frequently have people in her home for religious and social events. At the same time, her position inhibits deep relationships with the people around her. This research provides detail on the role of the rabbinical wife, and contributes to a re­ reading of the history of religious leadership in the Jewish community. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study would not have gotten off the ground without the constant and consistent support of my committee. Their verbal encouragement of my project was matched by their commitment to ensuring that I had the financial wherewithal to meet my research goals. Aside from her role as my primary advisor, Professor Norma Baumel Joseph has advocated on my behalf on numerous occasions as well as being available for countless "morale-boosting" sessions. Through her efforts I have been provided with substantial teaching and research opportunities, as well as the financial assistance (through the Department of Religion) that enabled me to present my preliminary findings at the Australian Association for Jewish Studies 18th Annual Conference on Women in Judaism. Professor Ira Robinson, who is also on my committee, encouraged both my written work and my participation in several conferences. He also assisted with funds through the aegis of the Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies in order that I could attend the Australian conference. The third member of my committee, Professor Norm Ravvin, Chair of the Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies has demonstrated unwavering support of my research. At various times during my doctoral program I received two fellowships through the Institute for Canadian Jewish Studies as well as funds through the Romek Hornstein Memorial Award, and through the Harris and Ann Wetstein Foundation Graduate Scholarship. In 2006 I received funds to complete my research in the Atlantic provinces from Brandeis University's Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Research Award. Also, in 2007 the Department of Religion, with the support of the Department Chair, Professor Lynda Clarke awarded me the Barry J. Schwartz Memorial Bursary. Although my project took me across Canada, the larger part of the interviews and archival research took place in Montreal, Quebec, and Ontario. The travel to interviews throughout Ontario was made even more pleasurable through the companionship of Barbara Weiser who iv willingly scheduled her research needs to coincide with mine. In Toronto, my stepfather, Ronnie Barnett, ensured that I made my meetings in a timely fashion especially when visiting areas poorly served by transit. In the Maritimes, my cousin, Joanie Sichel, also assisted in helping me meet my interviewees. On the home front, in Montreal, my heartfelt gratitude goes to Donna Goodman for the many cups of coffee, and hours spent in coffee shops over the last eight years, as I bounced ideas, outlined theories, and analyzed drafts that had been emailed to her for discussion and comment. I also wish to reiterate how much I have appreciated the "eyes" and "ears" of the Department of Religion, Tina Montandon, Graduate Program Assistant par excellence who has also been there for me through countless progressions and regressions. While the final form of the research is very much my responsibility, the data gathered represents the openness of fifty-nine women who were generous both with their time and with their thoughts about their life as rabbinical wives. I want to thank three rabbinical wives in particular: Norma Baumel Joseph, who stepped outside her role as my advisor so that I could interview her in her role as wife of Rabbi Howard Joseph; Karen Cahana, close family friend and avid supporter of my project, Karen was of tremendous assistance in the initial development of my questionnaire; and Elizabeth Bright, my first interviewee, who pointed out what I was missing in my questionnaire, thus directly contributing to a much more comprehensive research tool. And lastly to my family, our daughter Sarah, who made a sincere effort to give Mom her writing time, and to my husband Arie, who is thrilled that I have finally reached this goal. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 1. Methodology Tracking the texts 17 The Canadian synagogue today 22 Why oral history? 24 Why feminist research? 26 The interview 27 The researcher 33 The questions 34 2. Women's Place in Canadian Jewish History The years 1881-1921: On the outside looking in 40 The years 1921-1951: Creating a comfort zone 57 The years 1951-1981: Becoming public Jews 67 The years 1981-today: Maintaining boundaries 78 3. Jewish Religious Institutional Development in Canada Forms of Judaism and their positions within the Canadian Jewish milieu 86 The years pre-1881-1921: Transplanting the known 97 The years 1921-1951: Settling in 114 The years 1951-1981: Testing, challenging, re-structuring 129 The Years 1981 to the present: Reformation and adaptation 147 4. Rabbinical Function: Then and Now 157 The rabbinical role prior to emancipation 158 Coping with modernity 161 Training for the North American rabbinate 163 From theory to application 169 5. Facing Challenges: Maintaining the Self 177 The interviewees 179 Identity formation 197 Entering the rabbinical world 201 Congregational activities: Expectations and obligations 212 Taking responsibility and sharing the load 224 Creating space for personal and spiritual growth 231 Life in the small and not so small communities 240 Overall satisfaction with congregational life 247 Summary 253 6. Conclusion 257 Bibliography 270 Appendix I: Email Sent to Canadian Jewish Archives, and Recipient List . 302 Appendix II: Letter of Introduction and Synagogue Questionnaire Sent to Rabbis 304 Appendix III: Letter of Introduction Sent to Rabbinical Wives 307 Appendix IV: Sample Interviewee Consent Form 308 Appendix V: Interview Questions 309 Appendix VI: List of Interviewees 311 vii List of Tables Table I: Generational denominational divisions 180 Table II: Denominational divisions by region 181 Table III: Family of origin practices 190 Table IV: Education 197 Table V: Satisfaction quotient with congregation 253 Vlll INTRODUCTION A curious exchange took place in the process of confirming an interview appointment.