What’s the Story with “fictional” Women Rabbis?

Abstract

Although women have been continuously ordained as rabbis since 1972, fictional depictions of these women rabbis did not appear for several years. Now, some five decades on, there are over four dozen works of fiction that mention women rabbis. As in real life these rabbis lead congregations and work in the wider community. This article surveys the fictional descriptions of women rabbis. Those rabbis are compared and contrasted with some data concerning real-life women rabbis. There are six sections: “The development of women rabbis as fictional characters;” “An overview of the presence and professional choices of fictional women rabbis”; “Balance, Intimacy, and Empowerment”; “Encountering God”; “Coping with double standards and harassment”; and “Rabbinic spouses/partners.”