Jewish Community Endowment Fund Lecture: Gail Reimer

To Remember or Not To Remember -- That is the Question

Gail Reimer, the Founding Executive Director of the Jewish Women's Archive

In 1939, one of the leading rabbinical figures of the remainder Berlin Jewish community ordained Regina Jonas as a rabbi, a historical act, as he made her the first woman ever to be ordained as a rabbi. It would take another 33 years before another woman would be ordained, now in the US. Regina Jonas was murdered in Theresienstadt. 

This past summer, a group of women rabbis, all the first women to be ordained or appointed in their various movement (Reform, Conservative, Orthodox) went on a tour to Europe to honor Regina Jonas and publically commemorate her communal work as a rabbi both in Berlin and the concentration camp. Dr. Reimer was part of this tour and will include a 10 minute documentary video in her talk.