Gender and Jewish Culture

RD: As a travelling Rabbi, how has your interaction been with (non-Jewish) Poles from the smaller towns that you visit?

RTS: Oh yeah, I meet them in towns, in trains and there’s a big interest among them. I have met many people in towns who later came to the Sabbath service as well — they are interested and they are curious to know how a woman can lead a congregation and how she preaches. It is a big issue for many Polish people as even in Catholicism the role of women is constrained and limited. In small towns, I have had priests attending out of curiosity when I lead Sabbath or liturgical discussions or lessons during Jewish holidays — I really welcome this, it’s a very positive step. I remember in Częstochowa I was leading the Sabbath and a priest who was attending asked me about Jewish holidays, the interpretations of Sabbath songs, the role of women in Jewish liturgical life. Wherever I have said that I am a rabbi I’ve always had very positive reactions. I get a lot of questions, some surprising, some sensible, but overall an intriguing experience.

RD: What is your opinion about Polish civil society?

RTS: When I first came to Poland, I was very excited to be here — everyone was friendly and there was a big interest from the media towards me as the first female rabbi. I like this country; it’s very friendly towards Israel, although at the same time it has some right wing responses. I think the country is still in transition, but most of all I appreciate how people here deal with the hard subject of their Jewish identity — especially the younger generation; some come to Beit Warszawa as friends, some out of cultural curiosity, some go through the process of conversion. People struggle to see their past and want to relate it to their future — it is crucial to value that inner search. Their personal quest to know themselves is unique — some may have strong answers others may not be that confident, but what I respect most in everyone is that they confront it, they don’t push it away — it is a brave thing to do.
     When you walk the streets, after a while you begin to feel that something happened here. In Kraków, for example, as in many other places, the empty buildings, streets, synagogues evoke a cold and sad feeling, but I honestly feel that our reform movement will give them a little ‘real’ life. It’s a humbling feeling to learn how people reinstate their inner selves and lives — it’s really a difficult experience. It’s a very dynamic country; you can feel that in rabbinical terms it is the time of hesed — a persistent urge to confront the truth no matter how difficult it is. People want to deal with it, even people who are not Jewish; they want to deal with it as part of their own culture. Their curiosity to know more about Jewish culture, their strong support is crucial for civil society. Earlier nobody wanted to hear about Jewish life in Poland. With the revival, many people are beginning to experience this culture again. It may not be a daily experience for all anymore, but still the presence of culture matters; the sharing and the Polish-Jewish dialogue count a lot. Things are generally supportive here but still a lot of work has to be done; it is not easy to deal with such a troubled and complicated history.

RD: You bridge the cultural and the religious well when you lead the congregation. I enjoyed the Sabbath in Krakow during the festival.

RTS: Glad you liked it (smiles). Because you see, it’s my way…I saw myself as an artist initially and didn’t ever think of becoming religiously inclined. I often asked myself in Moscow, where I could have gone to the usual theatre, why did I choose the Yiddish theatre…?

RD: Could it have been your way to your own Jewish identity?

RTS: Exactly, it is. In the rabbinical college it was a big question to what extent culture is the promotion of religious life. I can firmly say that religious feeling grows in the person through culture — for me it was a cultural quest, it began sub-consciously when I was in the Yiddish theatre. Sometimes I ask myself how much of me is the artist and how much is the rabbi…and am I enough rabbi now (laughs). My rabbinical practice in Beit taught me a lot too. Many a times I have come across comments such as “It’s an amazing idea to support a cultural project” — obviously I have to tell them that it is not just a cultural project, it is our project. It’s important to convey the message to people that this is as much as a part of their history as ours, and for the religious part, it’s an individual choice whether they want to explore Judaism out of their cultural interest or through in-depth study. A strong religious feeling takes time, it takes years to nurture the quest, but we have time… (laughs)

RD: Another forty years maybe? (smiles)

RTS: (laughs) Sure why not!