Nation's First Female Rabbi Retiring

Nearly 1,000 Women Have Followed In Sally Priesand's Footsteps

(AP)  Still, there were problems for Priesand. After graduating, she took a position at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City as an assistant rabbi, but left after seven years because she believed her gender was keeping her from becoming the senior rabbi.

Priesand then served as the rabbi at a temple in Elizabeth, a part-time position, and was chaplain at a hospital in Manhattan. But it took her two years to find a full-time rabbi position, this time at the Monmouth Reform Temple in Tinton Falls, where she's been for the past 25 years.

When she arrived at Monmouth, a synagogue of about 365 families, many in the congregation - including Priesand herself - assumed it would be a stepping stone to a bigger, more prestigious assignment.

But Priesand eventually chose to stay at the temple, in a small town on the Jersey Shore, realizing that while a bigger congregation might be a feather in the cap for her gender, she enjoyed the job she had.

"There was a time when most of the things that I did, I made decisions as to what was best for women in the rabbinate, not necessarily what was best for me, because everyone judged the whole idea of women in the rabbinate by what I did and how I acted," said Priesand, who remained single because of the 24/7 demands of her calling.

Priesand said that, while she was growing up, God was always seen as a "father" and "clearly male." But children today have many different images of God, some masculine and others feminine, and she said that's partly the result of having women in the rabbinate.

Despite progress, she knows there is work to be done. Very few women lead large congregations, and many of the highest-ranking positions within the Reform movement are held by men.

As a rabbi, Priesand is careful to have a mixture of men and women in panels and discussions to reflect the makeup of the congregation. She wants girls to see opportunities for themselves within the synagogue, while not alienating men.

After she finishes work June 30, Priesand said she'll go away for six months to give the new rabbi - a man - a chance to establish himself. Eventually, she'll take up residence as the Tinton Falls rabbi emerita.

She will be missed by her congregants, who speak glowingly of her ability to deliver a sermon, her dancing around the bima, her desire to try new ideas and the sheer dedication she brought to the job.

"I was from an Orthodox background so it was very unusual to see a woman performing as a rabbi," said Karen Karl, a temple member for 15 years. "It was the first time I ever held a Torah and said the blessing. This was where I truly connected as a Jew, with her. She's a unique individual."