Must Know
(1902-1944)
A German-born rabbi and academic. She studied at the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums (Higher Institute for Jewish Studies) in Berlin and worked as a teacher. Although some male rabbis refused to ordain her, she persisted in her efforts until becoming the first woman to be ordained as a rabbi. Relying on the Old Testament, the Talmud, and Jewish law, she demonstrated the Jewish legal justification that a woman can in fact be a rabbi. During the 1930’s, Jonas worked as a rabbi and delivered sermons in various communities in Germany. She also found historical precedents in which women ruled on matters of Jewish law. During World War II, she was deported to Auschwitz, where she was murdered.
