An outdated approach to women and children keeps me from my place of worship. Without more openness, it has no future
I vividly recall the moment I made the decision to stop attending synagogue. It happened in 2023, a few months after welcoming my fourth child.
My husband and I had managed to get our children dressed and out of the door that Saturday morning – a feat any parent with small children will recognise, and we arrived in time for the synagogue’s children’s service, a segment lasting about 30 minutes of the larger 2.5-hour service. But our plans were quickly derailed. The children’s programme concluded earlier than anticipated and the playroom was closed, under instructions from the management.
Nomi Kaltmann is an Orthodox female rabbi and the Australian correspondent at Tablet Magazine (NYC)
