Women's Gallery: Showcasing Women in Jewish Leadership

Joanne Greenaway
  • 5.0 (8)
  • JUDAISM
  • UPDATED FORTNIGHTLY

"I've seen the difference it makes when women's voices and talents are included at all levels," says Joanne Greenaway, CEO at the London School of Jewish Studies, who as well as being a communal leader and educator is also an international lawyer who spent 10 years developing expertise in resolving Jewish divorce cases individually and systemically. For this reason, Women's Gallery Podcast will spotlight incredible female leaders making a mark in the Jewish community. Interviewing a different woman leader in each episode, Women's Gallery will explore different models of leadership in the context of schools, shuls, universities, batei din and every place where we can find incredible female leaders, showcasing the women defining Jewish leadership today. This LSJS podcast is powered by the Walder Foundation and a generous anonymous donor. Visit www.lsjs.ac.uk to continue learning with Joanne Greenaway and other LSJS educators.

  1. 4 DAYS AGO

    (46) Holding their pain with Dr. Aimee Baron of I Was Supposed To Have A Baby

    What does it mean to hold pain that has no easy resolution? In this deeply moving conversation, Joanne Greenaway speaks with Dr. Aimee Baron about the quiet heartbreak of infertility, pregnancy loss, and unrealized expectations. Moving from working as a medical doctor to establishing an organisation in order to fill an important need in the global Jewish community, Dr. Baron brings both professional insight and profound personal experience to her work. Drawing on her own story and her work supporting others, Dr. Baron explores how individuals and communities can respond with greater sensitivity, awareness, and compassion. Together, they discuss the gap between medical care and emotional support, the unique challenges within Jewish communal life, and the power of simply being present for someone in pain. From the role of social media to the complexities of stigma and silence, this episode asks how we can better care for those whose lives have not unfolded as they had hoped. Honest, thoughtful, and profoundly human, this is a conversation about listening, understanding, and learning how to hold space when words are not enough. Visit iwassupposedtohaveababy.org and listen to Dr. Baron's podcast, Taking Away the Taboo. This LSJS podcast is powered by The Walder Foundation and a generous anonymous donor. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/learning if you're looking to explore and strengthen your Jewish identity.

    53 min

  2. 21 APR

    (45) Hormonal Health the Jewish Way with Jacqueline Rose

    This week Joanne meets Jacqueline Rose, an award-winning integrative menopause educator, coach and hormonal health specialist based in Israel. A mother of five with a background in environmental science and yoga, Jacqueline has built a second career helping women understand the full hormonal arc of their lives, with a particular focus on perimenopause, menopause and the too-rarely-discussed post-menopause. Her approach draws on functional medicine, yoga, and a deeply Jewish lens on what it means to thrive at every life stage. They cover an enormous amount of ground: why HRT alone is never the whole answer, the five pillars Jacqueline uses to restore hormonal balance (stress, nutrition, sleep, movement and connection), and why "being symptomatic is not a prerequisite for being a menopausal woman." Jacqueline introduces a fourth, often invisible category of symptoms: spiritual ones. The identity shifts, the changing relationship to giving, to self, that so many women experience but have no language for. They also discuss what Jewish women specifically need to hear about their hormonal life cycle, the silence around post-menopause, and the quietly radical idea that menopause is not a decline but a bridge to a woman's most purposeful stage. It's a wide-ranging, practically grounded and genuinely moving conversation about reclaiming the language of women's health from the inside out. Find Jacqueline's podcast Things I Want My Daughters to Know at https://open.spotify.com/show/6mNNjO9khVStgtwkBqhxDw?si=586aa327e9e14c59. This LSJS podcast is powered by The Walder Foundation and a generous anonymous donor. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/learning if you're looking to explore and strengthen your Jewish identity.

    43 min

  3. 6 APR

    (44) Unifying a fractured nation by regrowing the land, with Danielle Abraham

    This week Joanne meets Danielle Abraham: Oxford-educated, Woodford-raised, and now one of the most driven women rebuilding Israel from the ground up. As founder and CEO of Regrow Israel, Danielle mobilised emergency support for farming communities devastated in the Western Negev and northern Israel in the wake of October 7th, raising over $30 million and supporting more than 110 farms. She is also co-founder of Volcani International Partnerships, an Israeli NGO tackling global food and nutrition insecurity through Israel's world-leading agricultural expertise. In this conversation, Danielle unpacks the systematic, premeditated agricultural terrorism of October 7th, in which 40 irrigation control boxes were targeted and destroyed on a single kibbutz alone. She explains why rebuilding the farms was the only possible foundation for rebuilding the communities, and why agriculture sits at the very heart of Israel's identity. Together they move from the pioneering spirit of Ben Gurion's Israel to today's border farmers, from tikkun olam and Israel's global agricultural leadership to whether the land can be a unifying force for a fractured nation. A conversation brimming with hard-won hope and a powerful case for a part of Israel's story that is still largely untold. This LSJS podcast is powered by The Walder Foundation and a generous anonymous donor. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/learning if you're looking to explore and strengthen your Jewish identity.

    43 min

  4. 24 MAR

    (43) Teaching Israel with Courage and Complexity, with Sarah Gordon, VP of Unpacked for Educators

    This LSJS podcast is powered by the Walder Foundation and a generous anonymous sponsor. Visit www.lsjs.ac.uk/learning to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. Talk to us at womensgallery@lsjs.ac.uk and tell us who you'd like to hear interviewed. Joanne Greenaway sits down with Sarah Gordon, Vice President of Unpacked for Educators, to explore one of the most urgent challenges facing Jewish education today: how to teach Israel in a time of war, polarization, and digital misinformation. Drawing on years in the classroom and her current work supporting thousands of educators worldwide, Sarah explains why traditional advocacy models are no longer enough, and why today's students need not just connection, but literacy and the courage to engage complexity. Together they discuss how Israel education has evolved, the impact of social media on young Jews, and the delicate balance teachers must strike between nurturing love for Israel and encouraging honest questions. They also explore practical strategies: teaching students how to navigate difficult conversations, helping schools define their values, and building resilience so that young people leave school not just with passion but with understanding. The conversation touches on the emotional realities of teaching Israel during wartime, the power of culture and personal relationships in building connection, and what Jewish educators can learn from the Passover Seder about curiosity, storytelling, and shared journey. This is a thoughtful and hopeful conversation about what it means to educate the next generation of Jewish leaders in complicated times. This LSJS podcast is powered by The Walder Foundation and a generous anonymous donor. Visit us at lsjs.ac.uk/learning if you're looking to explore and strengthen your Jewish identity.

    52 min

  5. 10 MAR

    (42) Writing prayers for our times with Rachel Sharansky Danziger

    What can I do to hold a fractured people together in a time of grief, disagreement, and uncertainty? Joanne Greenaway speaks with Jerusalem-based writer and educator Rachel Sharansky Danziger, exploring through her works how prayer, storytelling and leadership can create space for understanding and collaboration even amid deep disagreement. Rachel's upbringing as the daughter of former Soviet refusenik and Israeli activist leader Natan Sharansky and Avital Sharansky shaped her belief that individual voices can make a difference. Rachel reflects on the emotional complexity of Israeli society since October 7 and discusses prayer as a language of hope that allows people with opposing views to stand together in yearning. She reflects on what's unique in women's leadership and how that is needed today. Rachel's central conviction shines throughout the conversation: even in moments of profound uncertainty, one person can effect change. Az Nashir by Rachel Sharansky Danziger and Anne Gordon can be purchased from: Amazon US at https://www.amazon.com/Az-Nashir-Will-Sing-Again/dp/B0DHHDL99J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1MQ70EJVHTUAZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Ait7AEINcIWDqfQahZEJEXWPp4sy_7cbSbvw8yGEZXfGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.Kq7JKxbhQVm-ZKNq_VrLIzAH07N2aE0hUkzfg8l5Ltw&dib_tag=se&keywords=az+nashir&qid=1773674024&sprefix=az+nashir%2Caps%2C198&sr=8-1 Amazon UK at https://www.amazon.co.uk/Az-Nashir-Will-Sing-Again/dp/B0DHHDL99J/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1RLIBTL9M2ZAJ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rs3g2GbI2m_pwC6u9LZXFzvLrVcd2s-BNaV6v40I0UvGjHj071QN20LucGBJIEps.PUZySc6nLM2S7Bu3PInwBfuFMp18C-bDBopCsxph_is&dib_tag=se&keywords=az+nashir&qid=1773674097&sprefix=az+nash%2Caps%2C262&sr=8-1  This LSJS podcast is powered by The Walder Foundation and a generous anonymous donor. Visit us at lsjs.ac.uk/learning if you're looking to explore and strengthen your Jewish identity.

    57 min

  6. 24 FEB

    (41) Defending women's rights with Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari

    I'm honoured to introduce my long-time role model, Professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, a legal scholar and internationally recognized advocate for women's rights. We talk about her pioneering work documenting sexual violence during the October 7th attacks in Israel through the DINA Project, and how she has worked to ensure survivors' experiences are recognized and addressed on both a national and international level.   We also delve into her decades-long efforts to advance women's rights in Israel, particularly through the Ruth and Emmanuel Rackman Center for the Advancement of the Status of Women. Ruth explains how the center combines legal aid, advocacy, and research to support women navigating family law and divorce, while pushing for broader systemic change.   In spite of a system she feels is broken, Ruth is hopeful and persevering in her work from within legal and religious systems to create lasting impact. This episode is a fascinating look at courage, leadership, and the ongoing fight for gender justice in Israel and beyond.   This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/learning to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you.   NEW! Talk to us at womensgallery@lsjs.ac.uk and tell us who you'd like to hear interviewed.

    39 min

  7. 10 FEB

    (40) Supporting Women Through Judaism's Most Personal Questions, with Rabbanit Yaffa Setton

    This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/learning to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you.   NEW! Talk to us at womensgallery@lsjs.ac.uk and tell us who you'd like to hear interviewed. Meet Rabbanit Yaffa Setton - Yoetzet Halacha, rebbetzen, educator and community leader serving the Syrian Sephardic communities of Brooklyn and Deal, New Jersey. Between teaching high school by day and answering halachic questions at all hours, Yaffa occupies a unique and trusted space in the lives of the women she supports.  Follow her journey through advanced Torah learning — from Nishmat's Yoetzet Halacha training to the International Halacha Scholars Program and now Ematai's groundbreaking end-of-life care fellowship. We reflect on the kinds of sensitive, complex questions women bring her: mikvah, fertility, medical decisions, and moments of real vulnerability. We explore the delicate balance between guidance and psak, the importance of creating safe spaces to ask, and why sometimes simply having someone who understands makes all the difference. We also talk about the strength and warmth of the Syrian community she serves, teaching Torah across generations of the same families, and the models of leadership that inspire her most - particularly Sarah's insight and Miriam's courage to step forward without being asked. It's a thoughtful, grounded conversation about leading with both knowledge and heart. Hear from Chana Henkin, founder of the Yoetzet Halacha programme: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6NvpCAAjrpn1iL0mXgDb8k?si=w1082KvMQ0aQKNDSWxyBSQ Book the course: Women & Mitzvot, featuring Joanne Greenaway: https://lsjs.ac.uk/women-mitzvot-2768

    49 min

  8. 27 JAN

    (39) Combating Campus Antisemitism with The British Zioness, Tali Smus

    Jo meets Tali Smus, known online as The British Zioness - a university student, activist, and unapologetic Jewish voice in the UK. Raised in a religious Jewish home in London, Tali has become a prominent advocate for Jewish pride and against antisemitism on campus at King's College London while also building a significant online platform through her writing, speaking, and social media presence. Jo and Tali explore how a young woman finds her voice in hostile environments - from confronting antisemitism at university to navigating activism and hate online. Tali reflects on public speaking without formal training, imposter syndrome, social media as a tool for advocacy, and the emotional toll of being a visible Jewish and Zionist woman. The conversation also examines campus culture, institutional responses to antisemitism, collaboration versus solo activism, and the pressures facing this generation of students. This podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/learning to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you.   NEW! Talk to us at womensgallery@lsjs.ac.uk and tell us who you'd like to hear interviewed.

    41 min
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About

"I've seen the difference it makes when women's voices and talents are included at all levels," says Joanne Greenaway, CEO at the London School of Jewish Studies, who as well as being a communal leader and educator is also an international lawyer who spent 10 years developing expertise in resolving Jewish divorce cases individually and systemically. For this reason, Women's Gallery Podcast will spotlight incredible female leaders making a mark in the Jewish community. Interviewing a different woman leader in each episode, Women's Gallery will explore different models of leadership in the context of schools, shuls, universities, batei din and every place where we can find incredible female leaders, showcasing the women defining Jewish leadership today. This LSJS podcast is powered by the Walder Foundation and a generous anonymous donor. Visit www.lsjs.ac.uk to continue learning with Joanne Greenaway and other LSJS educators.

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