Congregation Sha’arei Orah installed its first spiritual leader late last month, with Rabbanit Leah Sarna taking over as one of five women serving as solo spiritual leaders of Orthodox synagogues around the world, jewishexponent.com reports
Sarna previously served as director of religious engagement at Anshe Sholom B’nai Israel Congregation in Chicago, where she was recognized by the Jewish United Fund as one of Chicago’s 36-under-36 honorees.
Synagogue President Susie Ratner said that, though it sends a positive message to Orthodox women, that wasn’t why Sarna was chosen.
“Her hiring is in some ways unremarkable because she is so talented and experienced and was the most qualified candidate,” Ratner said.
Sha’arei Orah, which is less than a decade old, started with around 20 families and grew slowly until 2023, when the community decided that it wanted to find a spiritual leader. At that point, members looked at what kind of leader would be best for them and began the search process, said Roseanne Lesack, the vice president of the congregation and the chair of the spiritual leader search committee.
“Our community was looking for an inspirational leader to teach Torah, support our members throughout the Jewish life cycle and serve as the halachic authority for our community,” she said.
