I think I should stress that in the State of Israel there is no such thing as parsonage and no recognized tax deductions or credits that accrue to someone by virue of his (her) responsibilities as a religious services worker of any sort. Furthermore, as far as I am aware the only jobs that legally require "semicha" are neighborhood rabbis and dayanim which by law require a qualification of being accredited to be a neighborhood rabbi - with semicha being a pre-requisite for acheiving this qualification.
If tax deductions are all that Maharat is about, then please leave it in chu"l.
But you and I know that it is not just about tax deductions and this was a move that can only be described as "chatrani"
I had thought that the suffix "-in" was feminine...?
wait 20 years - the change has to be perceived as from within the system.
KT
BB - the idea behind parsonage is that, for one who ministers to a flock, where one resides is part and parcel of his or her 'parsonage', and thus all home-related expenses can be treated as self-employment income, and thus taxed at a lower rate (generally). It wouldn't be such a bad idea for Israel, except for the fact that only certain rabbis are considered 'official' rabbis. HALEVAI we'd be able to import it to Israel.
Regarding the other element, you're talking de jure. I'm talking de facto. Orthodox women are locked out of certain positions or are paid on a reduced scale because their achievements are not recognized in title. All I have is several anecdotal examples, but that would constitute evidence in such a case.
Don't downplay taxes and money - they are two of the best reasons to institute this type of thing; economic pressure is often the impetus for halakhic innovation - to a far greater degree than more ephemeral notions.
While I agree that it was "chatrani", I still think that it addresses an important need. Perhaps Joel is right, though. Time will ttell.
It came from the wrong source. R. Avi Weiss, while a tremendous ohev yisrael, is not recognized as a talmid chacham, and is also viewed as a bit of a glory hound due to his publicity seeking ventures in other areas.
This is not about parsonage. It's about female ordination. He says she can fill 95% of the role of a rabbi. Ok, so she's a rabbi. Then we have to decide if we care about that.
I think it was too soon, the wrong mechanism, and the wrong messenger.
BTW, if you write "The National Synagogue" nobody will know what that is. It's Ohev Shalom -- The National Synagogue (and even then, folks say "huh"? so you have to add "Rabbi Herzfeld's shul.")
anon- I agree about R' Weiss's motivations, in general, but that's not what I'm addressing. I'm pointing out the benefits that accrue even if they were not intended by the initiators.
In Israel there is nothing from having a Rabbi be self-employed. Frabkly I wouldn't be surprised if many Rabbis indeed were self-employed with "consulting" or "services" agreements signed with the institutions/amutot they are working for rather than being paid as salaried employees.
If you want to try and get a "rabbi" tax break through the next "hok hahesderim" be my guest.
Commenting by HaloScan
