Service for women by women

The Community of Turin, like all Italian Jewish communities belonging to the UCEI, is formally Orthodox. This means that women have an equal role in almost all contexts, including cultural events and study, but, at least for now, they cannot serve as officiants during public services at the bet hakeneset (synagogue). However, even within Orthodoxy, there is a partial exception recognized in many communities: during the holiday of Purim, women are permitted to read the Book of Esther (which narrates the miraculous salvation of the Jews, celebrated on Purim with food, merriment, and costumes) to an all-female audience. The biblical book features a woman as its protagonist—Queen Esther—who played a fundamental role in the salvation of her people. She initially appears passive, allowing herself to be completely guided by her cousin and guardian Mordechai, but she is also a woman who is a woman. At a certain point, however, she takes on the responsibility of taking action herself, and in the penultimate chapter, she herself writes words of peace and truth for all the people, establishing the holiday for future generations.
The rules for reading the Book of Esther on Purim are quite strict, similar to those for reading the Torah: one must read directly from a parchment scroll, written without vowels or punctuation, and one must ensure that every single word is correct, repeating the word itself if any errors are made. Only by listening to a reading that follows these rules—and in the presence of a minyan, that is, at least ten adult men—can one escape the obligation, that is, fulfill the commandment. In the case of a reading for women, the presence of a female minyan is required, that is, at least ten adult women.
The custom of a reading of the Megillah (scroll) of Esther by women for women with a female minyan has been in vogue for years in various parts of the world, including the Italian synagogue in Jerusalem. In Italy, it has been performed for many years in Rome and Florence. In Turin, it will be held again this year, for the third year in a row: a reading with all the rules, so that women listeners are exempt from the obligation of listening to a reading performed by men.
The women’s reading of the Megillah of Esther in Turin is therefore not simply a study opportunity among friends, but a true service, performed in the synagogue and officiated publicly. It’s an emotional moment for those who listen and even more so for those who officiate, even just for the thrill of climbing the steps of the tevah, the space in the center of the synagogue where the services are held. Every time I have the opportunity to show people around Turin’s synagogues and explain that the officiants are normally male, I take the small satisfaction of saying that at least once a year there is an exception. It may seem like a small thing, but often the small steps that change local customs are the most significant.

Anna Segre