The Rabbi's Wife: The Rebbetzin in American Jewish Life

Introduction

Introduction What happened to Box 14? A 1978 inventory of the Jewish Theological Seminary Library’s archival holdings listed the thirteen-box collection of Herman H. Rubenovitz. But Rubenovitz, rabbi of Temple Mishkan Tefila in Boston, Massachusetts, from 1910 to 1947, served jointly with his wife, Mignon, in a two-person rabbinate. Their memoirs appeared in one volume as The Waking Heart, yet Mignon’s papers did not appear in the archives. Twenty years later, cleaning out the JTS tower in preparation for its renovation, archivist Julie Miller discovered Box 14: “Mrs. Rubenovitz Mignon L. Letters, article, memoirs, notes, reviews on her publications etc.” This box had been separated from the collection, abandoned in an unused storage area. Box 14 symbolizes the unique position of the rabbi’s wife in American Jewish life. Just as the box went unnoticed for decades, so too have the contributions of rabbis’ wives to the American rabbinate largely been ignored. Successful in her own right, Mignon had papers that she thought worthy of preservation. Yet Mignon lacked an official title and position. If they had not been appended to her husband’s collection, Mignon’s papers would probably never have survived at all. However, without her efforts, his papers would probably not have been preserved either, since Herman predeceased Mignon. She collected and annotated their papers and then, presumably, donated all fourteen boxes to JTS. This fourteen-box collection, now renamed the “Herman H. and Mignon L. Rubenovitz papers,” stands as a poignant reminder of the extent to which the American rabbinate was—for most of the twentieth century—a two-person career. The feminist gains of the last forty years have opened up most careers, including the clergy, to women. But until recently, by both policy and social convention, most careers remained closed to women. As they struggled to find socially acceptable ways to create and sustain meaningful lives, many women discovered that they could expand their opportunities through marriage. Supporting their 1 husbands’ careers gave women a consequential focus for their lives. Their “wife of” status opened doors to the public domain, affording them otherwise unattainable access and power.1 Scholars have only recently begun to examine these “backstage contributions to public life,” which, until the last few decades, were rarely understood or recognized. Generally dismissing this work as “natural” for women, scholars did not view it as deserving of special commen or study. Even when recognized for its supportive function, women’s work was not acknowledged for its unique contribution to the building of community. This is understandable, since women often used informal , hard-to-measure techniques. They “helped out” in the absence of other qualified individuals, “pitched in” when more hands were needed, and provided a “shoulder to lean on” for individuals needing private counsel. The success of this status-maintenance or supportive work depended on obfuscation, for societal norms did not easily accommodate women who openly flaunted gender expectations. Also, since these volunteer activities did not fall into the category of formal “work,” the critical role women played in the creation and maintenance of community life went unacknowledged and undocumented.2 Hanna Papanek, a sociologist, first conceptualized the relationship of a wife to her husband’s work as a “two-person single career” in which wives gain vicarious achievement through their husbands’ jobs. Identifying this two-person career as a peculiarly middle-class American phenomenon , Papanek demonstrated its power to shift the occupational aspirations of educated women onto a noncompetitive track without overturning the concept of equal educational opportunity. Women gained approval for indirect behavior, while men garnered rewards for individual mastery. Because of this, women often sought to marry men who could provide not only security but also position and status. They then channeled their energies into augmenting their husbands’ careers. Such women, including the wives of corporate executives, army officers, physicians, politicians, and academics, have historically enhanced their husbands’ work through intellectual contributions, status maintenance, and public performance.3 Some two-person careers required spouses to utilize specialized skills or knowledge or to perform functions unique to their husband’s profession . Ambassadors’ wives, for example, conducted political and social messaging through the symbolic aspects of diplomatic life or through nonofficial channels. This work—though unpaid and without formal 2 | Introduction title—enabled women to achieve levels of status, authority, and legitimacy they would have been unable to attain on their...