Michal Tsirelson • Carrying the torch at the conference marking the 90th anniversary of the ordination of Rabbi Regina Jonas

(haipo) – In an emotional and meaningful event held this week in the Knesset, the 90th anniversary of the ordination of Rabbi Regina Jonas, the first woman to be ordained as a rabbi in the Jewish world, was marked. Among the speakers at the conference, the voice of Michal Tsirelson, a 12th grade student at the Leo Buck Education Center in Haifa, stood out. She was invited to speak and connect the figure of Jonas, the legacy of Rabbi Leo Buck, and the young generation of female spiritual leadership in Israel, closing a historical, Jewish, and spiritual circle of leadership, equality, and faith.

Knesset Conference: Female Leadership Since Berlin in the 30s

The conference to mark the 90th anniversary of Regina Jonas' ordination was held on December 23, 2025, at the Knesset building, at the initiative of MK and Rabbi Gilad Kariv. The event marked nine decades of female rabbinical leadership since Jonas' ordination in Berlin, and was attended by MKs, rabbis and rabbis of all denominations, intellectuals and many guests.

Between Regina Jonas and Rabbi Leo Buck: A Connection of Fate and Spirit

In her remarks, Michal Tsirlesson shared that she felt a deep connection between Regina Jonas' story and the legacy of Rabbi Leo Buck, after whom the school she attends is named. She mentioned that both were pillars of German Jewry in its darkest hours, and both were deported to the Theresienstadt ghetto.

"Amidst the inferno and uncertainty, they refused to give in to despair," saying. "They chose to continue to be a beacon of spirit, culture, and faith for those who had lost everything."

According to her, Rabbi Leo Buck coined the concept that Judaism is a way of life oriented toward action, while Regina Jonas embodied this concept in her life and death, proving that spiritual leadership does not depend on gender, but on the depth of the soul.

Inspiring the next generation of leadership

Michal's words expressed the spirit of the Leo Buck Education Center's liberal-pluralistic education, gender equality, acceptance of others, social commitment, and the connection between tradition and innovation.
"Regina Jonas broke the glass ceiling when the sky was covered with the heaviest clouds of the 20th century," saying, "She did this because she knew that women have a unique power to lead, to be compassionate, and to build community."

She concluded her remarks with a paraphrase of the chapters of the patriarchs: "Where there are no people, try to be a woman. Be a leader."
Michal emphasized that her position in the Knesset represents a historical, Jewish, and spiritual closing of a circle for her.

Leo Buck's Leadership: A Voice of Hope and Values

Rabbi Asherat Morag, Rabbi of the Leo Buck Educational Center, She welcomed Michal's words: "Michal distills in her words and actions the values ​​of liberal, Israeli, inclusive and egalitarian Judaism on which education at Leo Buck is founded. Her words resonate within the walls of the Knesset and inspire great hope."

CEO of the Leo Buck Education Center, Rabbi Ofek Meir, added: "Michal's words are a testament to the power of young, courageous and ethical spiritual leadership, growing out of a Zionist and Jewish humanist education. Precisely in a time of crisis and searching for a way forward, the voice of female leadership that connects tradition and innovation is essential to the moral and cultural strength of Israeli society."

The Knesset event illustrated how historical heritage, values ​​education, and a single young voice can come together, and outline the image of a new spiritual leadership, connected to the past and open to the future.