NY Rabbi Weiss Ends Ordination of Women Rabbis Due to Pressure from Orthodox Community and RCA

Rabbi Avi Weiss has backed away from the idea of ordaining women as Orthodox rabbis under the term "rabba."

Weiss -- a prominent Modern Orthodox rabbi who guides the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in the Bronx -- had taken heat from the Orthodox community since he made the announcement in January, 2010 that he would use the feminized version of rabbi for his student, Sara Hurwitz, who now has the title "maharat."

The Rabbinical Council of America (RCA)-- an umbrella organization consisting mostly of Modern Orthodox rabbis -- considered revoking Weiss's ordination, according to the New York Jewish Week.

Consequently, Weiss -- the founder and leader of the Yeshivat Chovevei Torah rabbinical school -- and the RCA have now reached a harmonious agreement.