Our Favorites: Regina Jonas
Womanica
Acast Creative Studios
4.3 • 920 Ratings
🗓️ 8 October 2025
⏱️ 6 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Regina Jonas (1902-1944) asked a short, but important question: Can women serve as rabbis? She dedicated her life to proving that the answer to that question was 'Yes.'
For the past six years, we’ve been telling the stories of women you may or may now know– but definitely should. This month, we’re bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from across our back catalog. These are women throughout time and around the world who made their mark.
History classes can get a bad rap, and sometimes for good reason. When we were students, we couldn’t help wondering... where were all the ladies at? Why were so many incredible stories missing from the typical curriculum? Enter, Womanica. On this Wonder Media Network podcast we explore the lives of inspiring women in history you may not know about, but definitely should.
Every weekday, listeners explore the trials, tragedies, and triumphs of groundbreaking women throughout history who have dramatically shaped the world around us. In each 5 minute episode, we’ll dive into the story behind one woman listeners may or may not know–but definitely should. These diverse women from across space and time are grouped into easily accessible and engaging monthly themes like Educators, Villains, Indigenous Storytellers, Activists, and many more. Womanica is hosted by WMN co-founder and award-winning journalist Jenny Kaplan. The bite-sized episodes pack painstakingly researched content into fun, entertaining, and addictive daily adventures.
Womanica was created by Liz Kaplan and Jenny Kaplan, executive produced by Jenny Kaplan, and produced by Grace Lynch, Maddy Foley, Brittany Martinez, Edie Allard, Carmen Borca-Carrillo, Taylor Williamson, Sara Schleede, Paloma Moreno Jimenez, Luci Jones, Abbey Delk, Adrien Behn, Alyia Yates, Vanessa Handy, Melia Agudelo, and Joia Putnoi. Special thanks to Shira Atkins.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica. |
| 0:07.1 | For the past six years, we've been telling the stories of women you may or may not know about, |
| 0:12.0 | but definitely should. This month, we're bringing back our favorite Womanica episodes from |
| 0:16.9 | across the back catalog. These are women across centuries and around the world who made their mark. |
| 0:24.2 | With that, here's one of our favorite episodes. |
| 0:29.5 | Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan, and this is Wamanica. |
| 0:34.6 | This month, we're talking about rebels with a cause, women who broke rules and took |
| 0:39.1 | major risks to upend the status quo and create meaningful change. In 1930, today's rebel |
| 0:46.0 | published her seminary thesis and asked a short but important question. Can women serve as rabbis? |
| 0:52.9 | She dedicated her life to proving that the answer to that question was yes. |
| 0:57.0 | Let's talk about Regina Jonas. |
| 1:04.0 | Regina was born in Berlin in 1902. |
| 1:10.0 | Her family lived in a poor, crowded district in the shadow of a big synagogue. |
| 1:14.9 | When Regina was 11, her father, Wolf, died from tuberculosis. Her mother, Sarah, had to raise Regina and her brother Abraham alone. |
| 1:25.3 | Both Regina and Abraham were studious, and they often worked together. Eventually, Abraham |
| 1:30.8 | became a religious teacher. The moment Regina was born came at the end of a creative |
| 1:36.3 | experimental era for German Judaism. Both the reform and modern Orthodox Jewish movements |
| 1:42.6 | emerged during this period of Jewish Enlightenment. In keeping with the spirit and modern Orthodox Jewish movements emerged during this period of Jewish |
| 1:44.1 | Enlightenment. In keeping with the spirit of invention, Regina headed to the Academy for the Science |
| 1:50.3 | of Judaism. At that point, women certainly played important roles within the Jewish faith, |
| 1:56.1 | but only men were allowed to become rabbis in a process called smitha. To be a rabbi was to reach the highest |
| 2:02.7 | status. It meant being a spiritual leader, teacher, and scholar. Regina knew this was her calling. |
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