Yeshivat Maharat

From a JTA blog (link):

Rabbi Avi Weiss announced last week he was creating Yeshivat Maharat, "an Orthodox Yeshiva of Higher Learning ... [to] train women to become Orthodox Spiritual Leaders – full members of the Rabbinic Clergy – in Synagogues, Schools, and on University Campuses." The products of said yeshiva won't be rabbis, though, they'll be Maharats...

Hurwitz told me the school is planning to open in September and will train women to "function as rabbis" -- that is, it will provide a full complement of religious and halachic instruction, including pastoral duties and a synagogue internship. The instruction will be part-time to start and the entire course of study will take four years. After that, she hopes to help place women in positions much like hers -- the only problem is, there barely are any positions like hers.

"You have to start somewhere," she said. "We have to put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forward and I think that the community will follow."...

More here: link.