Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman has two titles before her name and even more responsibilities in the Orthodox community.
She’s the rebbetzin at Lower Merion Synagogue, where her husband, Rabbi Avraham Shmidman, is the rabbi. She’s also the founding director of the Orthodox Union’s Women’s Initiative, which creates programming on Torah study, community leadership and professional development for women.
She’s even the mikvah co-chair and an attendant at the Lower Merion Community Mikvah and a kallah teacher. And perhaps most importantly, she’s the mother of four sons.
Shmidman’s grandfather — Rabbi Dr. Ephraim R. Wolf — built Orthodox schools and shuls in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and New York. He always told people, “There’s so much to do.”
Shmidman has adopted the motto herself.
“I’m always looking for new spaces, new opportunities,” she said.
Shmidman, 52, arrived with her husband and sons in the Main Line Orthodox community in 2007, and she’s served in her role as rebbetzin ever since. Her role with the OU, though, is newer.
In 2017, OU President Moshe Bane was calling around to try to find someone to start the Women’s Initiative. He talked to Rabbi Shmidman, who mentioned his wife.
Shmidman had worked as a teacher in Jewish schools for two decades. (Her doctorate is in educational psychology.) She always thought she would become a principal. But before Bane even called, she realized she wanted a different challenge.
When Rabbi Shmidman mentioned Bane’s search to his wife, she realized what that challenge would be.
“It’s the most unique professional opportunity that plays to my academic strengths, my personal strengths and my community knowledge,” she said.
Shmidman began the process of creating events and programs for Orthodox women. Her goal was to help them grow and find their voices.
Torat Imecha Nach Yomi is a daily podcast about Jewish prophets and writings hosted by female educators. More than 6,000 people signed up for the initial two-year cycle running through 742 chapters of Jewish texts. About 1,200 crossed the finish line.
There have been more than 65,000 unique listeners since the program started.
“It’s gone viral,” Shmidman said.
Shmidman started a program on the weekly parsha and a lunch and learn series about Jewish holidays. The OU Women’s Initiative also offers support to women who, like Shmidman, work as mikvah attendants and directors.
Shmidman has even focused on melding leadership development with networking. In 2019 and 2023, she organized a lay leadership summit featuring female lay leaders from across the country. There were sessions on board development, fundraising and working in group settings, among other topics.
“We’re raising the bar of lay leadership by gathering women and creating a cohort,” Shmidman said. “So, women recognize they’re not alone in their work.”
About 150 attended the sessions last year.
Around 600 community leaders benefited from the OU Women’s Initiative’s leadership development trainings over the past year, according to the organization. Tens of thousands of women have taken part in programs since the launch.
“I feel very privileged to be in this space,” Shmidman said.
Her grandfather believed that when you finished building in one community, you moved on to another.
“When they came to Great Neck (Long Island), the synagogue was a house. It was a tiny community. Today, it’s a thriving community,” she said.
Shmidman said her grandfather was driven by a love of people. If you meet people in his communities today, “they value the fact that he put up infrastructure,” she said. “But he’s not remembered because he put up infrastructure. He’s remembered because he’s a warm, magnetic person who believed in people.”
