Margit Oelsner-Baumatz (born 1938) is a psychologist, educator,

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...

, and feminist. Born in

Wrocław Wrocław (; german: Breslau, or . ; Silesian German: ''Brassel'') is a city in southwestern Poland and the largest city in the historical region of Silesia. It lies on the banks of the River Oder in the Silesian Lowlands of Central Europe, rou ...

, Germany, the family emigrated to Argentina to escape the Nazi regime. Though Oelsner was not religiously observant in her youth, she enrolled in

Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano Seminario is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Diego Seminario (born 1989), Peruvian actor and industrial designer *Juan Seminario (born 1936), Peruvian footballer *Miguel Grau Seminario Miguel María Grau Seminario (27 Jul ...

, graduating in 1994.

Early years

Margit (nickname, "Margarita") Oelsner was born in Wrocław to Werner Oelsner, an electrical engineer, and Edith Chaskel. She described her father as "a German of Jewish descent, of course, who did not speak

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

, did not

Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...

and did not attend the synagogue". During the Second World War, her father wrote to several countries seeking a visa in order to escape the Nazi regime, and, as Argentina was the only one to offer it, the family made their way to

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

. Here, Margit became "Margarita", lived in Vicente López, and attended public school. She was not religiously observant as a young woman but, at age 14, her father decided she should receive religious education, which was sponsored by Lamroth Hakol, a Jewish community in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. A rabbi at Lamroth Hakol encouraged Oelsner to continue her studies. As her father did not want her to have a university education, she then joined

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peopl ...

Career

Oelsner married Fredy Baumatz, an observant Jew, and had three children. She began studying Hebrew to help their daughters who attended a community school. Oelsner considered herself to be rebellious; she loved to study, was fascinated by challenges, and was a feminist at a time when few others were. Deciding she wanted to become a rabbi, she met with the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano's administrator and told him that she could not meet two of the requirements: she had no college degree and she could not go to Israel for a year. To fulfill the

seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

's requirements, she studied psychology at university, and spent time in Israel. Though she has no pulpit, Oelsner can officiate at ceremonies outside the synagogue. She leads a group at Lamroth Hakol which organizes activities, meetings and conducts visits to the sick.

Selected works

* 1996, ''Women's Participation in the Rabbinical Function in Latin America''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oelsner-Baumatz, Margit 1938 births Living people Argentine Conservative rabbis Conservative women rabbis Jewish feminists Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to Argentina 20th-century Argentine writers 20th-century Argentine women writers