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Egalitarian Orthodox synagogues, the reciting of the kaddish (prayer for the dead) by women or the ordaining of women rabbis illustrate contemporary transformations in Orthodox Judaism. These are nourished by debates over women’s position in religious study and interpretation, and over their place within the space of the synagogue and in ritual, notably in relation to clerical functions. Based on fieldwork in the United States and Israel, this article examines three strategies used to circumvent masculine hegemony of Orthodox norms while remaining within the framework of Jewish law (halakha): 1) separation from men and establishment of spaces for women to pray, study and celebrate; 2) “partnership” with men, a radical configuration used to promote equality in Orthodox Judaism; 3) advancing “from within” and entering masculine spaces through para-rabbinic feminine roles.