Feminism

What really defines me? 

I'm working on a new banner since some of the photos in the present one are really outdated. (Some change faster than others!) I also noticed that the subtitle really needed to be updated. So I fixed that too. I chose seven words for what's really important in my life. 

I put feminism first. 

Little girls, growing girls, adolescent girls, women need to be able to view themselves positively and grow up expecting to be treated fairly in the workplace, in law, politics and leadership, in educational opportunities and in the workforce. We need to be comfortable with our femininity and our boundaries need to be respected. 

That means I'm for: 

• Equal pay for equal work and the corollary that women not be penalized or discriminated against because of child care issues. If we don't have a really good system of day care then we need to compensate for that with extended maternity/paternity leave or some other creative solution. Most of us can't be in two places at once. 
• Positive encouragement of women in leadership roles in business and government. I will not vote for a party which doesn't have women in prominent leadership roles. I want to see more women involved in running thing at all levels. 

And I am against: 

• Excluding women from any profession, employment or educational opportunity based on the fact they are women. I once inquired about a government sponsored course in computer maintenance and told by the clerk that he didn't think it was good for me since I might need to lift heavy computers. It didn't work out for other reasons. But really ?
• Using Misusing women (and children) in advertising. I am annoyed by the pollution of our public spaces and thoroughfares with suggestive and sometimes downright offensive portrayal of women and children. It troubles me when I see women and girls dressing in what I can only describe as degrading. 

What I'd like to see:

Women and men cooperating in making our world (for me that means starting right here in Israel) a safer and more stable place to live. One where women can be what and where they like and not be threatened or viewed as a threat. 

What I don't like to see: 

Man-bashing. It's counterproductive and gives us all a bad name. 

This post will (b'ezrat hashem, bli neder) be followed by others elaborating on the other defining words. 

International Wormen's Day - We Could Be Doing A Lot Better!

Hannah Katsman brought a few quotes from  an interview with Tzipi Hotovely in HaAretz over at A Mother in Israel along with a reaction by Elana Stzockman. 

The interview is the of the genre we've been seeing for the past few days leading up ti Internation Women's Day. You know, that day when at work they give you a rose and the  the newspapers and radio (probably TV too) are busy hurling statistics at us. So we've heard this week that over more than a century of  Zionist civilization women in Israel are living longer than men but earning less (here). It's painfully obvious that although women have had the vote from just about the start of the Zionist movement there are still only 23 women in our 120 member Knesset. And on the managerial fron: of 4,820 positions on corporate directorates in Israel 590 are women (more statistics here in Hebrew).
So, Ha'Aretz asks the 32 year old Rehovot resident Knesset member Tzipi Hotovely if she has come up against a glass ceiling. Well, they may have found the one of the very few women around who hasn't (yet) hit the glass ceiling. The young legislator also says that when she has a family of her own it will be necessary to set different priorities where her career is concerned. This really enrages Stzockman who calls Hotovely naive and condescending and ignores a lot of important bills she and others have introduced to ensure quality daycare and more reasonable maternity benefits. I would send her over to read Avirama Golan's brilliant description of a 33 year old pregnant woman getting ready to join the ranks of those "combining a career and family" in Israel:

"This nasty phrase is the front for an entire system of social codes, all of which demand the young woman be an exemplary mother who will nurse her baby, take him to all the developmental groups, and swimming and yoga classes; that she be an excellent cook and a sweet wife; but also that she keep her trim figure by taking exercise classes, and give off an aura of sexiness (but not too much, of course ) and charm - and all of this without losing the momentum of her success at work." 

and concludes 

"Instead of a holiday, could we perhaps just have a little rest?" 

 We have a long way to go. We need to make it possible for women with young children to work outside their homes and earn more than it costs to keep their children in daycare. We need to recognize that professions like teaching and social work deserve compensation that equals hi-tech, advertising and engineering, and that keeping society educated and stable is at least as important as keeping the electricity flowing.

Two Rabbis, A Rebbitizin, A Rabba and Rabbanit and one more Rabbanit

http://www.kesher.org/centennial/events/WomenFutureofJudaism.shtml

Orthodoxy at a Turning Point: A National Conversation

Panel #2: Women and the Future of Judaism

Moderated by Rebbetzin Sharon Freundel

Distinguished Guest Panel:

Rabbi Dr. Aryeh Frimer, Rabbanit Chana Henkin, Rabba Sara Hurwitz, Rabbi Daniel Sperber

I'd like to recommend watching or listening to this discussion (and the two that proceeded it are definitely worth listening to as well here)
The discussion explores the how the expanding educational opportunities for women in the Orthodox world effect the role of women in the community and in the synagogue. I could have listened to these people for another few hours but the discussion was well planned and the moderator (the Rebbitizin) did a very good job of keeping it going. It also helps that the panelists are articulate and committed to their points of view as well as sincere. Although they do not agree this was not a debate and the general tone was that they are all trying their best to be loyal to the Orthodox traditions while acknowledging the changes that are taking place. Rabbi Aryeh Frimmer, as he himself points out "has been in this business since 1972" and has written major articles and given hundreds of lectures on the subject. He has seen himself go from the being among the only Rabbis seriously discussing change to the right-winger on this panel.
It's easy to loose track of what has happened in this area since the seventies. A discussion like this one was  impossible in those years because the questions just hadn't even been addressed. But many of the issues that Rabbi Frimmer addressed over those years have become in his words "non-issues". Take for example the fact that in many Orthodox synagogues women are saying kaddish.
Look at higher Torah studies for women. Rabbanit Henkin's program training Yoatzot Halacha would have been out of the question as recently as 50 years ago. Not only are these women learning Talmud on a high level but they are applying what they learn and women are listening to them. All this was accomplished by steady hard work and serious learning by dedicated students and teachers with a commitment to Torah and a constructive attitude.
Rabbi Sperber's position is more far-reaching and has not become as accepted yet. Although he advocates giving women a more active role in the ritual we have yet to see the Orthodox mainstream adopting this. Rebbi Frimmer is against it on halachic grounds and Rabbanit Henkin gives the impression that now is not the time for it although she is not outright against it. My feeling is it just won't happen, not for a while anyway.
Rabba Sara Hurwitz is the youngest member of the group and this actually put her at a bit of a disadvantage. Rabba Hurwitz is serving in a communal position in an Orthodox synagogue in New York City after being ordained by Rabbi Avi Weiss. There has been a lot of controversy over this step and I confess that I am not convinced. I do not understand what her role is meant to be or what theYeshivat Maharat of which she is the dean is actually intending to do. It seems the idea is to develop Orthodox feminine leadership. Now, that is a good thing, but I don't understand their model. Perhaps it is unfair to compare her with the other three panelists because this is just the beginning but her presentation here didn't convince me that this a constructive path to be following.
All in all, this is an important discussion and it is encouraging to see that we have such learned and talented women and men in our generation. Rabbanit Henkin hit the nail on the head when she pointed out that our goal should be to enhance the observance of Torah and take advantage of the talents of women. Amen!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

historical footnote

As to the title "Rabba" I really can't see the point. There seems to be a lot of energy going to waste on this subject. I'd just like to make an aside here. Some of you may know that I have been helping to transcribe The Montefiore Censuses which are the best 19th century records of the Jews who lived in Eretz Israel. (The Turks didn't really keep records.) The list that I just finished working on is the Kollel Vohlyn listing for 1866. These are Hassidim from what is now the Ukraine who settled in Jerusalem. There are folks on this list from Bratislav  an Berditchev among other Hassidic towns. The census was done so that Sir Moses Montefiore could get an idea of how many people there were and how much financial help they needed. The lists are interesting in that besides names there is some information about age and vocations. Almost none of the men on my list were listed with a title. One was listed as Rabbi. There is a list of widows  and on that list is Hannah Rachel of Ludmir otherwise known as the "Maid of Ludmir" who functioned as a Hassidic Rebbe. She had her own synagogue where her Hassidic followers prayed and she prayed in a adjoining room. On Shabbat afternoon she would speak from her room giving them divrei Torah. What is amazing is that she is the only other person on the list to have a title listed and that title is Rabbanit!

Rabbanit Rachel Hannah, from Ludmhr, age 60, 3 years in Eretz Israel

Creativity in the face of challenge

Raise Your Spirits Theatre is a community theater group in Gush Etzion founded by Sharon Katz and Toby Klein Greenwald. The group puts on shows which involve many women in the planning, production and performance. Any profits are channeled toward helping victims of terror, families in need, emergency medical equipment and other needs.                                                                                   

"In 2001, amidst an atmosphere of grief and terror,a group of women in Gush Etzion joined together to the raise spirits of their community and all of Israel. Rather than succumb to the depression caused by daily terror attacks, they decided to start a project that would give them a positive outlet and something wonderful to look forward to. They decided to put on a show. The rest, as they say, is history. (from their website)"

Orthodox Jewish women don't have a lot outlets for their creativity if they are talented in the performing arts. But in the last generation there have been some serious efforts to encourage more opportunities. Emunah Teachers College in Jerusalem has a drama department and Orot Israel College in Elkana has a dance department. The graduates of these programs have been working in girls schools around the country setting up classes and in some cases departments where the girls of the religious Zionist community can learn, practice and perform.
The Raise Your Spirits group is different. This group is a group of everywomen or at least a nice cross-section of ages and interests. Some families even had three generations participating.
The book of Judges שופטים is the story of the early years after the Jews entered the Land of Israel and is about their struggle to conquer and rule the land. After Joshua's time there was a lack of central leadership and ups and downs regarding faith and unity among the people of Israel. Many see parallels to our situation today.
The Song of Devora is an upbeat story of charismatic leadership, faith and inspiration. The writers Toby Klein Greenwald and Yael Valier reach out and ignite our imaginations and the music by Mitch Clyman makes you want to get up and dance. Speaking of dance Sara Orenstein is an honors graduate of the Orot Israel dance and education program and did a fantastic job.
The performance is a patchwork of scenes which set the background to the story and then introduce each character center stage all leading to the great confrontation. The performers, some have professional training but most are just regular folks, carry this off beautifully. All through the show, besides performing admirably they show us that they are not just individual performers but a cohesive unit and most of all they seem to be having a really good time.
After all the finales we were asked to stand for Hatikvah and Ani Ma'amin. The auditorium at the community center in Gush Etzion became a very intimate place as the dozens of players and production helpers who were on stage face the scores of women in the audience and sang together. In those moments you could feel the unity and faith that is the common denominator for all of us there. It was very very special and I hope to see more of these moments.

Reaching for the Stars or Slippery Slope?

This is one of a series of posts I have been wanting to write for a long time!
If you think 'Orthodox Jewish Feminist' is an oxymoron you are in good company. Still, I'd like to make the case for an Orthodox Jewish acceptance of Torah and mitzvot which takes into account the changing role of women in the modern world.
The feminism of the 21st century is not the hysterical outcry of the 1970's with its bra-burning and motherhood rejection and man-hating/baiting. What we are looking for today is the recognition that woman can be judged on their merits and not limited in their opportunities because of their gender. A woman should be able to develop her true potential and be paid equal pay for equal work. This view is widely accepted in academia now and in there is growing acceptance of women in the business world as well. It's about being able to be in a room and be taken seriously and not treated as a decoration. It's about recognizing that sexual harassment in the workplace is not acceptable behavior.

Orthodox Judaism, on the face of it, seems to be sending us a very different message. Adult Jewish women are exempt from many mitzvot (time bound positive commandments such as tfilin and tzizit) and as result of the different level of obligation we are not counted for a minyan and can't be called to bless the Torah. Separation between the sexes is required during services and so in addition to not actively participating the women sit in the balcony or behind a wall or curtain. Dress codes require us to cover up arms, legs, collarbones and for married women even our hair. Formal Jewish education (in a school) for girls is less than a century old.
So, what can we do if some of this makes us feel that there is an imbalance between the way we see ourselves in the modern context and the way we want to express our commitment to Judaism and halacha. Some women just 'leave it to the men' keeping all the negative commandments which include keeping Shabbat, kashrut and leaving the synagogue and Torah study to the men. Many Orthodox Jewish women who take this path  have rich professional lives but remain on the sidelines of Torah study and public prayer.
One very positive change that has taken place over the past generation is the acceptance and encouragement of higher Jewish learning for women in an Orthodox setting. The well loved and respected Nehama Leibowitz  brought the study of the written Torah to great heights and is revered in the Orthodox community both here in Israel and in the diaspora. But her base was in the University and although she brought the values of the beit midrash to the university it did not make the university an option for the study of Torah.
Today we have women's institutions like Matan, Nishmat, Middreshet Lindenbaum where women study and teach Torah on the highest levels. These midrashot have produced a cadre of learned women who have become, in addition to excellent teachers, toanot (counsels who can represent clients in divorce cases heard before rabbincal courts) and yoatzot (advisors regarding hilchot nidda - mikveh family purity and women's health issues). The women who initiate and maintain these illustrious institutions are learned Orthodox Jewish women. They have no formal title which reflects their learning achievements and they are not recognized by any religious distinction.
You can find a lot of discussion back and forth about the move made by Rabbi Avi Weiss of Riverdale NY in granting smicha (ordination?) to a woman and calling her first MaHaRat and then Rabba and what that will do the future of Orthodox Judaism. (See about 20 posts and innumerable comments on Hirhurim; Rabbi Riskin here; Rabbi Herschel Schachter here and many many more.) In Israel, for now anyway, we have not come to this and I don't think it will happen soon. For one thing a rabbi here doesn't have the same communal position (for better and some might say for worse) as a shul rabbi in the US. Having the title just doesn't lead to the same career opportunities.
Make no mistake about it when Rabbanit Malka Piotorkovsky, Rabbanit Oshra Koren, Rabbanit Channa Henkin, Rabbanit Malka Bina and so many others teach us we call them Rabbanit  not because of their husband's titles but because of their own achievements. These women have become our spiritual leaders.