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Orthodox Man Attacks Young Woman for Wearing Tefillin
A few days ago, a horrible event occurred in Israel. Noa Raz, an Israeli young woman who is a Conservative Jew, was attacked by an ultra-Orthodox man at a bus stop. Noa had donned tefillin in the morning (i.e. phylacteries; small boxes containing verses of Torah – that traditional Jews wrap with leather straps on their arm and forehead during prayer). Traditionally, only men wore tefillin. But, today more and more women are wearing tefillin, especially in the Conservative movement.
The man at the bus stop noticed marks from the tefillin having been on Noa’s arm and asked her if they were tefillin. She tried to avoid him but eventually answered his question. Once she admitted she had worn tefillin that morning, the man physically attacked her- kicking and screaming words like “women are an abomination” and “desecration.”
Fortunately, Noa was able to free herself and did not suffer any long-term physical damage. However, that seems to be the only good news. This event was terrible. It shows a set of Orthodox Jews who believe they are the only “legitimate” Jews. If flies in the face of pluralism and egalitarianism. It is disgraceful.
Noa wrote an article after the attack. In her words: “This is not a story about a man attacking someone at a bus station. Itʼs not even a story about violence against women. Itʼs a story about religious violence…. The problem does not only lie with that man, the attacker. It lies with those who educated him, with his leaders who shamelessly and violently talk out against any religious practice that is not Haredi. It lies with those who brought him up and nurtured him in an atmosphere in which it is permissible to say, without blinking an eyelid, that Conservative Jews are not religious, thatsomeone from a different ethnic group is a cockroach (some Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox parents recently referred so to Sepharadi girls who they did not want their daughters to study with), that there is only one sector (extremely austere) that decides who is a Jew.
We live in a country where the strong dominate and where women are humiliated….”
Noa is right. The problems run deep. Some religious groups (like ultra-Orthodox Jews) encourage a belief system in which their religion is superior to all others and where women do not count. They allow people to physically attack others.
Unfortunately, Israel has allowed the Orthodox to have the loudest voice and to take actions that should not be acceptable. Last November Israeli police officers arrested a woman for wearing a tallit (i.e. prayer shawl) at the Western Wall. In general, Israeli police are hesitant to arrest ultra-Orthodox offenders despite the fact that according to an article in Ha’Aretz “Hardly a week goes by in Mea She’arim [an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood] without a stone-throwing incident, the torching of garbage containers or the blocking of streets.”
It is time for the Orthodox to not be the ones with the loudest voice. It is time that acceptance, egalitarianism, and plurality must prevail. There simply is no excuse for treating women as if they are not equal and for treating non-Orthodox Jews as inferior. The ultra-Orthodox must learn to treat others with respect, and the Israeli government and police must protect all citizens and hold accountable those who do not behave appropriately. If not now, when?
“I am a Jew” YouTube Song
There’s a new song going around on YouTube called I am a Jew. It is sung in Hebrew, but the version below has subtitles.
On first glance (and listen), I liked the song and a lot of its sentiments. It says that we all have something in common as Jews, and there is no need to constantly see division among us. I also particularly liked the line “I have a lot of past and I also see the future” – because I think too often Judaism is caught in the past without appreciating the opportunities to engage differently in the present and future. The song gets to the issue of personal responsibility (“to fix the world, that is my motto”) which I also connect to. I love the end which says “I have two opinions on what to ask and I’ve also got a third opinion” – my, that is Jewish!
So, speaking of two opinions, I like the song in general – although there are some lines I could do without (like “at the end we’re all Jewish, before the chair of the holy one” – chair, really? how anthropomorphic). But for my third opinion – oy! You may notice that almost every voice in this song is male. There are a few women singing in a chorus at the very end, but other than that every artist in the song is male. It is not for lack of good Israeli female singers. Rather, I assume that women do not sing alone in this song because in traditional Judaism, the singing voice of a woman can be too sensual or stimulating for men. That is why men and women sit separately in Orthodox and some Conservative synagogues. The understanding is that women’s voices should not be heard. That is not something I can understand or accept. It is a ridiculous notion that men cannot control themselves when they hear a woman’s voice.
So, I like the idea of a song that says all Jews are somehow united. Although I really have to say, I don’t appreciate being lumped with a subset of Jews who believe women should not have a voice.
National Day of Prayer – Ugh!
Today, May 6th, was the National Day of Prayer. It almost didn’t happen, because in April a federal judge in Wisconsin ruled that such a day established by US law violates the First Amendment. The First Amendment, of course, prohibits government establishment of religion. I’m no attorney, but I have to agree. Why on earth is the US government establishing a day for prayer? And what does that even mean? And what about folks who do not find prayer meaningful? There are secular Americans too.
The other problem I have with the National Day of Prayer is that it has been co-opted by Conservative Christian groups. In particular “Focus on the Family” (yes the folks who ran the Tim Tebow Super Bowl ad) try to make the National Day of Prayer their own. Shirley Dobson of Focus on the Family and the organizer of the Day of Prayer said “America was birthed in prayer and founded on the God of the Bible, on his biblical principles and on his moral values.” Gee, I thought America was founded as a democracy with an organized legal system. I’m pretty sure that there are many “moral values” in the Bible that we would not apply to society today given that modernity is quite different than our ancestors’ experiences. Also, many historical figures from the time of the birth of our nation were deists – which means they didn’t necessarily believe in an interventionist deity – or prayer for that matter. So Dobson really shouldn’t try to play the cards she’s playing.
I also take offense at the comments of Evangelist Rev. Franklin Graham who participated in National Day of Prayer events in DC today - and who told CNN that “True Islam cannot be practiced in this country.” Need I say anything else?
I applaud President Obama for not taking part in any of the events today. Though he issued the proclamation for the observance, he did not actively participate. I think that was a good choice. After all, I would rather have my president doing his job – rather than hanging out with people who have a view of the world in which Islam is a bad religion or women should not have rights to how their bodies are treated. And if there’s a big problem going on in the world, I would prefer the president not just pray all day – but get out and do something!
Online Synagogues and Virtual Communities
The subject of the intersection between Judaism and technology has become increasingly popular lately. Last week, a brief article on Jewish Ideas Daily discussed imagination and Jewish virtual life. The piece specifically mentioned Second Life, the “Internet’s largest user-created 3D virtual world community.” I admit I tried Second Life a couple of years ago – but I just couldn’t get into it. The entirely virtual world was not something I connected to easily – although I suspect if I had given it time I might have gotten hooked!
I do know there are prominent religious organizations in Second Life, and I think that’s cool. When we created OurJewishCommunity.org, we wanted it to not only serve techie folks who enjoy a world of avatars, but also casual Internet users as well.
The particular article in Jewish Ideas Daily seems concerned that imagined life would take over for human life. The author worries that mystery will vanish and that this will somehow hurt the Jewish experience. I have to say that if the Jewish community is so fragile that having experiences on Second Life will take imagination and energy away from Judaism, then I think we have bigger problems to worry about. I actually think online Jewish experiences can enhance our Judaism. Go figure.
One statement the article makes that I agree with is that “virtual reality is a tool.” Today I virtually (i.e. via webcast) attended a conference called “Technology and Jewish Education: A Revolution in the Making.” One thing I kept thinking during the conference (and many times prior to today) was that we shouldn’t use technology for the sake of technology. We should use technology if it complements our philosophy and moves our vision forward. The tools of today are not the tools of tomorrow, but each day we have to choose the best tools and reject the ones that are not helpful in meeting our goals.
One more thought on the conference – so much of what they talked about presumed that people are already affiliated with Jewish institutions. This misses the boat. Big time. The fact is that less than 50% of American Jews are affiliated. Of those who affiliate, less than 20% participate in their synagogues monthly or more. The real – not virtual – Jewish community is diverse and found in the most obvious and not-so-obvious places. Our job is to reach out to people wherever they are – using technology as a tool to reach those who otherwise might not be reached.
Infertility Awareness Week – a Jewish Perspective
Today marks the last day of National Infertility Awareness Week. It is a topic worth blogging about here. Having watched friends struggle with infertility, my heart goes out to all who meet this enormous challenge. For those who experience infertility, there is generally incredible anguish and sorrow. The ability or inability to bear children touches at the heart of the human experience.
In 1990, on Rosh Hashanah evening, Rabbi Barr gave a sermon on this topic. I recently had the privilege to read it – and much of what I am writing here draws from that sermon.
Looking backward through the Jewish experience, we see that our ancestors also realized that the inability to conceive touched the human soul and exposed the most raw of emotions. Infertility raises for those who experience it (or know people touched by it) the most basic of human questions: the continuation of the species, the ongoing development of the Jewish and human experiences, the addition of one more generation to a family. And it focuses upon the most basic of religious questions: why me?
Given all of this, it is not surprising that infertility was such a common theme in the Bible. Both the Torah portion (the Binding of Isaac – Genesis 22) and the Haftorah portion (which is about Hannah and from I Samuel) read on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) deal with infertility. According to the biblical myth, Sarah and Hannah could not conceive because God deemed it so – and then they eventually conceived and bore sons because God allowed it to occur. Reading these two legends and other biblical passages suggests that the biblical authors may have answered the question “why me?” by saying it happened because God chose to make it so.
Fortunately, Judaism has evolved. Even the Talmud (codified around the year 500 CE) understood that infertility was a physiological problem. Within Judaism, our religious perspective – the answer to the question of “why me?” changed quickly.
Whether or not we call ourselves “religious,” we all have a religious perspective – i.e. a philosophy in which we understand the world around us. Events – whether profoundly sad or extremely joyous – fit into our frameworks.
We may still ask the same questions – “why me?” or “why is this happening?” And we find that when asking for answers, we are often left with much uncertainty. We crave certainty – we want to do something to control what happens. But we find frustrations – that there are some things beyond our control. There is some information beyond our capacity to understand. There are natural events stronger than the ability of humans to control.
Taking a naturalistic/scientific religious perspective, we understand that bad things do not occur as punishments – but rather as a result of a complex web of interrelated processes, some of which we can understand and some of which defy our understanding.
When we realize that we cannot change or control everything, we can stop cursing the sky and instead care for those in need. We draw closer to those who can give us support. For though the universe is neither kind nor cruel, neither caring nor uncaring, we are not alone. We are part of a larger whole – a community, a family, friends – we are with others who also know pain.
The challenge we meet each time we face any crisis – is a crisis of self. We ask: can I draw upon the resources around me, utilizing and gaining strength from friends and those who care for me – can I face this new challenge with integrity and dignity?
May each of us reach out to support each other in times of need. May we choose the words we use wisely. May we recognize not only our personal sorrows, but the sorrow of others. May we draw strength from those around us.
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