Ladylike Judaism

The words in the photograph to the right read "shomer negiyah" wich translates to a practice that prohibits Orthodox men and women from touching the opposite sex unless married. I fell in love with the relationship between the implications behind this photo, in the sense that Jewish women from all across the board are pushing the envelop and even breaking cultural and religious barriers, and the context of the entry below. The writing is the first "think piece" paper we wrote for the class.

For many, the existence of liberal Judaism brings to the surface a critical issue confronting the continuance of the Jewish faith. David Klinghoffer in his article “Is there one right way to be a Jew?” poses two sides of the overriding dilemma with liberal Judaism. He suggests that Jews can “either accept the traditional understanding of where the two Torahs come from, or recognize the history of the Jewish people as a genealogy of delusion.” In furthering his argument he poses the question, if Jews reject the idea that the Torah was delivered in its entirety at Sinai, why would we continue to identify ourselves as Jews? He mockingly responds to himself. “For the sake of modern Jewish culture? For the bagels, the liberal politics...the fondling of past victimization?”
It appears through Klinghoffer’s writing that liberal Judaism is not enough to sustain traditional aspects of this faith. Samuel Heilman in turn focuses on the Jews who “accept the traditional understanding,” and furthermore identify with Orthodoxy and adhere to following halakha, or Jewish law. He shines light onto the intricacies of American Orthodoxy by illustrating the differences between “enclavist” and “contrapuntalist” Judaism. “Enclavist” Jews view their surrounding environment as a threat and in order to protect against such dangers, they “ensure that all insiders conform to the religious behavior and worldview that predominate with enclave culture.” “Enclavist” Jews are often known as Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox. To the contrary, “contrapuntalist” Jews, or those who identify as Modern Orthodox, are granted autonomy and encouraged to embrace their surrounding environments. A defining characteristic of this practice of Judaism is that members modify their communities to fit the confines of their religious beliefs and cultural practices, rather than conform to external pressures from the environment. As seen in cyberspace, television and in cities throughout the U.S., Modern Orthodox Jews are continuing to solidify their place in American society.
I would like to focus on whether or not, according to Orthodoxy, there is only way to be Jewish by narrowing in on the evolving practices of Modern Orthodox women. While discussing the Orthodox movement’s “slide to the right,” Heilman looks to religious education, a practice that was once considered optional for women. He shares that Orthodox girls and women (just as their male counterparts) are now receiving “a solid Jewish education from the primary grades through high school…[and] in the past twenty years there has been a rapid proliferation of advanced Torah learning institutions and study circles that serve Orthodox women.” Allowing women to study in a separate but equal environment is seemingly contradictory to Heilman’s argument that Orthodox Judaism is falling in line with the rest of America in becoming more religiously conservative. By drawing from the writings of Blu Greenberg and Adena Berkowitz, I will show that as liberalism finds its place in Orthodoxy through the Orthodox feminist movement, the defining characteristics of feminism do not, and cannot directly parallel those traits of feminist movements in non-religious community.
I find that modern Orthodoxy does not solely exist within a context of modern society, but rather is its own entity that draws parallels to mainstream, secular society. This is seen in television shows like Greys Anatomy, House and Law & Order SVU, all of which have depicted the challenges modern Orthodox Jews experience when forced into a setting, like a hospital or the American legal system, where they strive to maintain their distance. As a result of this paralleled relationship to an external environment, I believe Orthodox feminism is lagging behind the American feminist movement. In looking to Orthodox feminism, I question how this form of liberalism subsists and prospers in the confines or conservatism, particularly by breaking through the walls of a legal and ritual based culture keeping women from achieving equal rights. When pondering the issue of this seemingly oxymoronic term, I wonder if the Orthodox feminist movement is currently struggling in the confines of a culture similar to that of Black America prior to Justice Rhenquist’s ruling in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. The articles I will discuss below indicate that Orthodox feminists are striving for a life of being “separate but equal” but I believe feminists in mainstream society have passed that point and moved into a period of integration. We see this in multiple realms of American society, most notably as a woman has become a leading Democratic nominee for president for the upcoming 2008 election.
In response to a revolutionary Jerusalem Post article that announced the Hartman Institute of Jerusalem (an Orthodox institution) would begin ordaining women Rabbis, Samantha Shapiro writes about both progress and hardships Orthodox women are experiencing as a result of this decision. Initially, she shines light onto the advancements seen in the world of Jewish learning in the past 25 years. The position of “halachic advisor” has been instituted to denote women learned in Talmud and other Jewish texts who have additionally acquired some aspects of rabbinic responsibility. “Halachic advisors” “are very learned and perform many of the tasks you might expect a young [male] associate rabbi to do: giving sermons on Shabbat, answering questions about Jewish law, and…co-officiating at a wedding.” Shapiro next presents what I will call, the sexist problem. She declares that after a few years of service in the aforementioned institutional bodies, a male rabbi could expect to be promoted to head rabbi, whereas a woman “halachic advisor,” without orthodox rabbinic ordination, has no hope of achieving this promotion. Countless drawbacks become evident in this situation (ie. financial stability and comfort), especially when Shapiro tells that Orthodox women who become ordained through an Orthodox institution will likely be ostracized by their community so that they will not be able to use their expertise and passion for halachic Judaism to strengthen and further advance their communities.
How can one help but consider the Hartman Institute’s decision to ordain Orthodox women rabbis as a “catch 22?” “Women devote their intellect, time and passion to Torah and to the system of Jewish law without being formally recognized by that system, and often [are then] seen as a threat to it.” In an attempt to regain the optimism I felt before delving into this reading, I shall commend the Hartman Institute and those women who are challenging antiquated values that once prohibited women from studying Jewish texts. From Shapiro’s article, I understand the Orthodox feminist movement to be challenging a system they very much love and dedicate themselves to. As Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in his first speech against the War in Vietnam, in order to dissent a belief system or practice, one must be dedicated to living within and loving the way of life driven by its values and practices. Once a person denounces this life, he or she cannot oppose its practices without being deemed a radical. By continuing to live according to Judaism’s orthodox standards, I believe these women have a better chance in bringing upon themselves greater equality, one step at a time.
Nevertheless, paradoxical connotations follow close behind the term Orthodox feminism. Blu Greenberg, the first president of the newly founded Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance (JOFA), wrote an article posted on www.jofa.org entitled “Orthodox, Feminist, and Proud of it.” As discussed earlier, feminism takes on a different meaning with every walk of life. In this article Greenberg defines Orthodox feminism and illustrates defining feminist acts as they work towards progress in the Orthodox world. Orthodox feminism refers to
“a woman who believes in the equal dignity of women within Orthodoxy; expanding the spiritual, intellectual, ritual, and communal opportunities for women to the fullest extent possible within halakah; the elimination of all injustice and suffering for Orthodox women arising out of hierarchical laws, such as Jewish divorce law.”
She additionally poses the question of “What is she not?” and responds, “she [does not] reject the chain of authority; rather she stays within the community, [and] observes halakah.” I commend Greenberg for knowing the framework within she (and all other members of JOFA) must work in order to balance these two belief systems, but I fear that they are pushing into a glass ceiling. Greenberg was leading a movement where Orthodox women continue to gather in feminist conferences and engage in higher learning through yeshivot like the Hartman Institute. They are advocating for transforming the architecture of synagogues and watching the women’s section appear equal to those of the men. Additionally, the number of women gathering in prayer groups, desiring to read from the Torah, and wanting to become more involved in societal life is growing immeasurably. But with all of these innovations in the Orthodox scene, I wonder how far they will continue to progress.
We see that when Orthodox women cross monumental lines like becoming an ordained Rabbi by an Orthodox institution, they are not invited to lead a community but rather shunned for what is often seen as overstepping their boundaries. Adena Berkowitz further specifies this upset in her article “An Orthodox Feminist Speaks-In Response to Our Critics.” These women are “accused of wanting to be like men and of diminishing the intent of tradition.” I would expect that Berkowitz speaks on behalf of many Orthodox women who are put down by this disapproval by the mainstream (male-dominated) community but come the end of the day do not allow these struggles to get in the way of their determination. Berkowitz adds,
“despite the criticism, we move forward. For we know that knowledge of Torah and halakha, doing more mitzvot, studying more sacred texts, and taking on more obligations does not mean we are trying to be men nor does it make us mere dilettantes. It builds our spiritual lives, helping to make our love for tradition and daily commitment to Judaism ever greater.”
So now I inquire, are Orthodox feminists fighting against a glass ceiling, or is there a barrier they can break down and still maintain devout, Orthodox lifestyles? Although I have provided evidence that makes feminism and Orthodoxy appear as two compatible movements, I fret that Blu Greenberg’s notion that “Orthodox feminism…is bringing us…to perfection of the world” is mistaken. It should be noted that I have never interacted with an Orthodox feminist, yet I identify as a feminist myself. I do not see a way in which my liberal definition of feminism can fit in line with that of Blu Greenberg or Adena Berkowitz, yet I am most curious to further this discussion with those who identify as Orthodox feminists to see if this notion of a glass ceiling holds true in their lives.