As I reach the end of my spring semester at college, I want to wrap up my blog and conclude what I have learned by exploring the meaning behind separating of men and women. Anthropologists study other cultures through participant observation and cultural relativism, which means that they make meaning from culture by looking at that culture separate from other cultures. Through these methods, anthropologists look to find meaning behind cultural practices that are unique to a particular culture. Throughout my blog, I have taken a step back and disregarded my own beliefs from Conservative Judaism to look at and to make sense of why Orthodox Jews separate the two genders during prayer.
I have realized many things about the different sects of Judaism and come to appreciate all that religion has to offer its followers, from a set of beliefs to different practices which create diversity. I came into this project thinking that men and women are separated in Orthodox synagogues to allow for greater concentration during prayer, but as I have found out, there is much more behind that separation. While the separation of men and women is not meant to make women feel inferior to men, it often does because of the women’s role in Orthodox Judaism. Similarly to our American culture, men and women have distinct roles, which are defined by culture. In both cultures, women are supposed to be housewives, that is they stay home and take care of the kids. On the other hand, men are supposed to be breadwinners, people who work hard to earn money for their families. As a result of the specific roles of men and women, Orthodox Judaism believes that men are less in touch with their inner feelings than women. This is seen when G-d commands men to pray three times a day and says that women do not have to pray at all unless they want to. Because Orthodox Judaism is more strict than the other sects of Judaism, Orthodox Jews follow what G-d says and being forbidden from doing certain activities by G-d is considered a privilege. While I do not believe that all men are less connected to their feelings, it makes sense that men are allowed to pray verbally and women are not because a man’s voice is louder than a woman’s.
By going to an Orthodox synagogue, I was able to do participant observation and learn more about what it is like for women and men to be separated during prayer. I was able to feel what is like for women to be participate in prayer services. While as a woman, I felt slightly lower than men, it makes sense for men to sit separately from women because men are not bothered by anything while women might have a few distractions from people talking around them. However, it is more important that men pray because they are required by G-d to pray three times each day.
Through learning about the separation of men and women, I realized that they are not only separated in synagogue, but that women play a lesser role in religious holidays and ceremonies. Women typically are not allowed to participate in religious holidays. As a result of not being able to fully take part in religious holidays and prayer services, women have created women’s prayer groups so that they feel that they are a part of group and are not pushed away from their spirituality.
While I am not one to judge people who choose to attend Orthodox Jewish synagogues which separate men and women, I now know that there are reasons behind why people choose to do this. The separation allows men to concentrate on prayer, but it belittles women in the process. I have recognized that whether or not people choose to attend a synagogue that separates men and women is a personal choice. This choice should be thought through thoroughly because people want to happy and comfortable when they are praying.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Orthodox Women Celebrating Passover and Other Holidays
Typically, when Orthodox Jews celebrate holidays, men participate in the ceremony and women watch the men. Many Jewish holidays, such as Passover, Purim, and Sukkoth just to name a few, involve some sort of a re-enactment of a ceremony. On Passover, Jews recall the Israelites’ trip out of Egypt to freedom.
During a Passover meal, called a seder, the leader who is a male recalls the Exodus, when the Israelites left slavery in Egypt. The man lead the festive meal, reciting many prayers. In leading the meal with accompanying prayers, the leader tells his son the story of how the Jews left Egypt. At one point during the meal, the leader pours wine into a cup for Elijah, a male prophet. At a seder with Orthodox Jews, women do not take part in the ceremonial meal and might feel the similarly to how they are separated from men at synagogue.
To give women the opportunity to celebrate religious holidays, Ronni Becher started a group where women could lead and be a part of a Passover seder in 1980. At Ronni Becher’s seder, women led the prayers ask the children questions. Instead of the male leader telling his son the story of the Exodus from Egypt, the female leader tells one of her children the story. Another difference between the two seders is in the cup of wine given to a prophet. Contrary to the typical seder where a male leader offers the wine to Elijah, at Ronni Becher’s seder, water is offered to Miriam, a female prophet. As a result, Ronni Becher’s seder is more family-friendly and allows children and women to participate instead of only men participating. Through creating her own seder, Ronni Becher teaches us that women are equal to men, but in a different way. Although the two genders can not celebrate holidays together in Orthodox Judaism, women can still come together to celebrate holidays in a similar way to men.
Though reading about how women are taking control and participating their own holidays, I learned how women are taking back the control they do not have in their religion. Women who can not participate in religious holidays feel the same sentiments as when they are separated from men in prayer. They feel that they are inferior and though they might be a part of a religious congregation at their synagogue, they do not feel that they are a part of the group as a whole. While watching men celebrating religious holidays, women wish they can participate as well, but G-d forbids women from taking part in religious holidays together with men. Orthodox Judaism follows laws and the word of G-d so much that whatever G-d says is how Orthodox Jews will behave. However, when women come together to participate in their separate holiday, they feel like they belong and are a part of a group. I believe that women should be able to take part in religious holidays in the same way that men do. If women can not celebrate holidays such as Passover with men, they should be able to celebrate holidays with other women. I applaud Ronni Becher for starting a women’s group, even though it was out of the norm at the time and for standing up for women during a time when women did not have as many rights as men. Although I do not agree with the separation of men and women in celebrating holidays, Orthodox Jews do so for a reason and that reason should be respected. Men and women are separated in celebration of many religious holidays in Judaism because the holidays are reflective on oneself and the Jewish ancestors and the holidays also involve prayers.
Sources:
Perlman, Lani. “Orthodox Women Change Passover Table.” Women’s E-News. Women’s E-News. 24 April 2005. Web 27 April 2010.
During a Passover meal, called a seder, the leader who is a male recalls the Exodus, when the Israelites left slavery in Egypt. The man lead the festive meal, reciting many prayers. In leading the meal with accompanying prayers, the leader tells his son the story of how the Jews left Egypt. At one point during the meal, the leader pours wine into a cup for Elijah, a male prophet. At a seder with Orthodox Jews, women do not take part in the ceremonial meal and might feel the similarly to how they are separated from men at synagogue.
To give women the opportunity to celebrate religious holidays, Ronni Becher started a group where women could lead and be a part of a Passover seder in 1980. At Ronni Becher’s seder, women led the prayers ask the children questions. Instead of the male leader telling his son the story of the Exodus from Egypt, the female leader tells one of her children the story. Another difference between the two seders is in the cup of wine given to a prophet. Contrary to the typical seder where a male leader offers the wine to Elijah, at Ronni Becher’s seder, water is offered to Miriam, a female prophet. As a result, Ronni Becher’s seder is more family-friendly and allows children and women to participate instead of only men participating. Through creating her own seder, Ronni Becher teaches us that women are equal to men, but in a different way. Although the two genders can not celebrate holidays together in Orthodox Judaism, women can still come together to celebrate holidays in a similar way to men.
Though reading about how women are taking control and participating their own holidays, I learned how women are taking back the control they do not have in their religion. Women who can not participate in religious holidays feel the same sentiments as when they are separated from men in prayer. They feel that they are inferior and though they might be a part of a religious congregation at their synagogue, they do not feel that they are a part of the group as a whole. While watching men celebrating religious holidays, women wish they can participate as well, but G-d forbids women from taking part in religious holidays together with men. Orthodox Judaism follows laws and the word of G-d so much that whatever G-d says is how Orthodox Jews will behave. However, when women come together to participate in their separate holiday, they feel like they belong and are a part of a group. I believe that women should be able to take part in religious holidays in the same way that men do. If women can not celebrate holidays such as Passover with men, they should be able to celebrate holidays with other women. I applaud Ronni Becher for starting a women’s group, even though it was out of the norm at the time and for standing up for women during a time when women did not have as many rights as men. Although I do not agree with the separation of men and women in celebrating holidays, Orthodox Jews do so for a reason and that reason should be respected. Men and women are separated in celebration of many religious holidays in Judaism because the holidays are reflective on oneself and the Jewish ancestors and the holidays also involve prayers.
Sources:
Perlman, Lani. “Orthodox Women Change Passover Table.” Women’s E-News. Women’s E-News. 24 April 2005. Web 27 April 2010.
Prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem
As I was reading more articles on the internet, I kept coming across a group called Women of the Wall. Women of the Wall is a group of Jewish Orthodox women who are trying to give women the right to pray out loud like men do at the Western Wall. In Judaism, the Western Wall is symbolic in many ways; it is regarded as one of the most holy sites. It is also a cultural symbol and historical because it is the only remaining wall of the Holy Temple. Like in Orthodox synagogues, men and women are not allowed to pray together and women pray silently. However, many women are unable to accept that they cannot pray out loud at the Western Wall, which is why they formed Women of the Wall.
When women try to pray out loud at the Western Wall, they are often met with violence and protests. People want to preserve men’s greater role in Judaism, despite the fact that men and women are seen as equal to G-d. The following passage explains more of the reasoning for the opposition to women praying at the Western wall:
“If the Women of the Wall were being challenged solely because they were women, in an
effort to oppress them squelch them, lower them, then I would say, ‘Fight on, sisters!’ But
I don’t believe that that is the case. I believe the fight that is being fought is in order to uphold halacha and tradition, a system that Orthodox Jews trust in and live by.”
Allison Josephs
For those of you who don’t know, halacha is the Jewish laws. Orthodox Jews follow the laws and traditions very strictly. Allison Josephs I quoted above believes that Jews should be able to pray how they wish at the Western Wall. In thinking that women should have equal opportunities to pray, she is showing her support for the equality of men and women. By not having the right to pray verbally at the Western Wall and being forced to pray silently, women are degraded and seen as lower than men. As I explained earlier, not everyone believes that men are superior to women; however some people do believe this, which causes a division between the two groups of people
In reading about how men and women pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, I learned a lot about their separation in places other than the synagogue. Similarly to women’s prayer groups, the Women of the Wall are working towards equality between men and women so that women do not have to pray silently at the Western Wall if they do not want to. I agree with Allison Josephs because men and women should have equal opportunities and should not be considered inferior based solely on their gender. Because Jews are not the only group of people who visit the Western Wall, it is important that people who are not Orthodox Jews realize the symbolism and meaning behind the separation of men and women during formal prayer at the Western Wall. While not everyone will support the separation, knowing and understanding the meaning behind it helps people to be more accepting of other people and their beliefs.
Sources:
Josephs, Allison. "Challenging the Women of the Wall." the sisterhood. Forward Association,
Inc. 8 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 April 2010.
When women try to pray out loud at the Western Wall, they are often met with violence and protests. People want to preserve men’s greater role in Judaism, despite the fact that men and women are seen as equal to G-d. The following passage explains more of the reasoning for the opposition to women praying at the Western wall:
“If the Women of the Wall were being challenged solely because they were women, in an
effort to oppress them squelch them, lower them, then I would say, ‘Fight on, sisters!’ But
I don’t believe that that is the case. I believe the fight that is being fought is in order to uphold halacha and tradition, a system that Orthodox Jews trust in and live by.”
Allison Josephs
For those of you who don’t know, halacha is the Jewish laws. Orthodox Jews follow the laws and traditions very strictly. Allison Josephs I quoted above believes that Jews should be able to pray how they wish at the Western Wall. In thinking that women should have equal opportunities to pray, she is showing her support for the equality of men and women. By not having the right to pray verbally at the Western Wall and being forced to pray silently, women are degraded and seen as lower than men. As I explained earlier, not everyone believes that men are superior to women; however some people do believe this, which causes a division between the two groups of people
In reading about how men and women pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, I learned a lot about their separation in places other than the synagogue. Similarly to women’s prayer groups, the Women of the Wall are working towards equality between men and women so that women do not have to pray silently at the Western Wall if they do not want to. I agree with Allison Josephs because men and women should have equal opportunities and should not be considered inferior based solely on their gender. Because Jews are not the only group of people who visit the Western Wall, it is important that people who are not Orthodox Jews realize the symbolism and meaning behind the separation of men and women during formal prayer at the Western Wall. While not everyone will support the separation, knowing and understanding the meaning behind it helps people to be more accepting of other people and their beliefs.
Sources:
Josephs, Allison. "Challenging the Women of the Wall." the sisterhood. Forward Association,
Inc. 8 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 April 2010.
People Who Change Genders
How does Orthodox Judaism deal with people who are gay, lesbian, or transgender when the synagogue has a mechitzah? The answer is not clear-cut. According to Jewish law, gays and lesbians must sit on the side of the mechitzah with their assigned gender. However, there is a lot of debate regarding how to *“classify”* transgender people, who do not identify with their assigned gender at birth. Judaism, like the United States and many other cultures, is built on a binary system of genders, meaning there is only male and female with nothing in between for people who do not identify as either male or female. The binary system causes many problems when it comes to separating men and women. Transgender people identify with a different gender than they were assigned at birth. But we are forced to ask, what does G-d say about changing genders?
Other questions we must ask ourselves when attempting to separate transgendered people in Orthodox synagogues include can a man be called to the Torah if he was born a woman and can a man count as one person out of the ten people needed for a minyan if he was born a woman? While there is not one simple answer to these questions, rabbis and other people have come up some theories that answer these questions. Some people say that if a person has surgery to change his/her sex, than that person can sit on the side of the mechitzah with their new gender and do not sit with the people of the gender they were born. As a result of sex-change surgery, people have a new gender and according to Jewish law, after having the surgery, people are a part of the new gender. Regardless of whether the person went from being male to female(MTF) or female to male(FTM), a person who became a female will sit on the woman’s side and people who became male will sit on the men’s side of the mechitzah. If the person became a male, he can count as part of the minyan and can read from the Torah just like any other man even though he was born a female. However, if a man becomes a woman, she can no longer read from the Torah or count as part of the minyan after her surgery. Like I mentioned, there is some controversy over transgendered people. While some people follow the belief I mentioned above, others believe that once a person is male, he is always male. The same goes for female. As a result of this view, even if a person has surgery to transcend genders, that person cannot read from the Torah or count as part of the minyan (if he became a male) and has to sit with the people of his/her birth gender.
Through reading articles on how Orthodox Judaism attempts to separate men and women, I learned about the problems that arise from separating genders during prayer. I believe that each individual Orthodox synagogue should collectively decide how to separate transgendered people. To me, it makes sense that if a person has sex-change surgery and becomes a male, then he should have all the rights that person born a male have in synagogue. If a person thinks he is a male, he should have the same rights that a man has in Orthodox Judaism. The same goes for females. At the same time, it makes sense to limit the rights that some people have if they change genders. Each synagogue, because of it's rabbi and congregants, has a slightly different belief system despite still being Orthodox, which is why I believe that each synagogue should decide how handle a situation where a person changes gender.
Sources:
Orens, Beth. Judaism and Gender Issues. n.d. Web. 15 April 2010.
Other questions we must ask ourselves when attempting to separate transgendered people in Orthodox synagogues include can a man be called to the Torah if he was born a woman and can a man count as one person out of the ten people needed for a minyan if he was born a woman? While there is not one simple answer to these questions, rabbis and other people have come up some theories that answer these questions. Some people say that if a person has surgery to change his/her sex, than that person can sit on the side of the mechitzah with their new gender and do not sit with the people of the gender they were born. As a result of sex-change surgery, people have a new gender and according to Jewish law, after having the surgery, people are a part of the new gender. Regardless of whether the person went from being male to female(MTF) or female to male(FTM), a person who became a female will sit on the woman’s side and people who became male will sit on the men’s side of the mechitzah. If the person became a male, he can count as part of the minyan and can read from the Torah just like any other man even though he was born a female. However, if a man becomes a woman, she can no longer read from the Torah or count as part of the minyan after her surgery. Like I mentioned, there is some controversy over transgendered people. While some people follow the belief I mentioned above, others believe that once a person is male, he is always male. The same goes for female. As a result of this view, even if a person has surgery to transcend genders, that person cannot read from the Torah or count as part of the minyan (if he became a male) and has to sit with the people of his/her birth gender.
Through reading articles on how Orthodox Judaism attempts to separate men and women, I learned about the problems that arise from separating genders during prayer. I believe that each individual Orthodox synagogue should collectively decide how to separate transgendered people. To me, it makes sense that if a person has sex-change surgery and becomes a male, then he should have all the rights that person born a male have in synagogue. If a person thinks he is a male, he should have the same rights that a man has in Orthodox Judaism. The same goes for females. At the same time, it makes sense to limit the rights that some people have if they change genders. Each synagogue, because of it's rabbi and congregants, has a slightly different belief system despite still being Orthodox, which is why I believe that each synagogue should decide how handle a situation where a person changes gender.
Sources:
Orens, Beth. Judaism and Gender Issues. n.d. Web. 15 April 2010.
Reflection on My Experience at an Orthodox Synagogue
Through attending this service, I learned many things about the custom of separating men and women in Orthodox Judaism. The prayer service is mainly about men becoming one with
G-d. While women are welcome to come pray, the fact that they do not pray verbally signifies that they do not play a big role in the service. Never once did a women step foot on the bimah, where the prayers are read and where the Torah is stored, because women are not allowed to read from the Torah. Women traditionally are supposed to take care of the children. I saw evidence of this during the service when the children would ask only their mother questions and never once bothered their father.
Reflecting on my experience, I now realize that men and women are separated in Orthodox for a clear reason. The reason is, as I have mentioned before, to avoid distractions. However, I found the service very distracting for the women because their children were constantly running around behind them and asking them questions. Coming from an egalitarian synagogue where men and women pray together and women are able to pray verbally, I felt belittled by attending this service. While it does make sense for people to be separated, I do not like being separated by gender during prayer and prefer to pray out loud
G-d. While women are welcome to come pray, the fact that they do not pray verbally signifies that they do not play a big role in the service. Never once did a women step foot on the bimah, where the prayers are read and where the Torah is stored, because women are not allowed to read from the Torah. Women traditionally are supposed to take care of the children. I saw evidence of this during the service when the children would ask only their mother questions and never once bothered their father.
Reflecting on my experience, I now realize that men and women are separated in Orthodox for a clear reason. The reason is, as I have mentioned before, to avoid distractions. However, I found the service very distracting for the women because their children were constantly running around behind them and asking them questions. Coming from an egalitarian synagogue where men and women pray together and women are able to pray verbally, I felt belittled by attending this service. While it does make sense for people to be separated, I do not like being separated by gender during prayer and prefer to pray out loud
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
My Experience at an Orthodox Synagogue
Last weekend, I went home to attend a prayer service at an Orthodox synagogue in Lexington, Massachusetts. As is customary in Orthodox synagogues, this particular synagogue separates men and women with a mechitzah. Separating the men and women was a row of fake trees serving as the mechitzah. You could see through the tree branches, but not very well and the trees were approximately six or seven feet high, so even the tallest men could not see the women by looking above the mechitzah. When I got to the synagogue, one of the men came over to me and handed me a siddur (prayer book) and I sat down on the women’s side of the small, make-shift synagogue. The service had already started and the men continued to pray throughout the morning.
The service itself was pretty typical for a Shabbat morning prayer service. The male rabbi, or leader of the synagogue, led the congregation in prayers and then invited only the men to read from the Torah. What surprised me most about the service was that men came over to talk to the women occasionally during lulls in the service, but the women never went to the men’s side of the synagogue. The women do not to distract the men from their prayers and from being closer to G-d, which is the main reason for the separation of the two genders in the first place. Also, I found it interesting that the women did not pray out loud. It was clear that they prayed, but did not chant the prayers for their voice to be heard. The women did not take the service as seriously as the men did and used part of the time to catch up on each other’s lives such as where certain high school seniors are going to college and other gossip around town. On the contrary, the men took the service seriously and were hardly distracted throughout the entire service.
The service itself was pretty typical for a Shabbat morning prayer service. The male rabbi, or leader of the synagogue, led the congregation in prayers and then invited only the men to read from the Torah. What surprised me most about the service was that men came over to talk to the women occasionally during lulls in the service, but the women never went to the men’s side of the synagogue. The women do not to distract the men from their prayers and from being closer to G-d, which is the main reason for the separation of the two genders in the first place. Also, I found it interesting that the women did not pray out loud. It was clear that they prayed, but did not chant the prayers for their voice to be heard. The women did not take the service as seriously as the men did and used part of the time to catch up on each other’s lives such as where certain high school seniors are going to college and other gossip around town. On the contrary, the men took the service seriously and were hardly distracted throughout the entire service.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Negative Connotation
As I alluded to in my second blog, some people dislike being separated from the other gender during prayer. Although many women embrace the separation from men during prayer, other women believe that the separation makes women inferior to men. In a typical synagogue, women sit above men or behind them, which puts men closer to the rabbi (leader of Jewish synagogue and prayer services) and to what the rabbi or cantor is saying. By being farther from the leader of prayers, women can not see what is going on. Orthodox Jewish women also feel that they are isolated from other people, even though they are surrounded by other women in the same position. The feeling of isolation comes from not being able to sit with the people one loves (if he is a man) and not feeling comfortable being separated by gender. In our American society, we are not used to being separated because we are male or female, but in Orthodox Judaism, this type of separation is widely accepted and believed to be beneficial in prayer so that people can get closer to G-d. I think that Orthodox women accept the gender separation and do not think about the separation after attending many prayer services because after some amount of time, they become accustomed to the separation.
The idea that women are inferior to men speaks to the cultural idea of gender and how people of different genders are supposed to behave. In the American culture, men are superior to women and have a greater status than women. The same holds true for Judaism. Men are superior to women and are the only people who hold important roles in an Orthodox Jewish society. In Judaism, women are not inferior to men; rather men and women are equal, but men have more duties to perform as a Jew than women do. According to Jewish laws and commandments, it the job of Orthodox Jewish women to care for their children and their house, which is similar to the traditional role women in American culture. In the American culture, women are housewives and men are the workers who make money to support his family. I believe that women are certainly inferior to men in our American culture because of the lack of equality between men and women in jobs, salary differences, in the ways women are supposed to behave, and in the jobs women are expected to have. However, in Orthodox Judaism, it is clear that women have less of a role than women. While I do not think this right and I believe that women should have equal rights to men, many Orthodox synagogues still separate men from women during prayer. There is not much that I can do to change the situation, but I think eventually, most Orthodox synagogues will become egalitarian where men and women are not separated.
The idea that women are inferior to men speaks to the cultural idea of gender and how people of different genders are supposed to behave. In the American culture, men are superior to women and have a greater status than women. The same holds true for Judaism. Men are superior to women and are the only people who hold important roles in an Orthodox Jewish society. In Judaism, women are not inferior to men; rather men and women are equal, but men have more duties to perform as a Jew than women do. According to Jewish laws and commandments, it the job of Orthodox Jewish women to care for their children and their house, which is similar to the traditional role women in American culture. In the American culture, women are housewives and men are the workers who make money to support his family. I believe that women are certainly inferior to men in our American culture because of the lack of equality between men and women in jobs, salary differences, in the ways women are supposed to behave, and in the jobs women are expected to have. However, in Orthodox Judaism, it is clear that women have less of a role than women. While I do not think this right and I believe that women should have equal rights to men, many Orthodox synagogues still separate men from women during prayer. There is not much that I can do to change the situation, but I think eventually, most Orthodox synagogues will become egalitarian where men and women are not separated.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)