Last Thursday, I attended a Simhas Torah Celebration at the local chabad house. For those who do not know Simhas Torah is a celebration of reaching the end of the torah (the five books of mosses, which Jews traditionally read through every year). Since the celebration was at a chabad house, their was a mehitza (a partition separating men from women) which prevented the men and women in attendance from dancing together. The comment referenced in the title was made by a female friend of mine who desired to dance on the men’s side because she saw the men having more fun then the women.
I have been thinking about her comment all week, how I should deal with her critique of Chabad, and how to deal with the third rail in women’s studies, religion. Before I begin, I believe it is necessary to tell the reader that I am a reform Jew: a denomination of Judaism that strongly believes in equality. In Reform Judaism, a mehitza is never used and women are allowed to become rabbis. The person who made the comment is also a reform Jew and is in the process of applying to reform rabbinical school. Both of us only attend events at the local chabad house due to the friendliness of the chabad family, free food, and a desire to engage in some Jewish learning.
Mehitza’s have always bothered me and especially on this night they bothered me even more. I am someone who has always felt alienated by men and much prefers the social company of a women. When I attend my reform synagogue I am always found sitting next to a female friend and spend the service gossiping with her. Even on this simhas torah night I found myself “illegally” dancing on the women’s side because I saw that as my natural place.
I have spoken to many Jews who are more observant then me about my issues with a mehitza (I of course based the conversation around equity issues and not my desire to gossip with a women during services) and they have told me that the point of the mehitza is to prevent men from distracting other girls. I have found this a lot in Judaism, the need to protect men from the attractiveness of women. Is this a real threat or is this just a way to get Jewish women to buy into this concept of inequity in Judaism. I do not believe women cannot be both religious and feminist, I just believe that one who is both needs to challenge and critique how the religion treats the “other” (in terms of race, gender, sexuality, etc…). I am still trying to figure out how to do this and challenge those more observant then I to see the inequity in some religious traditions.
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