The topic of women praying at the Western Wall has been an ongoing debate not only among ultra-orthodox Jews and feminists, but now the Women of the Wall (WOW) are becoming divided on the issue of where to pray at the wall. While on November, 4, 2013, the group celebrated their 25 anniversary, it is at this moment in the group’s history that they are the most divided. In his article, “Women of Wall Deeply Split over Anat Hoffman’s Acceptance of Prayer Deal,” Nathan Jeffay discusses the issues WOW is currently facing both internally and externally.
In October of 2013, WOW decided to move their demonstrations from the Kotel's prayer gallery for women to a quieter piece of the wall known as Robinson’s Arch. The group denies allegations that this move was due to ultra-Orthodox anti-WOW demonstrations held at the Kotel’s section in the past. The decision to move was approved by the WOW board by a 9-2 majority. While this ratio portrays that the majority of the group supports the decision to move, there are many women who are devastated by this decision. Twenty-one WOW founders have signed a petition stating that they will continue to fight for the ability to pray at the Kotel plaza because for many of these women, Robinson’s Arch is simply a second-rate site.
The organization’s decision was made in the midst of Israeli government negotiations on creating an egalitarian section of the wall. The group has been asked to be involved in the planning process of these negotiations; however, in return for their involvement, they must agree to stop wearing prayer shawls and reading Torah at the Kotel’s women’s section. So now the problem for the group is this: if it cannot contain its rebels from continuing to pray at Kotel, it could...
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... at the wall. Progressive women and laws allowing these women to pray at the wall would signal a change in the political demographic. The ultra-orthodox control would slowly begin to fade. This could be extremely terrifying for a group that has been known to cast other forms of Judaism as invalid. For ultra-orthodox Jews, it would mean individuals who are not really Jewish would have control in Jerusalem.
The topic of women praying at the Western Wall has been an ongoing debate not only among ultra-orthodox Jews and feminists, but now the Women of the Wall (WOW) are becoming divided on the issue of where to pray at the wall. It is at this moment in the group’s history that they are the most divided. The group is discovering how they, as women, can achieve equality to Jewish women can experience the same closeness to God and tradition that has long eluded them.
... is continuing to change, even though I do not agree with how the community used to treat women. A woman being accepted within the community is a big step into gaining respect from men and an even closer step in becoming an equal. This matter of subject is so important to me because I know that women are able to just as much as men can and the fact that, around the world, this is now beginning to be seen as proper provides me with hope that there will no longer be the question of whether or not a female is able to do the job of a male. My hope for this religion is that women will be seen as equals and I believe that the first major step involved women becoming the leader of prayer. Continuing on this journey, I believe that the religion will not need to create any more laws and that it will just become natural for men to give the proper respect to any women.
... fighting for a Jewish cause. This book carefully examines exactly how much Wald distanced herself from her Jewish heritage. Marjorie N. Feld did a wonderful job of portraying Wald as not only a strong, independent woman, but firm in her belief of universalism not particularism. Although the book is written in a highly academic format Feld was able to give the story of Lillian Wald in a matter that allows all who read it to appreciate and understand her work. Wald is the kind of woman all people should hope to meet in their life. After a few pages readers will find themselves intrigued at how well the book was written, Feld inserts quotations from Wald herself that quickly and concisely show the kind of woman she was. This book should be read by anyone who has an interest in the progressive era, women’s rights, or simply the rights of all the world’s diverse people.
Women have always played a major role in the practice of Judaism. They have many responsibilities and obligations to fulfill due to of their faith. Yet, they also must raise their families and often work to provide for their family. Overtime, Jewish women have become an example of women’s ability to live very demanding lives and still sustain her religious devotion. Jewish women have had to overcome numerous obstacles in incorporating the changes inherent with ever-evolving life with their static religious duties. Thus was the case for any Jew who chose to move away from their community and start a new life. Many pioneers found it hard to remain practicing Jews when there were no other Jewish people around them. Some observances became difficult to exercise given the surrounding and Jews would sometimes have to compromise their traditions with physical practicality. This led to great personal struggle for women who had always felt that the family’s religious sanctity was her responsibility. But these fascinatingly resourceful and dedicated women found ways to overcome the hindrances that their new home provided and still plant the seeds that would grow into a rich and strong Jewish community regardless of where they lived.
Women were the subject of marginalization ever since the very beginning of Christianity. They were viewed as a “second Eve” (92) who did not deserve the same attention as men. Women were treated as second class citizens. They were willfully ignored by members of the Christianity
Warner's book details the special importance of the Virgin Mary throughout Christianity and explores her religious and secular meaning. She discusses such things as the Church's attitude toward virginity, the role model of the Virgin martyr, the Virgin's relics, and her role as an intercessor with God.
"Jewish Resistance". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, n.d. Web. 19 May 2014.
Judith Plaskow, a Jewish feminist, searches for ways to incorporate her mostly male-based and male-interpreted faith with her feminist’s ideals in her book of essays, The Coming of Lilith. Her essay covers a wide variety of topics concerning contemporary Judaism and its possibility for flexibility, especially concerning unfair gender roles. Plaskow also discusses how religious traditions can perpetuate a hatred of the “other” religions and how that negatively affects both parties. Judith Plaskow challenges her religious tradition and contemporary culture that is a product of all religions by using sources of Jewish ethics such as the Torah and the Talmud to back up her feminist criticism.
What does it mean to be Jewish or Muslim, or even Christian? What does an understanding of the history that intertwines faith and culture matter to how we live within those religious labels? The Red Tent and Stranger to History, while both using a different perspective, explores the connection between history, culture, and faith traditions, and how we must look at the past to understand our own present and future. Religious experience is distinctly different for women than it is for men, which is evident in Diamant’s portrayal of the silent roles females played in pre-Jewish culture. In contrast, Taseer discusses an experience from a uniquely male view, though both ask the same question: Why do the histories matter?
Turniansky, Chava. "Glueckel of Hameln." Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. 1 March 2009. Jewish Women's Archive. September 26, 2011 .
Throughout most of documented history women of all cultures and civilizations have lived under patriarchal circumstances. In almost every religion and civilization women's status was not equal to that of a man's. Women in most cultures are looked at as subservient, obedient creatures that were put on this world for very few reasons, mainly to bear children and do what their husbands require of them. In fact, religions are a big part of the reason of this oppression due to the religion's reinforcement and justification of patriarchal conditions. In this week's selected readings from different aspects of Islamic, Byzantine Christian, and Western Christian cultures, it is very apparent as to how these three religions did reinforce and justify the patriarchal conditions in which women were struggling to live in. Also, by reading the selections one can see how different religions could make a difference for women and how they lived their lives.
The Women of the Wall, also known as WOW, are a religiously and socially distinctive group of women that join together once a month, on Rosh Chodesh to daven at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem, one of the Jews’ holiest sites. WOW has been doing this continually ever since the group’s establishment in December of 1989. The women who joined the union can be classified as “ Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and self-defined Jews.” WOW is “unaffiliated with any group, religious or political, and is the only group in the Jewish religious world that brings together Jews from across the religious spectrum for the purpose of prayer.” They have battled since 1988 up until today to accomplish their purpose and their “life’s duty” to permit women to daven “freely” at the Western Wall (“Women for the Wall,” n.d.).
Recently, within the past few decades, the role of women in Judaism has dramatically improved. The rippling effect of the Women’s Rights Movement empowered Jewish women to push for widespread reform of Judaic law. Since Biblical times, women in general were held to an inferior level compared to men, and this was no different for Jewish women. However, big strides have been made within the past century to elevate the status of the Jewish woman in the public sphere as well in the privacy of their homes.
Religious festivals were a much easier and accessible way for citizen women to involve themselves in the civic sphere and many of these festivals required the inclusion of women because male involvement was forbidden. The religious festival of Thesmophoria w...
“Today I appeal to the whole Church community to be willing to foster feminine participation in every way in its internal life. This is certainly not a new commitment, since it is inspired by the example of Christ himself….nevertheless, he also involved women in the cause of his kingdom; indeed he wanted them to be the first witnesses and heralds of his resurrection. In fact, there are many women who have distinguished themselves in the Church’s history by their holiness and hardworking ingenuity.”