Photographers in Women's Section

Rav Moshe has a T’shuvah permitting men to be lifeguards. Presumably this would be the same.

Also, the Issur of watching women dance is very unclear to begin with, especially if they aren’t dancing inappropriately. Still, if a photographer knows that seeing the women dance will lead him to Assur thoughts, then he isn’t allowed to videotape the women.

They are not video taping for pleasure.

I once had a friend who worked for a non-jewish day camp. He told me that he had a psak from his rav that it was ok for him to attend the swimming together with the female counselors because he is busy with his work.

So I naively asked him whether he found that it was true, that he was too busy working to look at the girls.

He pretended to not understand the question.

If men can’t watch the wedding video because women are dancing in it, I guess even the Choson himself cannot watch it!

As far as taking the pictures of the women dancing, why don’t they just use women photographers for that?

“Lifeguards are pekuach nefesh.”

But going swimming is not.

So what heter is there for a Jewish guy to deliver babies, or work on Hatzolah, teach girls in Yeshivah, or simply work in a store where women shop? We can take this to a really out-there level, if we want to, but people need to make a parnassah, and SOMEONE has to interact with women on a regular basis. It is not feasible for it to solely be other women all the time.

oomis – no one questioned the heter of “oseik b’milachto”. lets not get hysterical.

And are there really no women to help women pick…ahem…certain items ? Must she discuss it with a man ?

PBA – Along those lines, I know of a pool where many frum women swim, with male lifeguards. One of these men once told someone that the lifegurds fight for the “all women’s” shift.

You would be “suprised” but by most all Chassidishe weddings there is women photographers for the women! There are some high schools in Boro Park that do not allow their students to dance in front of men photographers.

Hershi: I would assume that that is okay by the S’ridei Eish.

hershi: No, there isn’t.

They don’t sing. Which makes sense, because a person doesn’t have to be on the other side of the mechitza to hear it.

“If men can’t watch the wedding video because women are dancing in it, I guess even the Choson himself cannot watch it!”

Well, actually, at my wedding we didn’t have any video (though my father made a couple of short clips with his camera).

And indeed, my wife who was in those days still the super-extreme-frum type of BT (as was I), wouldn’t let me watch the *pictures* of the ladies side! Took a few weeks before she allowed me to see those pictures.

By now we’re a little less extreme, but more stable… It’s better to be at a ‘lower’ level yet be 100% stable, than to be super-frum and unstable and risk frumming out.

hershi: Um. That doesn’t make a difference. The point is they just don’t. I am not trying to make any point about the photography.

Ken Zayn: Unfortunately, you’re wrong about some people’s definition of women’s dancing. After my cousin’s wedding, I now do not associate with my mother in public.

Now THAT was embarrassing.

Then again, there is some pretty cool stuff in the men’s section. Like my cousin who did a triple cartwheel in front of the chosson and kallah. I had no idea he could do that.