The chareidi parties, Ashkenazi and Sephardi alike face accusations of discrimination against women because they do not have women on the lists. There have already been calls to the Central Election Committee to disqualify them based on the ‘exclusion of women’ issue, by the Kolech organization.
Both Shas and Yahadut Hatorah have explained “this is not our way”, seeking to allay fears of chareidi women being mistreated. Officials from the parties have told the secular media that chareidi women play an active role in the community, but Knesset is not a place for them, as the overwhelming number of chareidi women will agree.
However, a group of women who describe themselves as chareidi do not agree, insisting Halacha does not ban them from serving in Knesset. Their Facebook page called “Not Elected Not Voting” is quite self-explanatory, for they feel their time has come to “get out of the kitchen”, unwilling to accept the ban on females in chareidi parties as a given.
They explain that tznius is cited as the primary reason banning them from Knesset, but point out female lawyers, teachers and journalists have also left the kitchen, not willing to accept the reasoning surrounding political life. They add that today’s frum women is more learned than in the past, and therefore is more qualified to address Halachic issues than in the past.
Rabbi Dov Halbertal feels the women are wrong in this case, fearing they have been swept into the general ‘exclusion of women’ atmosphere that exists, warning gedolim are opposed to such a move by frum women. Halbertal highlights being in Knesset is the antithesis of a frum woman, who is expected to maintain her modesty, not being in the spotlight and constantly in the public eye.
Halbertal adds that Rav Yitzchak HaKohen Kook ZT”L was stricter than chareidim today, for he felt women should not vote. He urges the women to abandon this idea, seemingly caught up in the general harsh rhetoric of modern day Israeli society.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
So if there are many hareidi women who feel that way, it will be obvious from the election when they votge for other parties.
It is interesting that the decision of the hareidi community not to vote in the first elections held (ever) under British rule seriously weakened the hareidi votes at a time when they might have had enough influence to prevent the zionists from leading the yishuv on the disastrous course leading to the permanent state of war with the Muslims.
lol.
chareidi women are not on facebook
If they want to make a point, they should go and vote for a different party. This would be doubly effective.
Is there a written psak on the issue from the Chazon Ish, Rav Elyashiv, Rav Yoseif?
Lawyer and journalist are also untznius.
The participant in this may be “Chareidi” but they are clearly not Torah Jews. The statement: “… that tznius is cited as the primary reason banning them from Knesset, but point out female lawyers, teachers and journalists have also left the kitchen, not willing to accept the reasoning surrounding political life.” could only be made by an ignoramus. There is a ISSUR DEORAISA for a woman to hold political office. This is not a HUMRA or a minority opinion but is agreed upon by all. It is one of the 613 Mitzvahs of the Torah. A woman may occupy any position in the private sector she is qualified to have but not the public sector. This is as much a HOK of the Torah as SHATNEZ, KASHERUT,SHECHETA or Shabbos. Furthermore, the HALACHA is clear that anyone who denies even one Mitzvah of the Torah is a heretic and has no place in AM YISROEL. I do not know who or why this appeared but those involved are either serious misinformed or are only interested in causing damage to the Torah community.
Aryeh Zelasko
Beit Shemesh
There are a group of Charedei women who are becoming more outspoken, aggressive and not willing to be spoken down to.
How will leadership deal with them? Besides bans, put-downs, signs forbidding behaviors, etc.