MK (Yesh Atid) Dr. Aliza Lavie asked outgoing Minister of Religious Services (Shas) Yaakov Margi about gender segregation and discrimination at funerals, citing a recent case in Kiryat Gat in which a female was instructed to use a different sink in line with rules of tznius. She spoke of cases in which women were prohibited from giving a hesped.
Margi said that this has nothing to do with Halachic limitations but more so with local policy as set by a chevra kadisha. Lavie lamented the abuse of authority by the burial societies and feels the ministry must increase its activities to prevent such occurrences from taking place in the future.
Margi agreed and stated rabbonim who act in this fashion are exceeding their authority.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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11 Responses
Then why has Margi not acted to prevent such actions of his own accord?
Perhaps, normative Yiddishkeit will once again be part of Toras hashem.
Why blame the Chevra Kadisha?
I have no clue what goes on in “orthodox” circle, but I have never been at a frum funeral where a woman spoke. In fact there are more stringencies at a funeral concerning women and men, and these are brought down in Shulchan Aruch, repeated in the Kitzur. This is normative Halacha, not some Chumra. The “orthodox” women who complain about Gender seperation may be orthodox but they are not very frum, unfortunately!
A truly frum person is not bothered by another’s frumkeit, and they are willing to support it, even if they personally are not at that level.
Very sad
Just another leftist idea. Woman do not give hesped to talk to men. Anything to create hatred. Look uri regev is probably behind this also; the head of the reform movement. he is the head there because he has no head for Torah and mitzvos
1. There are diverse minhagim on this even among Shomer Shabbos Jews.
2. Why should the government be making decisions for people. The idea of a central government deciding halacha for people is not part of our tradition.
3. What if the government changes, and the new government appoints new people to the Chevra Kaddisha (e.g. total apikoresim) and they insist on doing things their way.
If by “frum” you mean “chareidi,” then yes, I’ve never seen a woman give a hesped at a funeral. If by “frum” you mean “anyone who is frum,” then yes, I’ve seen women give a hesped. This includes when I’ve gone because I knew the person/family, and when I’ve gone as a member of the Chevra Kadisha.
#3 – Might I suggest that a ‘truly frum person’ IS bothered when a fellow Jew is caused embarrassment and pain by another’s unnecessary stringencies?
If I am not mistaken the Gemarah in Sukka in the beginning of the 5th Perek cites the need to separate men and women even at funerals based on a Pasuk in Navi.
But what does the Navi know.
If we were talking about a Jewish community’s chevra kadisha, this would not be a problem. However we are talking about the government department of burying people, which by virtue of the coercive sovereign power of the state is charged with burying people as a government operation.
It is one thing to be proud of your minhagim, and to follow your posek. It is another thing to use the power of the government to force everyone else to do things your way, even though they have different minhagim and following different interpretations of halacha.
#8 – And if I am not mistaken, the Navi is prophesising about yemot hamashiach. The questions is if halacha requires such a degree of seperation at funerals today, particularly where there is a potential for halbanat panim.
and when Bennett and Lapid take over the Religious Affairs department, do WE want to do things their way