Our friend Dr. Abby Caplin emailed us this yesterday evening:
Can it get any worse for Jewish women?
Yes. It can. It did.
Last night I opened an email from my friend Shulamit. As I read it, I felt that same sick feeling I wrote about when I learned of Nofrat Frenkel’s arrest on November 18, 2009 for the “crime” of wearing a tallit (Jewish prayer shawl) at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
This time Anat Hoffman, the director of the Israel Religious Action Center/Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism, a founding member and leader of “Women of the Wall” (WOW), was taken to a Jerusalem police station on January 5, 2010. She was interrogated, fingerprinted, and informed that she might be charged with a felony for violating rules of conduct at the Western Wall: offending the “sensibilities” of ultra-Orthodox extremists who believe that the Western Wall is their personal synagogue.
I don’t know about you, but in my book, when ultra-Orthodox Jewish extremists decide to bully, curse, and throw feces at women trying to pray, my “sensibilities” are offended.
Here’s a video clip interview of Anat Hoffman after her interrogation:
Disturbingly, her case is being referred to the attorney general for prosecution.
This Sunday, in gatherings across the country, American Jews will gather to demand an end to religiously motivated discrimination against women in Israel.
My question—why are religious fundamentalist extremists, of all religions, so afraid of women?
Editor’s Note. In an earlier comment Abby Caplin wrote: In response, a special shacharit service will be held – Sunday January 10, 2010, from 10-11:30 AM. Women and men will daven Shacharit together while wearing kippot, tallitot and t’fillin (no requirement, all individual styles welcomed) at Union Square in San Francisco. We will begin promptly at 10 am. This shacharit service is one of many being held in town squares across the United States on this date, in support of Women of the Wall (WOW). The service will include a group “donning of the tallitot and t’fillin,” prayers and singing. Contact person: Abby Caplin, MD RSVP: 415-255-9981.
I would like to make an addendum and “tikkun” to my own post, written in the heat of fear for the women and anger about all of this.
I want to stress I am personally working on transformation of the feelings I expressed, to be more compassionate and wiser about resolving these challenges and tragic states of affairs.
On Sunday, we will be praying so we can ALL, including ourselves and the young man seen in the clip above, open our collective hearts to see the holiness in one another. The service will be conducted in that spirit, so that we may ALL live according to the values of generosity of spirit.
Well said, Abby! Cheers to your great work.
As I comprehend human history, whenever fear of loss by the most entrenched of the so-called status quo occurs the first to be attacked is the presumed “inferior. The “inferior/other” can be any, female, belief, appearance, etc.Taking the word “fundamental” at its essence, the belief of the most fearful and reactionary is to try to maintain control–a control that is mistaken and misapplied. The outcome is to be anticipated. Evil.
I acknowledge the humanizing attributes (as possibilities) of religion. Humans, as all of nature, are parts of vital structures and rationales. Sadly, the extreme in all directions is inherent in that very necessary organizing principle. We carry our life and our death within us, and without the balance of all that is required the female, the exposition of life continued is victim.As a non-deist with respect for the balance of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual I suggest that working toward balance–not faith, or a singular idea– is imperative to life and freedom.
Regarding the arrest of Ant Hoffman I can only think of a German saying,
“Gegen Dummheit kämpften Götter selbst vergebens”>
(Even the Gods have fought stupidity in vain).
To be more clear, Anat Hoffman was not “taken to a Jerusalem police station”.
She has clearly stated that the police called her repeatedly and requested that she come to the police station for questioning. Anat eventually came on her own accord.