Union Temple, Brooklyn, NY - Rabbi's Message

The back of the bus. . . . The Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 catapulted Rosa Parks, z”l, into the spotlight of the Civil Rights Movement. Her refusal to move to the back of the bus one day resulted in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, led by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., z”l and Rev. Ralph Abernathy, z”l, and their colleagues. Ultimately racial segregation on public transportation was outlawed in Montgomery, and eventually throughout the South. Through this one act of self-assertion and civil disobedience, Mrs. Parks made her mark upon history and upon all of our hearts and minds. Now, we cannot hear of a situation in which people are forced to sit in the back of the bus without a sense of outrage. It is a natural and understandable “knee-jerk” reaction for any of us.

The back of the bus. . . ? ! In the past few years there has been a growing conflict in Israel between the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) and general populations. One of the manifestations has been the phenomenon of so-called “Mehadrin” bus lines. These are public bus lines that run through predominantly Haredi neighborhoods. Haredi leadership has imposed upon these lines the requirement that women sit at the back of the bus. In late December an Israeli woman, Tanya Rosenblit, stepped unto a bus in Ashkelon where she lives, and sat down in the front. Immediately a raucous erupted, and the police were summoned. In addition to the buses, these communities also have imposed segregation in local supermarkets, insisting that men and women shop at different times. There are similar restrictions even for walking in the street.

Growing tension. . . . Within the past month, organizers of a conference on women’s health and Jewish law barred women from speaking from the podium, leading at least eight speakers to cancel; the Chief Rabbi of the Air Force resigned his post because the Army declined to excuse ultra-Orthodox soldiers from attending events where female singers perform; protesters depicted the Jerusalem Police Commander as Hitler on posters around town, because he instructed public bus lines with mixed-sex seating to drive through ultra- Orthodox neighborhoods; vandals blacked out women’s faces on Jerusalem billboards. And, perhaps the most notorious, a YouTube video emerged of ultra-Orthodox men in the city of Beit Shemesh spitting upon, and loudly taunting an 8-year-old girl as she walked to school. The girl, Naama Margulis, is Modern Orthodox, and attends a Modern Orthodox yeshiva in Beit Shemesh. Though most of us would characterize Naama’s clothing as “modest,” these Haredi men disagreed, and called her “whore.”

The public sphere. . . . Such behavior in the public sphere, as has been displayed by these Haredi men, is illegal and intolerable in the State of Israel. In the name of religious zealotry, these men are, in fact, engaging in abusive, threatening behavior, and the police and government leaders must be held accountable for protecting Israeli citizens. Perhaps more fundamental, however, is that Israel, a modern state, is experiencing what Professor Moshe Halbertal (Hebrew University) characterizes as “an immense ideological and moral challenge that touches at the core of life.” Both the reality of Israel as a Jewish homeland and her character as a democratic state are facing increasing pressure, as ultra-Orthodox factions attempt to impose their understanding of religion upon the majority of Israelis, no matter what their religious inclinations. This being said, I would remind you that while these groups of Haredim raise a loud raucous, they do NOT represent the majority of Israelis, nor, for that matter, the majority of Orthodox Jews, either in Israel or around the world. In fact the general Israeli public is as outraged as we are, if not more so, by this antisocial behavior. In this light, it might be interesting to consider a portion of the statement made in response to this series of events by a leading American Modern Orthodox Rabbi, Rabbi Marc Angel, Rabbi of K.K. Shearith Israel (Spanish-Portuguese) on West 70th Street in Manhattan.

We live in a world where men and women can and do work, study, and socialize together in a modest and serious way . . . While the Hareidi extremism has correctly been criticized for its unfair attitudes and treatment of women, I believe the Hareidi position is equally insulting and unfair to men. It assumes that men are overwhelmed by passion and cannot control themselves when they are confronted with the presence of females. It assumes that men simply cannot deal with women as fellow human beings, but only as sex objects. Without discounting the reality of sexual attraction and the need for modesty, it is imperative that we recognize the legitimacy and necessity of proper interaction between males and females. If men have a problem listening to a scientific paper presented by a female doctor, let those men leave the room—but the female doctor should not be prevented from sharing her knowledge with her colleagues. If men feel they can't control themselves if they sit next to a woman on a bus, let such men move to the back of the bus--not penalize the women passengers. If some men feel they will lose control of themselves if a female doctor goes on stage to receive an award, then let those men stay home.

The goal should be to create frameworks for normal interactions between men and women, where men and women conduct themselves properly without reducing each other to mere objects of sexual attraction. It could be argued that the higher are the walls of separation between men and women, the greater the level of repression--and obsession with sex! It is not natural and not healthy to maintain a world view that doesn't allow for normal, modest interaction between males and females.

IRAC and WOW. . . . Of course the Reform Movement, in the US, Israel, and around the world, has spoken out in clear protest against those who attempt to hijack the public sphere. Two of the most vocal organizations working on behalf of women’s rights are IRAC - the Israel Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism – and WOW - Women of the Wall. I am a supporter of both of these organizations and am grateful for the work they do. For further information, and to get onto the mailing lists of both, you may access their websites online by entering their names. In addition, we will continue to examine our relationship with Israel, including a session devoted specifically to Jewish practice in the public sphere, during our series “Engaging Israel,” which will continue in April and May. Please join these edifying discussions.

-Rabbi Linda Henry Goodman