A few years ago I was actively vacillating between Orthodoxy and Conservative Judaism (I was born into a secular household and, having returned to the fold, had to make a choice). On the one hand, I was genuinely attracted to OJ and felt it was the expression of Jewishness that appealed to me most. On the other hand, I was baffled by the status they accorded to women.
I was told repeatedly that the problems which existed in the movement were social, not religious by nature and therefore I had to Ì¢âÂÒjoin and fightÌ¢âÂå. In the end, however, I joined a Conservative congregation and am hoping that Orthodoxy will come to its senses.
Fighting for change from the inside requires absolute dedication, a huge investment of energy, emotions and time. Orthodox feminists are spelling out the basics, fighting for change on a daily basis. They are, to put it bluntly, in a hostile environment and run up against stiff opposition on a daily basis. I am sure they are called names, threatened, harassed and put down.
Those battling for the outside are, most likely, in a supportive environment, surrounded by people who share our goals and are sympathetic to our cause. We are at least not under perpetual stress.
I feel I am not up to the task of fighting from the inside. I would probably just explode every time I were told that women don't have enough brains to become rabbis or are supposed to sit at home.
You've broached a highly interesting issue.
A few years ago I was actively vacillating between Orthodoxy and Conservative Judaism (I was born into a secular household and, having returned to the fold, had to make a choice). On the one hand, I was genuinely attracted to OJ and felt it was the expression of Jewishness that appealed to me most. On the other hand, I was baffled by the status they accorded to women.
I was told repeatedly that the problems which existed in the movement were social, not religious by nature and therefore I had to Ì¢âÂÒjoin and fightÌ¢âÂå. In the end, however, I joined a Conservative congregation and am hoping that Orthodoxy will come to its senses.
Fighting for change from the inside requires absolute dedication, a huge investment of energy, emotions and time. Orthodox feminists are spelling out the basics, fighting for change on a daily basis. They are, to put it bluntly, in a hostile environment and run up against stiff opposition on a daily basis. I am sure they are called names, threatened, harassed and put down.
Those battling for the outside are, most likely, in a supportive environment, surrounded by people who share our goals and are sympathetic to our cause. We are at least not under perpetual stress.
I feel I am not up to the task of fighting from the inside. I would probably just explode every time I were told that women don't have enough brains to become rabbis or are supposed to sit at home.