| Letter to the Editor |
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| Written by Richard D. Rogovin | |
| Thursday, 17 December 2009 | |
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Dear Editor, Noam Shpancer's column on Religion and Women (11/19/09) prompted me to research the position of women in other fundamentalist religions. The first one that came to mind was Islam, in which there are striking similarities to some of the practices described by Shpancer. The most obvious one, which has been observed by most of us attending Orthodox synagogues, is the strict separation during religious services. In Islam, although women can attend the mosque, they must sit in balconies or side aisles where their view by men (and vice-versa) is obstructed. Such separation has existed since the time of Muhammad (570-632 C.E.), when the women sat behind the men. The reason given is that men should not be distracted during prayer, the same reason given for separation in Orthodox synagogues. Similarly, as in Orthodox Judaism, Islam has traditionally treated women as inferior partners in marriage by requiring the husband's consent to divorce. The similarity between Islam and Orthodox Judaism in these two examples suggests that the original source of these practices was not religious but cultural. Women were simply viewed as subservient to men in the ancient Middle East, and theology evolved to rationalize these practices. When Jews moved to Western cultures where eventually women attained equal status with men in secular matters, tensions arose between secular and religious practices that are still not resolved in Orthodoxy. Thus we find Orthodox synagogues struggling and failing to accomodate young women who wish to fully participate in religious services without the stigma of separation that signifies inferiority. It is becoming increasingly difficult for these synagogues to maintain practices derived from ancient cultures that have no relevance to the modern Western world. The comfort that male members feel in such surroundings is no different from the comfort Southern whites historically felt in segregated societies. Such complacency can only exist if one is insensitive to the feelings of those who are excluded. Richard D. Rogovin 8142 Creek Hollow Road Blacklick, OH 43004 614-209-5010 |
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