Orthodox Shul In Israel To Give Women Aliyot Tomorrow

Nachat Ruach, an Orthodox congregation in the town of Shoham near Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, has decided beginning tomorrow to allow women to be given aliyot (to be called up to the Torah) and to read from the Torah scroll for the entire minyan.

 

Orthodox Shul In Israel To Give Women Aliyot Tomorrow
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Nachat Ruach, an Orthodox congregation in the town of Shoham near Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport, has decided beginning tomorrow to allow women to be given aliyot (to be called up to the Torah) and to read from the Torah scroll for the entire congregation, Arutz Sheva reported based on a report in the Hebrew language newspaper Israel HaYom.

Women already play an active role in the congregation’s prayer service, even though separation between males and females is in force and a mechitza (separation fence or wall) exists.

But calling women up to read the Torah is extremely controversial and is, by most understandings of halakha (Jewish law), wrong.

“It's against Halakha,” the city's moderate Zionist Orthodox Chief Rabbi, Rabbi David Stav – who also  heads the moderate Zionist Orthodox Tzohar rabbinical association – said.

A male member of the minyan identified only as Chen also opposed the decision to give women aliyot.

“It goes against halakha, can create an erosion [of normative Judaism], and is troubling. This isn't Zionist Orthodoxy,” he reportedly said.

In contrast, a leader of the congregation defended the move to empower women.

“It's a loaded issue, like every issue related to women in Judaism.…We are doing everything according to halakha…today religious women are the CEOs of banks and companies, and only in the synagogue they have no place.…With us they find their place more,” he said.

The congregation meets in a hall in the city's nursing home.

[Hat Tip: Joel Katz.]

Comments

[Sarek]

To me, this is a yawn. Somebody please explain to me how this will upset God's eternal plan and lead to the earth exploding.

[Benyamin Yosef]

All I have to say is "Big Deal". I've seen lots of synagogues and Rabbis call themselves orthodox only to find they truly are not. As soon as anyone orthodox walks in, they will quickly see this synagogue is not orthodox and move on. Again, Big deal.

[rabbi611]

this is nice....for those who are interested check the shulchan oruch..all are called to the Torsh its there openly ..don't know the siman...however we don't psken like the mechaber.....y not?

[Michael-Meir]

Just curious about the logistics: How will a woman read Torah for the whole congregation from the bimah if a mechitzah is in force? Or is it only a "sometimes" mechitzah? Or will she lain from the ezrat nashim?

[jake]

What is important about this story?

[Yosef ben Matitya]

Shoham chief rabbi is rabbi Stav, that many dati leumi rabbis found unsuitable for the chief rabbinate.

[this is a name]

women reading from the torah will lead to accepting homosexuality and gay rabbis. and idiots who think the Torah came from God except for that one little part calling this behavior an abomination. Fucking politically correct retards.

[typadder]

nothe only one...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shira_Hadasha

[typadder]

btw...been there. other than women's participation, the tefillah is standard orthodox. (well, not so standard. there is no talking during davening.)

[FrummiefromWhere]

The way it works is there is a separate area in around the shulchan which is reachable from the Men's side and the Women's side.

[adams]

love this. Orthodox normal thinking people need to provide the space for this. The hurtsome part is 'kavod haTzibur'. It doesn't exist anymore if it ever did. with all the bs that goes on, give us a break.

Kavod hatzibbur concept needs to be discarded, then you can do this more easily.