Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, the head of Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim in Jerusalem,
told his students this week that a woman should not run for Knesset,
Israel’s parliament, or for any other public elective office – including
as a board member of a synagogue.
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner
Women Should Not Run For Public Office Or Vote, Leading Rabbi Says
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMesiah.com
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, the head of Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim in Jerusalem, told his students this week that a woman should not run for Knesset, Israel’s parliament, or for any other public elective office – including as a board member of a synagogue, the Israeli Zionist Orthodox news website Kipa reports.
Why?
Because, Aviner claimed, it isn’t modest.
“The glory of the king’s daughter is [supposed to be] within,” Aviner said.
Aviner also claimed that in principle women should not even vote in Knesset elections, but in practice if a woman wants to choose to do so, she can because of the current cultural reality.
"It's not just to get to the polls, vote, and go home.…The problem is that there discussion groups [about politics and the election] – women should know what [and why] they choose [a particular party to vote for] – and public events that are not modest. It makes salad between men and women,” Aviner said.
Asked how to explain the very public role of the biblical Prophetess Devorah, who served as the leader of Jews and as a judge of Israel, Aviner said that was a unique situation.
"It was a matter of life and death," Aviner said, but in normal times, a woman shouldn’t lead or take a public role in any way.
[Hat Tips: Maven, Rebbitzman.]