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.]