13 Comments
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Irwin Weiss's avatar

A beautiful essay. May your sons grow strong and may they somehow never know war. Somehow.

Menucha Chana Levin's avatar

Very well-explained. I can relate as a former feminist, now with a change of perspective. I am also from Canada, living in Israel for 34 years.

Cassandra anonymous's avatar

Hard agree. The miracle that led to the survival of your Rabbi and young relatives brought tears to my eyes. Thank you. Praise g-d.

Dan's avatar

Getting used to Religion will be the hardest part of adjusting to life in Israel, for me. Life is secular here in the UK. I am secular but open minded. Can we afford such luxuries as birth rates plummet below replacement levels here in The West? Do we need Religion to maintain the life of a Muslim-free State? These are no longer mute questions.

Good Humor by CK Steefel's avatar

Thank G-d the rabbi was late. There are no coincidences. I often thank G-d for traffic from an accident. If I was earlier I could have been in that collision.

I appreciate the separation during a Chabad service. I am told women are already closer to G-d. Maybe this is why the men must focus.

G B's avatar

I'm a bloke but your experience is well written and I feel a little nervous distracting but the girls who want & can are given the opportunity to go much further than any other army.

The Holy Land News's avatar

Together we Stand.

Divided we Hang.

Karen Davis's avatar

What a beautiful piece. As a mother of boys, I can relate, but I think it would have been devastatingly difficult not to physically be near my youngest for his Bar Mitzvah. I often wondered about the pros and cons of the separation and you make a wonderful explanation.

EllisGee's avatar

Here’s an alternate explanation: Lev. 15:19 and 15:20 (KJV). Women are considered impure, while they menstruate, and they aren’t supposed to defile men by touching them. Sounds archaic to me.

Jewish American Patriot's avatar

We live within a paradox. We need our spaces just like men do. I remember walking to shul with my uncle but sitting upstairs with the women. What do trans people do?

EllisGee's avatar

Trans people need to seek psychiatric help! People either have xx or xy chromosomes. Men an women are not interchangable!

Jewish American Patriot's avatar

Isn't it hilarious that doctors, scientests, judges can't answer xx chromosomes when they are asked what a woman is.