Page 19 - Virtual Tour - The German Colony - Historical View, Advanced - 110716

19
Advanced Level – ?המושבה הגרמנית החדש?

Shira Chadasha
It’s always been that wherever there are two Jews there will be at least
three different opinions, and in every little neighborhood there will be
at least two synagogues.
Today, one of the points of controversy in Jewish law is the place of
the woman. The Reform and Conservative movements relate to the
topic from a more liberal perspective.
However, one can see that lately, Orthodox Judaism tries to deal with
the matter as well. ‘Shira Chadasha’ is a quorum that defines itself as
egalitarian orthodox. They realized that one does not need to leave
Orthodoxy in order for the woman to have an active role during
services. A woman can be a leader of prayer, get called up to the
Torah and be part of the committee that decides what the policy will
be.
The congregation began as a small one but from one Shabbat to the
next one can see that the egalitarian approach attracts many people
and today the congregation consists of about 400 members!
Like any pioneering thing, this congregation was hit by much
criticism from all sides. The Rabbinic-Halachic side opposes the
quorum and has decided that it is forbidden to participate in it. On the
other side, the feminist movement claims that this is not really an
egalitarian quorum. They say that women can’t do everything equally,
but only particular things.
Despite all the criticism, it appears that the quorum is succeeding in
finding its place and serving as a role model for other quorums in the
world.

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