Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 3 January 2017
Trailblazing Hasidic woman judge: ‘It’s the American dream’

JENNIFER PELTZ other ultra-Orthodox wom- Hasids and other ultra- Samuel Heilman, a City Uni- own. After graduating from
Associated Press en to hold any elected po- Orthodox groups together versity of New York sociol- a women-only, Orthodox
NEW YORK (AP) — In some sition. make up only 6 percent of ogy professor who studies Jewish-friendly program at
ways, Rachel Freier has a Freier, a political newcom- America’s estimated 5.3 Orthodox Judaism. Under private Touro College, she
background that might er whose uncle is a former million adult Jews, accord- the strictest interpretations went on to Brooklyn Law
be expected in a new civil judge, won a three-way ing to a 2013 Pew Research of Jewish law, women can’t School, finishing in 2005.
court judge. She is a real Democratic primary and Center study. be judges or largely even Some other Hasidic Jews
estate lawyer who volun- questioned what she was
teers in family court and in doing. But they came to
her community, where she realize “I was completely
even serves as a paramed- devoted to our religion and
ic. But Freier starts work Tues- our tradition, and this was
day as something quite un- something I wanted to do
expected. She’s believed regardless,” she says.
to be the first woman from “I didn’t want to ever be
Judaism’s ultra-Orthodox considered someone who
Hasidic community to be was turning away from my
elected as a judge in the community,” but rather to
United States. work within its structure, she
A proud product of a world said.
with strict customs concern- That has sometimes re-
ing gender roles and mod- quired finding creative
esty, the new Brooklyn civil ways to resolve issues.
court judge started college An appeal for help from
as a married, 30-year-old boys who had chafed in
mother of three children Orthodox Jewish schools,
and had three more before for example, led Freier to
graduating. A pathbreaker found a program that helps
who embraces tradition, young men get general-
she has sometimes had to equivalency diplomas.
explain herself to both out- Then Freier was enlisted to
siders and fellow believers. represent Orthodox Jew-
“My commitment to the ish women who wanted to
public and my commit- In this Thursday, Dec. 29, 2016 photo, Rachel Freier poses for a picture at her law office in the join an all-male volunteer
ment to my religion and my Borough Park section of Brooklyn, New York. ambulance corps, aiming
community — the two can Associated Press to aid fellow women dur-
go hand in hand,” she says. ing childbirth or gyneco-
At a swearing-in ceremo- the general election in a Dating to 18th-century witnesses in the rabbinical logical emergencies. After
ny last month, she both swath of Brooklyn that in- Eastern Europe, Hasidism courts that weigh various ambulance corps leaders
vowed to uphold the Con- cludes the heavily Hasidic combines stringent adher- disputes in Orthodox com- rebuffed the idea, which a
stitution and pledged to il- Borough Park neighbor- ence to Jewish law and a munities. (Freier notes that well-known Orthodox Jew-
luminate the Hasidic world hood. joyful belief in mysticism. her new post is separate ish blog called a “new radi-
for her new colleagues. Her election is “a step for Followers often speak Yid- from those tribunals.) cal feminist agenda,” Freier
“This is a dream,” she told the ultra-Orthodox com- dish, wear traditional dress Freier, 51, nicknamed helped the women launch
the gathering. “It’s the munity at large,” showing including beards and side- Ruchie, started working as their own volunteer service
American dream.” it’s open to women mak- locks for men and wigs for a legal secretary after high and joined it herself. She
There’s no official tally of ing progress on the political married women, and sepa- school. College wasn’t cus- was still taking her turn on
American judges’ religions, ladder, said Yossi Gestet- rate men and women in tomary for Hasidic women, call this past week.
but experts aren’t aware ner, a longtime Hasidic contexts ranging from bus- though it has since become If there’s a message she
of any Hasidic woman be- political activist and public es to classrooms. more common. hopes her election sends,
fore Freier winning a judi- relations consultant who “The very idea that an ul- But when her husband, Da- it’s “don’t give up.”
cial post. It is extremely rare co-managed Freier’s cam- tra-Orthodox woman could vid, got a college degree, “And don’t let go of your
even in Israel for Hasidic or paign. be a judge” is notable, said she aspired to one of her standards.”q
Judge: Requiring more parking for mosque is unconstitutional

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — An applying a different stan- that parking requirements cause of its unique worship likely Friday afternoon
upscale New Jersey town dard to Muslims. were the tool municipalities times and traditions. prayers. Township planners
violated anti-discrimina- Shipp found the town- used to thwart construc- “The Township vehemently determined that because
tion laws by insisting that ship’s planning board had tion of mosques. “This truly disagrees with the court’s congregants would most
a proposed mosque have “unbridled and uncon- is a landmark ruling with decision and awaits a full likely be arriving straight
more parking spaces than stitutional discretion” be- national impact,” Mangi analysis of the 57-page de- from work, every worship-
churches or synagogues cause of its vague parking told NJ.com. Bernards cision by its attorneys, who per would require a parking
because of its unique wor- requirements. The Islamic Mayor Carol Bianchi issued only learned of the decision space. Shipp, though, not-
ship times and traditions, a Society’s application to a statement criticizing the on New Year’s Day,” the ed that the township had
federal judge has ruled. build the mosque was de- judge’s ruling. The town statement said. “The Town- not conducted individual
The ruling issued Saturday nied after more than three had argued that it was ship will consider how to assessments of worship
by U.S. District Judge Mi- years and 39 public hear- completely appropriate best move forward includ- habits when churches or
chael Shipp stated that ings. The group sued the to insist a mosque provide ing appealing the decision synagogues came before
its boards. By its own admis-
Bernards Township violated township in March. The Is- more off-street parking when ripe for appeal.” sion, the town applied a
the Religious Land Use and lamic Society’s attorney, than a comparably sized The mosque has said its different standard to Mus-
Institutional Persons Act by Adeel Mangi, had argued church or synagogue be- peak worship time was
lims, he wrote. q