[HANASHIR:14886] Re: Kol Isha

[Amy Fried, Ph.D. <jdkrheum...>]

You should read the book, Rachel's Daughters (don't remember the author
off-hand.) 
My personal philosophy is that, the beauty of reform Judaism, is the
freedom to uphold any tradition that is meaningful to us, based on an
informed understanding of its meaning.
-Amy

On Wed, 16 Jul 2003 23:40:27 -0400 rahel <rahel (at) empire(dot)net> writes:
> Shalom Everyone,
> 
> It is nice to follow the conversation on 'Kol Isha'. Sources have 
> already 
> been cited for this Halachic ruling so I won't go there. Instead, If 
> you 
> will indulge me, I would like to share my own journey and 
> experiences with 
> this ruling. I am one of the founding members of the all-woman's 
> orthodox 
> Jewish band called "Tofa'ah". The group was founded by drummer Yona 
> (Saslow) Yacabovitch in 1981 in Israel as a result of an all woman's 
> 
> concert event that was organized by Gracie Rosenblum at the Diaspora 
> 
> Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Gracie is the wife of Avraham Rosenblum, who 
> founded 
> the Diaspora Yeshiva Band and now performs as himself. Avraham's 
> band was 
> the inspiration for many others like them in the Orthodox world. 
> Many were 
> inspired by Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, who did a wonderful job at 
> returning 
> Jews to their Jewish roots. But back to Tofa'ah...
> 
> I found Yona - or she found me - through a note she posted seeking 
> women 
> musicians. We got together, performed at a second Diaspora Yeshiva 
> all-woman's event , and soon after that concert, we began to write 
> and 
> record music by and for women. At this writing there are six 
> recordings in 
> cassette or CD form.
> 
> We were all single women back then, and at all different stages of 
> spirituality - some very religious and some hardly at all, but all 
> following by the Halachic ruling of "Kol b'Isha Ervah". It was on 
> this 
> basis that the group was formed. In those days, in Israel, there 
> were no 
> avenues for artistic expression open to Orthodox women. At first we 
> performed mostly for the "Anglo" community - mostly "Baalei Tshuvah" 
> (born 
> agains) - women who were attending Yeshiva's and learning the 
> Orthodox 
> Jewish approach to life and living. Therefore, the majority of our 
> performances were for those who had come from open societies who 
> knew all 
> about eclectic amplified sound etc. Israeli's were only just 
> beginning to 
> partake in the rock world. And Orthodox Jews  would have no part of 
> this. 
> Anyway, after a few years, we found ourselves being interviewed and 
> sought 
> after by a curious Israeli public, television & radio, and we began 
> to 
> attract larger audiences that included more and more Orthodox women, 
> and 
> women from all walks of life, including the gay community of women.
> 
> As women, and as very conscious G-d fearing women, being a member of 
> this 
> dynamic women's band was an awesome journey. We were breaking ground 
> in an 
> evolving society that saw life in very black and white terms. This 
> was a 
> coming of age for Israeli Orthodox women who had never imagined that 
> they, 
> too, would one day find a door opened to them for artistic 
> expression. We 
> were invited into community circles that provided US with new 
> insight into 
> the beauty of being orthodox women. I felt very privileged to have 
> had the 
> opportunity to be welcomed into the Belz, Lubavitch, and other sects 
> and 
> streams of orthodox communities in Israel. Yona introduced drumming 
> to 
> young orthodox girls who, today, are forming there own bands. Today, 
> in 
> Israel, there are orthodox schools that focus on the arts. We were 
> the 
> inspiration for all of this to happen.
> 
> Writing music for women found us exploring ourselves as women, and 
> our 
> roles in, and influences on, society. We were sought out by 
> folklorists who 
> sought to define "Jewish Music" and also to define "Jewish WOMEN's 
> Music". 
> Our music sits in the Archives at the Hebrew University, and at the 
> Rubin 
> Academy of Music, both in Jerusalem. For us, we had no need to 
> define or 
> categorize our music. We were following Jewish law. What was 
> important to 
> us was that we realized that what was once viewed as a restrictive 
> and even 
> negative imposition on women, for us was just the opposite. This 
> Jewish Law 
> actually provided us with the FREEDOM to express ourselves, and our 
> love of 
> G-d, honestly and sincerely as people, as women, as Jews, as Jewish 
> women, 
> and as Orthodox Jewish women. Our music reflected Jewish and women's 
> 
> lifestyle - i.e. - mikveh, prayer, our relationship with G-d as 
> women etc. 
> I am reminded of a song written by a woman passing through in Israel 
> back 
> in the 80's. She had written a song about her feelings as a Jewish 
> woman 
> being made to pray "behind the mehitza". Her experience was much 
> different 
> than ours, whereas for her the experience was a negative and 
> restrictive 
> one. But for us, we found that while being "behind the mehitza" we 
> flourished as Jews and as Jewish women. The point is that the 
> halachic 
> ruling of "Kol Isha" for us was an aid to our personal growth as 
> women and 
> to our identity as Jews.
> 
> Performing for women only was an experience all women ought to have! 
> I have 
> to admit that sometimes, in a mixed crowd, I will actually feel 
> restricted. 
> When "Tofa'ah"performed women stood up and danced ecstatically, even 
> doing 
> cartwheels and somersaults! They were able to let loose in a way 
> that they 
> could not, or would not, in a mixed crowd. Tofa'ah provided an 
> atmosphere 
> of freedom for women to express themselves both as performers and as 
> 
> listeners. There are rules applying to modesty in orthodox circles 
> that I 
> highly respect. Heck, I can truly say that if our society today 
> would apply 
> some of these rules we might be a happier and more respectful 
> society again.
> 
> In any case, ten years into our Tofa'ah career, Yona and I decided 
> to found 
> a non-profit organization we called "Tof Miriam". For three years 
> she and I 
> almost single handed created an annual Women in the Arts National 
> Festival 
> in Israel. I believe it is still functioning today. We did a lot of 
> work to 
> get grants and then sponsored and produced concerts, art 
> exhibitions, 
> theater productions, and dance. Our goal was to give women a voice - 
> not 
> just Orthodox women, but women of all walks of life. Alice Shalvi 
> was one 
> of our greatest supporters, advisors and aid in getting this work 
> off the 
> ground, along with the Jerusalem Municipality, and many of the 
> sponsors and 
> venues that supported our efforts or offered their space at reduced 
> rates 
> to help women to be seen and heard in Israel. We sought out unknown 
> women 
> who needed help in getting their work to the public eye, and we 
> sought out 
> known women who would help focus the attention of the public at 
> large on 
> these events.
> 
> I have been writing a long time now. I will close now. I think my 
> point in 
> all of this is to say that, yes, there is a Jewish Law that says 
> that a 
> woman's voice is "ervah" - off-limits to men? seductive? naked? 
> Jewish laws 
> were made with great thought behind them. If you choose to view "Kol 
> b'isha 
> ervah" as a restriction, then you are missing an awful lot about the 
> power, 
> thought and beauty of living a Jewish life. I have learned, through 
> my own 
> personal experience of living by this particular law, that we must 
> look 
> deeper into each and every ruling. This law caused one woman - Yona 
> - to 
> think and live creatively and whole, as a woman and as a Jew. I was 
> blessed 
> to be Yona's friend and partner in crime! Together, and with a large 
> and 
> growing number of women who visited and participated in Tofa'ah over 
> the 
> years, we have happily inspired an entire generation to think 
> differently 
> about themselves as women and as Jews. Women who joined Tofa'ah 
> then, now 
> live all over the world. They are still paving the way for others to 
> to 
> open doors and windows to living a creative and full life as Jews 
> who 
> cherish their Jewish heritage. The all-women's events in Israel 
> exist today 
> because the women of Tofa'ah opened the door. They did it WITHIN the 
> 
> framework of Jewish law. I think this is awesome!
> 
> Rahel
> 
> PS - Yona, and women of Tofa'ah - please feel free to add to my 
> commentary! 
> 
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