Re: Jewish music performance series

[Eliezer Kaplan <zelwel...>]

You shouldn't be offended- at some point some Rabbis decided that women's
voices distracted them or their students from their studies- perhaps turned
them on (kol ba-isha ervah). So women's voices were banned from the ears of
men. Silly? In the context of modern times, probably. Offensive? Not if you
think about it. To compound the problem, once a custom is established in the
Orthodox Ashkenazic community it usually takes on the intensity of a law.
I'm guessing (operational phrase: guessing) that a shul which would not have
a problem with women instrumentalists performing would also not have a
problem with a mixed choir, provided there were no passages which were sung
only by women.
And personally, none of this would keep me from going to see (and hear)
either Lori Lippitz or Kim Gordon.
                                           EK



----- Original Message -----
From: <Halsherm3 (at) aol(dot)com>
To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Thursday, September 23, 1999 9:43 PM
Subject: Re: Jewish music performance series


> In a message dated 9/23/99 2:53:21 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
elkahn (at) JTSA(dot)EDU
> writes:
>
> << The one major drawback--and I believe it's a big one--is that I cannot
at
>  this time invite solo women singers. Women instrumentalists are okay, but
>  in the Orthodox tradition, women vocalists are not. I'm not sure about
>  mixed choirs. These are not my personal beliefs, so I apologize to all
the
>  female singers for this lack of opportunity. There's simply nothing I can
>  do about it. >>
>
>
> I found this statement to be so completely offensive. Substitute the word
> jewish for the word female and read it again. How do you feel?
>
> The reaction I had to this was purely from my gut. I realize that it
wasn't
> meant to
> be offensive but it was all the same (IMHO).
>
> How do others feel?  Lynn
>
>
>

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