Re: kol isha and Chabad

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

This is quite thoughtfully put, and I think I agree w/ the gist of it, but 
Chabad hardly deserves the credit they're given here.  They *do* do 
outreach, obviously, to Jews not in their fold--and, indeed, do deserve 
credit for rendering many Jewish services to Jews not in their fold--but I 
would argue that they meet people strictly on their--Lubavich 
Orthodox--terms, *not* on "their" (others') terms.  Keep in mind that Shlomo 
Carlebach, z"l, *left* Chabad because he could not get a heter (permission) 
to sing before mixed audiences (i.e., of men and women)--and that was a 
question of a (Orthodox) *man* singing!  Just try getting Chabad, anywhere, 
to sponsor a concert involving Jewish women singing ... -- Robert

>From: MaxwellSt (at) aol(dot)com
>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Subject: Bridge Building instead of Burning (kol isha)
>Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 09:45:33 EST
>

>I agree with this, but also consider why Chabad is so successful: they meet
>people where they are, knowing that if there is no contact, there can be no
>conversion.  I wouldn't consider a concert for frum women so much 
>concession
>to "their rules" as making the possibility for a relationship, and with 
>that
>relationship, the possibility of influencing the community to your point of
>view.  We are all Yidn, not enemies, after all, and kol isha is not a 
>bigoted
>point of view so much as a law, like all those other laws, that the 
>Orthodox
>sign on to because they believe that they come from a higher authority.
>
>

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