Re: strength

[Marvin <physchem...>]

I didn't reply to Simon's post because I couldn't decide if he was trying to
be funny, serious, or confusing.  Judith's response is better than any I
might have made.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Judith R Cohen" <judithc (at) YorkU(dot)CA>
To: "World music from a Jewish slant" <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2002 7:06 AM
Subject: strength


>
> Simon asks,
>
>  > Are you saying then, that the weaker sex is the strongers sex because
> of the
> > > weakness of ther stronger sex for the weaker sex????
> > > Simon
>
> Is this a rhetorical and/or a facetious question? If so, it needs no
> answer. If not - actually, I wasn't thinking in terms of
> gender-categorized strength. It's just that over the years  my
> professional life (and others') has been thwarted by what I consider a
> misapplication of beliefs which may be in themselves perfectly sincere,
> and of course up to the individual. Having concerts cancelled because
> one man on the synagogue Board (the one with the most money) invoked
> "kol isha"; having my part (and another woman's also) in a concert
> cancelled because a rabbi threatened to fire the cantor of his synagogue
> if he took part in a concert where women also sang, outside the
> synagogue; having a synagogue refuse to put up a notice about a
> Seohardic concert I was doing in another synagogue invoking "kol isha"
> even though the women of the congregation wanted to know about it....
> and more.
>
> When men have told me politely that they couldn't come to hear me sing
> because of their beliefs about a women's voice, I'm regretful, but not
> upset. That's how I assumed it should work - a man who believes in this
> (I'll refrain from applying any adjectives about my poersonal reaction)
> decides for himself whether he has the internal strength or moral fibre
> or whatever to hear a woman sing without succumbing to base impusles.
> Many orthodox men I know have no problem hearing women sing or even
> singing with them (us). Those who do, and refrian - fine, that's their
> prerogative.
>
> My problem has always been (1) I thought Judaism respected the
> individual's conscious and ability to make choices; and (2) if so many
> rabbis, so many spiritual leaders, can't even handle a poster without
> succumbing to base impulses,
>
> why on earth are they a community's spiritual leaders? shouldn't they,
> morally speaking, resign and leave the guidance to someone a little more
> resistant to temptation?
>
> but no, Simon, I don't think there is a weaker or a stronger sex. Just
> sensible and less sensible people, and that of course only in my own
> opinion.
>
> strongly,
> or weakly,
> or neitherly,
> Judith
>
>
> >
> > << Marvin says,
> > "....There is a fear that some men have of the power that
> > women can have on them, so they punish the women instead of controlling
> themselves."
> >
> > hear, hear!!! that about sums it up. Thanks, Marvin. Judith
> >  >>
> >
>
>
>
>

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