Kol Isha

[Fred Blumenthal <xd2fabl...>]

I get the list in digest form, which is messy.  I suggest all posts NOT 
contain the preceeding list, as most posts wind up appearing numerous 
times.  And somehow, mixed into the discussion of Kol Isha and the 
accompanying extraneous HTML clutter, appears "Love, Rosa Parks," numerous 
times.  I would assume that the famous Rosa Parks is Protestant - is there 
also a Jewish Rosa Parks participating in our discussions?  And what Steve 
Martin character?  Surely not Rosa Parks.
Together with "frummer than thou," I've heard certain parties accused of 
being "neo-frum."
The St. Louis Circle of Jewish Music was founded in 1970 by 
representatives of the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox denominations. 33 
years later the Circle is thriving, but there are no longer Orthodox 
cantors in the organization, and I believe Kol Isha to be the reason.  If 
certain parties hear women sing on tv, radio, etc. but then make Kol Isha 
an objection to women singing in public concerts, there's severe 
inconsistency.  (And if they boycott broadcast media for that reason 
they've really got their heads in the sand.)  The Orthodox denomination 
would like to recruit from elsewhere in the Jewish community, but 
isolating themselves in this way contradicts that.  Certainly, the rest of 
us aren't going to change to that perspective.  We live in an era of great 
changes in western culture, and the continuing emancipation of women is an 
important part of that.
One more thought: Is there scripture saying that the Hebrew men excused 
themselves when Miriam sang by the sea of reeds?

Fred Blumenthal
xd2fabl (at) us(dot)ibm(dot)com