"vent"

[Judith R Cohen <judithc...>]

Telling Lorele, or me, or anyone else who sincerely thinks as well as
feels that kol isha tends to be handled in a way  unfair to women to go
"vent ourselves"in "some feminist group"is insulting, beside the point,
and unworthy of the intelligence of the person who  "suggested"it.

Note: I am not a feminist. I am not anything I would put a label to. But
it seems pretty undeniable that the rules were made by men. They were
commented on by men, who then "validated"them, over centuries. If many
Orthodox women feel ok with them, well, that's fine for them. But women
were simply not part of the process, and I don´t think one needs to be a
feminist or to contemplate "venting" in a feminist group (which in any
case is useless, why preach only to the converted as they say) to admit
that this is the case.

Note that by and large we are not even suggesting anything as radical as
that those orthodox men who make a fuss about kol isha be asked to
change their minds. Not at all. We are by and large, or at least I am,
suggesting that those men who feel threatened by a women's voice simply
stay away from it. If a woman is singing and they somehow hadn't known a
woman would be singing at the event - they can get up and politely leave
the room. Why is that so awful to suggest?

And again, why should men, if they are so morally feeble that their
arousal point and control can't handle a woman's singing, be our
spiritual leaders to start with? 

Gee, if women are expected to be able to control our reaction to, say,
some gorgeous hazan with a fabulous voice and deep dark sexy eyes,
shouldn't WE be the ones setting moral standards and generously helping
others observe them? For example, by cancelling a concert, or telling
the hazan in question to go away and sing for some men's group? 

Then, if he rightly feels his professional capacity has been undermined,
along with his undeniable ability and commitment to furthering Jewish
music and Jewish culture and life in general, he can always be told to
go "vent himself" at some men's support groups.
Judith

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