After writing about the situation at the Kosel last week I told myself I’d take a break from discussing that topic for a while. But since Rosh Chodesh is almost here once again and with it the specter of yet another unfortunate spectacle I thought I’d share some apparent good news on the women’s rights front inIsrael.
Susan Aranoff identifies herself as “among the founding members of the Women of the Wall” now referred to within the group as “The Mothers.” As a birthmother of WOW (BOWOW?) she speaks authoritatively about its goals writing that
WOW models to all Jewish women who pray at the Kotel that women can take control over their own religious lives…. Like it or not the sights and sounds of women leading services may initially shock them but then when they get used to it it will it has to change their world view…. And that is why WOW must win the struggle to remain at the Kotel. Our cause transcends women praying women wearing tallitot. It goes directly to the heart of Jewish women’s lives in all spheres.
Quite obviously then the deep problems in “Jewish women’s lives in all spheres” of Israeli society particularly the non-chareidi ones must all have already been resolved satisfactorily. All that’s left now is for WOW to model for chareidi women those classic sufferers fromStockholmsyndrome that they too can be just as blessedly free of discrimination subjugation and harassment as their sisters in secular Israeli society are. Poor things they have no idea just how downtrodden they really are so completely have they been brainwashed by their male tormentors. But we’ll enlighten them one way or another. Paternalism you say? Don’t you know that by definition only paters can be paternalistic not maters?
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