Traditional Sephardi Feminist

  Thoughts on Agunot from a Perspective of Loyalty To Tradition written originally to an activist friend  Nowadays as  before we hear alot on the need to find a halachic solution for get refusal I have a different approach  Halachic authorities will find their own solution only when we the people stop depending on them and take matters into our own hands In my opinion we don't need a halachic solution since the whole thing is an articially created problem that does not arise from a the Torah. Yeah, I said its not from the Torah. Not interpreted straightforwardly anyway There is no such thing as an agunah in the Torah.  No such concept. No idea that two people who live completely separate lives should be considered married because of the presence or lack of a piece of paper. The elevation of a piece of paper over and above actual reality is not from the Torah and does not fit our lived experience  There is an obligation for a man to write...

On the Gay-Surrogacy Controversy; the Nation State Law; and the Impotence of the Israeli Peace Movement This post is in response to some dialogues I've noted in the past few days. Firstly; the outrage over the gay surrogacy controversy seems disproportionate relative to far less outrage over the NSL. Secondly; the connection between the two laws being made by left wing opponents of both. The perceived connection is that both are viewed as expressions of the same phenomenon: of bigotry, discrimination, intolerance, and anti-democracy. Any expression in favor of traditional ways of family formation is swept under that umbrella. The irony is that in an equal society in which Muslims and Palestinians had significant influence on the legal process; the outcome would look very different than the  Western-imported liberal agenda that these left wing advocates demand. In fact it’s not only Muslims and Palestinians who have more socially conservative orientation. Lots of Israel...

... And if there is, why didn't I grow up with one? See this article: Is there a Sephardic Mikveh culture?

Important note: This post deals with single women using the mikveh as a prelude to sexual intercourse. It does not address women using the mikveh for reasons not associated with sex, as a way of enriching their ritual life, or as a way of marking other occasions in a spiritual way. While I personally don't find things practices meaningful, I think its great if other women do and they should be encouraged. The rest of the article will deal with going to the miqweh as a practice related to sex. Should single women engaged in a sexual relationship use the Miqweh? Most Orthodox Rabbis say no. Some go so far as to actively bar single women and refuse them entry. Allowing them to use the Miqweh is akin to condoning sex outside of marriage. Some more progressive orthodox Rabbis say otherwise. They reason that sexual relations while in Niddah status is an "Issur Caret", a vague but frightening concept of being "cut off," considered the most serious transgre...