Traditional Sephardi Feminist

Shlomo is Dead. Let Him Die. In wake of #MeToo, the movement to boycott Carlebach tunes is gaining steam and if the spread of the entire movement is any indication, singing Carlebach is going to soon to become verboten to all folk who believe they are woke. Woe unto any sh’liach tzibur caught unbeknowings singing a Carlebach tune; other participants will signal their virtue by loudly changing the tune in his face; chastise him (or her for that matter) over kiddush for his insensitivity to women and sexual abuse, or at the very least, tsk tsk over his naivete and ask that immediately learn which songs are shlomos’s so that he can adhere to the new halacha in the future. As one of the campaigners writes ; “the greatest challenge of uprooting Shlomo Carlebach is identifying it.” Does that make any sense at all? If some people are thinking about God while singing that verse and not about Shlomo, well congratulations to you for bringing Shlomo back (sarcasm alert). Opponents o...

Due to recent sexual misconduct allegations; a common question has come up: Why Did She Go Back? See, in many cases; the alleged victim has gone back and continued a relationship with the perpetrator. And that is considered a reason to disbelieve her testimony. Because of course if she had been an unwilling; she wouldn't have gone back. There are enough personal testimonies out there countering this line of thought. Mine, as traumatic as it was to me, is probably atypical, because the type of sexual exploitation that occurred to me is atypical, was essentially legal, and did not include the use of force. But what it shares in these accounts is that like the others, the part of the story in which we participated willingly; however small, however brief; silences us from coming forward. Holding him accountable falls by the wayside; as the brunt of the blame and accusation now falls on us- even in our own minds, let alone everyone else's. In fact I believe that this is what ...