Story and photos by Delia Johnson/ Video by Kassidy McDonald
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL- More than 15,000 protestors took to the streets in opposition to the recent anti-gay adoption statement made by the, Israeli government on July 16, 2017. The statement read that same-sex couples as parents would be an added obstacle for adopted children who are already coming from complicated backgrounds.
Not only are same-sex couples unable to adopt children, but they are also not permitted to use surrogates. Additionally, marriages in Israel must be conducted in a religious ceremony, therefore making it extremely difficult for same-sex couples to get married within their country.
“The current government is very right wing very religious and I was not surprised. [The statement] was hurting, humiliating, but I was not shocked. This is something I would expect [parliament] to say,” Feigie Stern said, a lesbian woman and member of Bat Kol, a religious lesbian organization founded by women.
The LGBT community lacks rights granted to couples of the opposite sex due to the strong hold that the Ultra-Orthodox presence has on the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
“In the Knesset, they would be opposed any legislation that would benefit the [LGBT community],” Yarom said.
Stern is looking to the Israeli government “asking for equality. I want to be able to get married in my country. . .I don’t want any special rights. Just whatever everyone else gets, I want to have that.”
While lobbying for LGBT rights, Stern also balances a strong Jewish faith. She grew up in a typical ultra-Orthodox family where being attracted to the opposite sex was so forbidden that it was never spoken of.
"I have a strong faith and I’m gay. . . I learned that you don’t have to choose”
After coming out to her family at age 18, Stern learned how to manage these two conflicting aspects of her life.
“I’m coming from a religious house, and I’m still religious. These are two parts of my personality that are important for me. I wouldn’t want to give up any one of them. I have a strong faith and I’m gay. . .I learned that you don’t have to choose,” Stern said.
This conflicting situation is one that many religious feminists also find themselves in. A growing number of Jewish feminist women are leaving behind their ultra-Orthodox habits in order to promote women’s rights and equality within their strict community.
Professor Hannah Kehat, an academic, teacher, and founder of a feminist movement called Kolech, broke out of her ultra-Orthodox lifestyle to bring about change in Israel for women.
“I think that [the Orthodox community is the] worst place for a little girl to grow up. I remember myself afraid much of the time because you know little girls in such a community, they really don’t have a voice. . .it’s not so easy. Maybe it motivated me after then to change my way and to start the feminist movement,” Kehat said.
The ultra-Orthodox community places heavy emphasis on men dedicating themselves to studying Jewish law, leaving the women to the housework and to raise children.
The ultra-Orthodox community focuses heavily on prayer and learning for men (Photo by Delia Johnson)
According to Yarom, “the word feminism wouldn’t be discussed anyway.” The Orthodox communities silence on issues pertaining to women mean that their definition of feminism is not up to modern standards.
“In Israel, the question of religion and women is not a private question and even not an issue of community. It’s a national question, because there’s no separation of church and state here,” Kehat said.
One of the main inequalities between men and women in the ultra-Orthodox community is education. The men are encouraged to be educated whereas the women don’t have the same opportunities.
“We don’t have a lot of women rabbis in Israel. This is a problem. We try to educate women when they are young, we have a young generation on their way, they’re starting to give lectures, to guide people, to answer questions in the Jewish law,” Kehat said. “I see them, I see that it’s on the way, we will get it. In a few years we will have a young generation of women rabbis in Israel.”
Devorah Evron is one of the few female Rabbis in Israel, called Rabbas, who continues to fight for higher education for women in religious communities.
“When I was growing up, there were no institutions for young women to continue their studies,” Evron said.
She faced opposition when her grandfather refused to study with her because she was a woman.
Evron says that now “more and more people in Orthodoxy realize that we need women in the community to know Halakha (Jewish law), to be involved with what’s going on and women need to be proactive and so we’re creating reality when we need it.”
She is also a member of Kolech and actively works to encourage higher education for women. She goes to schools to inspire young women and works to become a part of the debate in religious courts. Kolech also works to establish many institutes for higher Jewish education and training programs.
“Any time you start taking about things that people aren’t used to before, and you try to bring about change, there are those that support it. They’ll feel like its water in the desert. And there are those that will think that what you’re doing is probably the most dangerous thing for Judaism. Most people are somewhere in the middle,” Evron said.
While the ultra-Orthodox currently has the strongest political leverage today, these women believe that one day Israelis will have more rights.
“I know that one day it will change because we are right, this is just,” Stern said. “For my community I want more compassion, and I want more willingness to be open and to talk and to be open-minded about things that are maybe considered a taboo right now.”