The strongest people in my life have always been women. I didn’t plan for that. It just happened. Growing up in a restrictive, uber-religious environment, I am familiar with every scripture (both Jewish and Christian) used throughout history to justify the inferior treatment of women. And yet, like something out of a fairy tale or myth, the women in my life have always managed to transcend whatever circumstances life has thrown at them. They are resilient. I respect their ability to survive, to cultivate lives of beauty and truth despite any system, religious or political, that would discriminate against them on the basis of biology.
It’s why Women of the Wall, despite my never having met them, hold a special place in my moral imagination. When I envision Israel as I want it to be, equality of genders is at the forefront. Public religious plurality is paramount. The work of these women, who affirm my esteem of the courage and intelligence of the gender, is a bold step in that direction. Through a torrent of hateful jibes and violent language, absorbed and heard with no retaliation, the Women of the Wall continue in what seems to be an uphill climb for Israel: balancing the voices of all its citizens and taking in the prayers and solidarity of Jews around the world.
And what of the critics? Surely those who see Women of the Wall as a threat to their vision of Judaism have a voice too? Absolutely. My freedom to affirm what Women of the Wall does is only so strong as my willingness to hear out the critics, both balanced and vitriolic. The reality stands: if this is such a controversial issue, one unique in its ability to bring together women from all of Judaism’s major streams as much as the hatred and venom of the ultra-Orthodox, its resolution could signal a turning point for how Israel relates to both pluralism and gender equality. Perhaps that’s why its opponents often lash out with such disregard for human integrity in their words (just read the comments section here). Either way, what the Women of the Wall do is defining Israel. And make no mistake, if they’re making a mark on Israel (the country and the people), so too are their opponents, for better or worse.
The Women of the Wall continue to make headlines because they refuse to give up. Labeled heretics, bad Jews and worse, these women are persistent to a point I can only dream of. Among schoolboys, the phrase persists, “Grow a pair.” This sexist language denotes a person becoming more courageous or bolder, as if male anatomy equates to a stronger self-constitution. For examples of how misguided phrases like this actually are, I take a look at the women of my life. Beyond them, I take a look at the Women of the Wall, and I aspire to their courage.
