[Avodah] women voting

[Saul Guberman]

Date: Fri, 28 May 2010 01:58:14 +1000
From: "SBA" <sba at sba2.com>
I have still to hear an explanation by the Aguda Gedolim for - not only
allowing - but ordering that women vote in all Israeli elections.
(Of course the same question goes to all those who consider themselves
followers of Rav Kook's hashkafa.)
SBA

RD Aryeh Frimer just posted on the RCA blog *W*omen in Communal Leadership
Positions: Shul Presidents
http://text.rcarabbis.org/?p=931

In the article it addresses the above point.
            Amongst the scholars maintaining that women should neither run
for office, nor even vote – not get involved at all in the political process
– was Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin, and Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld of the* Eidah
Haredit*, Rav Yechiel Michel Tukachinsky, who then was a leading *Rosh
Yeshiva* and *posek* in Jerusalem, and considered slightly right of center,
and last but not least, Rav Avraham Yitshak HaCohen Kook. There were many
renowned scholars, most of them in Europe and the States, who were against
women running for office, but had no problem with them voting. These include
Rav David Tzvi Hoffman, and Rav Eliezer Priel in the United States.

Something important happened in the 1920’s that changed the course of Jewish
history. Most of you know that the *Eidah Haredit *broke off from Orthodox
Judaism and started leading its life by itself. When and why did it do so?
 It did so over the issue of the women’s right to vote....

There was another group, led by Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank, who said: “All right,
we’re not gung-ho about this idea of women voting, but there are *poskim* who
would tend to permit it *bi-she’at ha-dehak*.” And they became what’s called
Agudas Yisrael, and the women would not run for office, but they would go to
the polls and vote.

The lenient school (those who allow women voting- S.G.)included such
scholars as the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Ben Tzion Hai Uziel, Rav
Ya’akov Levinson, and Rav Chaim Hirshenzohn. In the modern period the
lenient school has included former Chief Rabbi Yitshak Isaac Herzog, Rav
Tibor Stern, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi Doron, former Chief
Rabbi Shlomo Goren, Rav Shaul Yisraeli, Dayan Aryeh Leib Grosness of London
and Jerusalem, and Rav Elimelech Turk from the United States.

Read the rest of the article which deals mostly with serara and details his
conversations with Rav Ahron Lichtenstein & Rav Nahum Rabinovitch about
women as shul presidents.  As with all of the RD Frimmer articles, they are
well researched and written.

Saul
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