[Avodah] fashion models and opera singers

[Meir Shinnar]

RAF
> > Such a heter must exist however - as there are too many reports of
> > gedolim in Germany (not to mention Boston) going to the opera
>
> I wonder, is it indeed documented that RYBS went to opera in Boston, or did he
> only do that in Germany?
in avodah, v13 # 12 I wrote
1) There are few written sources about this - however, there are certain
oral traditions.
2) WRT to kol isha and opera, there are numerous heterim
	a) Issur applies only if one can have social connection with
	the singer
	b) Issur doesn't apply if it is a woman Plus (tre kolim enam
	nishmaim)
	c) Issur of kol isha only applies to the problem of saying davar
	shebikdusha in its presence (tshuva of Rav Unno, the Rav of
	Mannheim before the war, justifiying having choruses of girls
	sing - arguing that this was ikkar hadin

(end of quote - rav unno -  is a written source in shoalin vedorshin,
his sefer of shut)

In my father's community, the local day school had a tradition that
the eighth grade had a field trip to a broadway show.  A new principal
came, and objected that the eighth grade boys should not be exposed to
kol isha.  The community rabbanim (YU trained)  supported the
principal, even though the norm in that community was to go to
Broadway and the opera, and  they never before  raised it with  the
community.  Finally, an older rav in a neighboring community,
respected as a communal posek, and talmid of both Rav Hutner and and
RYBS, told them of the first two heterim - and that these heterim were
relied on halacha lema'ase and lecatchila by many distinguished
rabbanim and communities.

One of RYBS's talmidim told me he went to the opera (according to him,
he had a  problem with one opera because of a prominent cross on the
set..), and I have heard reliably that Rav Hutner went (although some
here have claimed he only listened to recordings.)

Meir Shinnar