[Avodah] mechitza

[Shmuel Zajac]

 >>It is difficult for me to imagine women crowded by the doors and 
windows, when the number of women might be similar to the number of men.<<

As RMB notes, the phenomenon is mostly relatively recent, and certain 
things, like megila were (and often still are in many kehillos) done 
separately for women.

To imagine it, give a look at some of the (few) pictures available.  
Some of my father's (A"H) pictures of Simachas Torah show exactly that - 
and at that better than some descriptions I've read of shuls with even 
worse accommodations (like one small high up window that barely let the 
sound through.)  My father's pictures were based on his memories of 
actual shuls.

By the way, if you look at the design of most shuls, even those that are 
fairly large, you will see that the women's section is substantially 
smaller than the mens; either people were not building just for a few 
days a year, of women were not showing up for all of these events, or 
both.  And, if you look at older shuls, you will see this as well (and 
there you will see balconies and / or Mechitza's)

In Crown Heights there are 2 shul structures that are fairly old.  One 
is Chovevei Torah (not related to the new institution of that name), and 
there was a balcony for the women.  (The building has been taken over by 
ULY and the balcony was converted to other use.)   The other is the Shul 
that was part of Crown Heights Yeshiva, which was founded before WWII.  
It wasn't part of what we would today call the chareidi wing.  The shul 
is designed with a totally solid, unmovable, pair of mechitzas that put 
the men's section in the center, in front of the Bima and Aron Kodesh 
and the two narrower women's sections flank the men's sections. 

It's also worth noting that the Touro Synagogue in Newport RI is almost 
250 years, and has a balcony as well - and it was not even founded by 
Ashkenazim.

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/jewishnewyear/video.htm/aid/428985/jewish/Synagogues-Around-the-World.html 
shows a couple of other examples.

I'm sure there are plenty of other specific examples that others can 
mention, but the point is that there is clearly evidence of Mechitzas 
going back far enough to make it clear that it's not an innovation of 
the current, or even last generation.


-- Kayza