[Avodah] Deputy Ministers

[Joseph Kaplan]

ISTM that Jay Schachter, in his erudite post about women serving as ministers and voting in Israel, told only part of the story. Rav Kook’s psak is, indeed, well known. But it was not the only word on that matter and my understanding is that the National Religious Party has not accepted it, the Dati Le’umi community does not accept it and, indeed, women in that community (as well, of course, in the lo dati community and many other communities) do, indeed vote and serve as ministers and even higher (you may have heard of Golda Meir).

The basis of what actually happens in real life in Israel (with all respect to rav Kook and Nachama Leibowitz) is the psak of Rav Ben Zion Uziel (Mishpatei Uziel 44) 1920- Chief Sephardi Rabbi of Eretz Yirael  who ruled in favor of not only giving the vote to women but also allowing them to run for elected positions. Indeed, many Hareidi women not only vote but participate in a movement not to vote for parties that exclude women from positions as representatives (ie, the Hareidi parties). So calling Rav Kook’s position of women not voting and not serving “normative halacha” is, I think, an overstatement.

Joseph


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