13
NEWS
Prayer, Not Minyan,
Approved For Women
New York — The Union for
Traditional Conservative
Judaism has issued a responsum
-- a Jewish legal option — that
women are permitted to hold
prayer groups, and that a woman
may lead them. However, such a
group may not be considered a
minyan (a quorum of ten) for the
purpose of fulfilling the prayer
obligations of men.
The response was issued by the
UTCJ's Panel of Halachic In-
quiry, which includes Talmudic
scholar Rabbi David Weiss-
Halivni of New York. A respon-
sum is an answer to a formally
posed question on what is per-
missible according to halacha
(Jewish law), and is based on
Jewish legal precedent and tradi-
tion. A responsum recently is-
sued by a group of prominent Or-
thodox rabbis has held that
women's prayer groups are not
permissible.
The UTCJ responsum, written
by Rabbi Wayne Allen of
Lakewood, Calif. declared: In
this day and age it is incumbent
upon us to retain every Jewish
man and woman and to encour-
age them to further observance in
every way possible and permissi-
ble. Thus it would be counter-
productive to forbid women's
prayer groups —which are
halachically licit — where active
and committed Jewish women
come to serve God with love and
reverence."
The responsum cites passages
of the Talmud and other sources
in ruling that women's prayer
groups are permitted, though not
mandatory. The responsUm also
cites Jewish historical precedent,
recalling Urania of Worms, a
noted woman prayer leader of
13th Century Germany.
The responsum also cites a re-
cent opinion in the name of Rabbi
Moses Feinstein, in which this
leading Orthodox rabbinic
authority concludes that a pious
woman may read Torah for other
pious women if care is taken not
to suggest that this would fulfill
.the obligation of public Torah
reading for men.
On the question of counting
women in a minyan, the respon-
sum states: " . . . the essence of
the quorum of ten is the principle
of sharing the same obligation
. . . only those with the same ob-
ligation can fulfill that obligation
for one another." In addition,
"while it is clear that women may
lead prayer services for other
women, it need be emphasized .. .
that women cannot lead the
prayer service (act as ashaliach
tzibbur) to fulfill the public
prayer obligation for men."
Child Support
New York (JTA) — Attorneys
in ten states and the District of
Columbia have volunteered to
assist Na'amat, the largest
women's organization in Israel,
in obtaining child support pay-
ments for Israeli women from Is-
raeli fathers now living in the
United States.
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