SPECIAL COMMENTARY

The Paradox Of Contemporary Feminism

that they can take advantage of the
Washington
Jewish state's per-child stipends. That's
deep-seated paradox lurks in
something that probably would sur-
modern feminism. In its
prise not only the parents of those
purest form, the champi-
families but the hundreds of thou-
ii
I
oning of women should open
sands of Orthodox Jews
opportunities, provide us with
outside Israel who similarly
a plethora of choices, and allow
observe the commandment
us to make our own decisions
Pru Urvu ("be fruitful and
about our lives.
multiply") but receive limit-
Unfortunately, though, the
ed if any public assistance.
reality can yield quite the
opposite. A recent incident
Hardly Slavery
sadly illustrates the point. In
More insulting still to many
April, a brouhaha broke out
Orthodox Jews was Mr.
in Israel when Justice Minis-
Beilin's statement that large
ter Yossi Beilin decried the
NIC OLE
families condemn women to
Jewish religious community's
BRAC
KMAN
lives of "slavery and servi-
preference for large families.
tude." The sentiment was
Spec ial to
Opposing a bill to increase
echoed by author Naomi
the Jew ish News
child allowances beginning
Ragen, who not only claimed
with a family's fourth child,
that the preference for large
Beilin noted that the Israeli
families drives religious women to men-
system "encourages" families to have
tal illness but also that the women's own
more and more children at the state's
testimony to their happiness was simply
expense, and that they become a "bur-
a parroting of "the party line."
den to society." Anti-religious Knesset
Although I had thought that pre-
member Tommy Lapid chimed in,
cious little in the war of invective
expressing doubt that children of large
against religious Jews could surprise
religious families will become useful
me any longer, I was a bit taken aback
members of society.
to realize that I and countless other
There were insinuations, too, that
women like me were being effectively
religious Jews have many children so
labeled "intellectual inferiors."
Ironically, I'm just the kind of
Nicole Brackman, Ph.D., is a Wash-
woman
that the secular liberal intelli-
ington-based political scientist who spe-
gentsia
and
feminists generally love: I
cializes in Israeli and Middle East poli-
have a doctorate in political science,
tics. Her piece was distributed through
and I was educated in the enlightened
New York-based Am Echad Resources,
ivory tower of academe. But they look
affiliated with the Orthodox movement.
askance at me, my "sin" (so to speak)
Her e-mail address is
being that I subsequently "regressed"
nebrackman@hotmail.com

by choosing to become a religious Jew.
In fact, I actively seek out the compa-
ny of women raised with few secular
academic honors but who are steeped in
our heritage, who move between ancient
textual sources fluidly and with com-
plete assurance, and whose breadth and
depth of knowledge never cease to
astound me. They conduct classes —
often with multiple children playing
around their feet — for other Jewish
women. Often, they are the breadwin-
ners of their families; in fact, women are
at the forefront of the high-tech revolu-
tion in Israel's religious community —
though that fact somehow does not
endear them to their feminist sisters.

Stupid, We're Not

Feminism, like the socialism of the
Labor Zionists who founded Israel, is
premised on the concept — an astound-
ingly anti-democratic one — that the
masses are ignorant of their true condi-
tion and need their "consciousness
raised" by a vanguard intellectual elite.
Though socialism has been largely way-
laid in Israel, this condescending ideo-
logical remnant has, it seems, devolved
into widespread antagonism toward a
community that has grown both in
numbers and commitment — far
' sur-
passing expectations of its vitality and
belying the repeated reports of its
impending demise.
That is precisely why religious
women — whom our Torah and sages
teach have been the salvation of the
Jewish people many times over — are
under attack.
As the carriers and transmitters of

the tradition, we are at the heart of
the Jewish family and the nurturers of
its soul. Without the commitment of
Jewish women, the community would
languish. Knowing that full well,
those opposed to religion feel they
must attack our very legitimacy as
independent thinkers.
It may be too much to hope for that
the "vanguard elite" will heed appeals to
abandon attacks on the religious com-
munity in favor of reasoned debate.
But none of us — religious or not
— should hesitate to point out the
absurdity and authoritarianism of that
self-appointed elite's quest to "free"
religious women by casting aspersions
on our intelligence and seeking to
deprive us of true freedom of choice.
Feminism cannot be used to simulta-
neously empower some women and
de-legitimize others; if "pro-choicers"
are honest, they must defend the
choice to have large families and live
according to the Torah as well.
Lest Jews in the diaspora remain
complacent, we should not harbor the
illusion that the paradox of contempo-
rary feminism is idiosyncratic of Israel.
While the degree of resentment for
the fervently religious Jewish commu-
nity may be particular to that country,
attacks by the liberal left and the femi-
nist camp on the value of larger fami-
lies and the religious lifestyle occur in
the United States and other western
nations as well. It may be axiomatic in
some circles that the enlightened intel-
ligentsia know best, but some of us,
less trendy perhaps but no less intelli-
gent, think otherwise. El

LETTERS from page 37

A Wonderful
Trip To Israel

For 11 glorious days, July 2-12, 151
young adults from metropolitan
Detroit toured Israel by day and cele-
brated at night ("Single Bond," Aug.
4, page 94). It was an awesome run,
more than words can do justice. For
the eight lay leaders and five Federa-
tion staff members, 10 months of
hard work, meetings and recruitment
efforts all fell into place.
This year, the trip had a new spin
to it, with new perspective and new-
found excitement. We combined two
buses of singles with a veterans' bus
(those who have been to Israel already
or on a previous mission) and a cou-
ples' bus (the first time married cou-

8/4
2000

38

pies were allowed to join the singles
mission to Israel).
Once again, Detroit raised the bar
to new heights as we bent the rules,
changed agendas and were the envy of
the mission as we experienced Israel as
a community. Huge thanks must be
sent to Jewish Federation of Metropol-
itan Detroit President Penny Blumen-
stein, CEO Bob Aronson and others,
like Larry Jackier, for their advice,
guidance and confidence in us.
Also, a huge thank you should be
sent to Scott Kaufman and Dawn
Faxon for undertaking the whole mis-
sion from Detroit. We thank trip lead-
ers Jackie Bell, Lorne Gold, Michele
Goldstein, Matt Lester, Josh Opperer,
Lee Trepeck, Robin Trepeck and Lisa
Zacks, and our staff Josh Cohen, Lisa
Cutler, Andrew Echt and Alaine

Waldshan, for all of their hard work
and dedication to the trip.
We swam in the Mediterranean,
toured Tel Aviv and old Jaffa, explored
the Golan Heights via Jeeps, experi-
enced mysticism in Safad and walked
in our ancestors' footsteps as we
prayed at the Western Wall on Shab-
bat. A few other special moments were
climbing Masada at sunrise, floating
in the Dead Sea, biking and rappelling
in the desert, playing with Israeli chil-
dren in our partnership region and
when Scott Kaufman had the distinct
honor of introducing Shimon Peres,
the former Israeli prime minister, who
spoke to us one morning.
As Ricky Bernstein said so elo-
quently in a speech at a bonfire one
night at Kfar Blum, "We may not
have the great reputation of the big

cities like New York, Chicago or Los
Angeles. We may not have the restau-
rants or the downtown areas like they
have, but what we have in Detroit is
something more. We have a great
community filled with great people."
People are already talking about
next year's trip and are excited over
the idea of going to Israel again. For
those of you who want to go to Israel,
yet cannot find the time, money or
have other excuses not to go, I urge
you to reconsider and find a way.
I leave you with a simple phrase,
which I hope will come true for all
Jews across the world: Eshana habaa
b'Yerushalayim — "Next year, may we
all be in Jerusalem."
Aaron Pergament

trip leader,
Oak Park

