Petah Tikva – The summer season is about to begin, along with some unique halachic issues: Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, head of the Petah Tikva hesder yeshiva, has ruled that a man must not work as a lifeguard in a swimming pool where women bathe or in a kayak rental facility where visitors arrive in their swimsuits.
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A reader of the yeshiva website, seeking the rabbi’s opinion, said he was considering working at a kayak facility in the Jordan River as an instructor who helps visitors get into the water and explains how to use the canoe.
Rabbi Cherlow responded that by doing so, he would be crossing a red line. “Working with kayaks means being in a very immodest place all day long,” he explained. “This isn’t a matter of likelihood but a matter of certainty, and it’s just like going to a mixed beach.”
The rabbi added that the same applies to a lifeguard in a place where there are women.
This psak is really nutty. We have frum first responders all over the world (both men and women) working in Hatzalah and similiar organizations whose ONLY concern pikuach nefesh and treating injury, pain and suffering. Thats what a lifeguard does. Unfortunately, in many areas, there aren’t sufficient numbers of trained women lifeguards. If this Rav wants to put his children or grandchildren at risk, thats fine but please spare us from his chumrahs which will likely lead to tragedy.
I can understand Rabbi Cherlow’s strictures on a male מציל at a swimming pool working in the vicinity of female bathers. After all, female מצילות are available.
However, Cherlow’s איסור on working as a מדריך at the kayak offers no solution and effectively prevents חרדים from participating in the sport at all.
Great. Another case of Religious Heresy.
How come I never heard this ‘rule’ before until This Year? Just curious.
Rabbi Cherlow is actually extremely lenient on many recent issues. If he says there is a problem, you can be sure he feels the halacha is that way, and he is not just looking for chumras.
What is the problem? #1 Who is talking emergency? Do you want a job in a nightclub
because someone might choke so you should be there to administer the Heimlich?
#2- If there are men & women dressed in bathing suits, yes you can’t go. Organize
a group & rent the park or lake.
There are more than enough job opportunities for frum lifeguard where there is
seperate swimming!
I would think about this if I wasn’t wondering why it is ok for a frum man to be a gynecologist. Or maybe it isn’t? Same thing maybe a woman shouldn’t see a male doctor? There are female doctors available.
In NY there are far more frum female lifeguards than male ones.
The man was asked his opinion of the Halacah. He gave it. He didn’t go putting out unsolicited posters or some such. Personally, I have no problem with lifeguards being there — no matter what the gender happens to be. They are there to do a job. And I don’t agree with this notion that the only way to view women is as a source of potential sin, no matter how they are dressed. That said, the man is entitled to his opinion. As to the question of why… because its a good paying gig. Summer jobs are hard to come by.
I once turned down a free trip to a mokom kodesh in Europe, in what was then considered a luxury coach for that part of the world, because the reason I was asked to join was to serve as a “chaperone” for girls who were a few years younger than I was at the time. I knew exactly what situation I would end up in and I immediately declined. Ditto for a male lifeguard or counselor in the situation that Rav Cherlow (who I usually don’t hold by) paskened for.
AIUI, the “chof nifrad” in EY has male lifeguards for women. Though swimming pools have female lifeguards, most will not be strong enough to save someone drowning in a beach undertow situation. However, the women at a “chof nifrad” with a male lifeguard are generally tzanua, either in a “shvimkleid” or a robe over their bathing suit when not actually swimming. Very possibly the Rov will have no problem with that situation.
However, see Rav Aviner’s recent discussion of “mixing” when not needed. He cites the Gemara that when a person has a choice to go a different way, but chooses to pass the road where he will see a lack of tznius, he is called a Rasha.
I am not advocating extremism. But note, also, the story of a bochur who asked his Mashgiach permission to go to a wedding of relatives where there would be nisyonos. (I think it was R’ Elya Lopian, can supply the details.) Bekitzur, the Mashgiach either offered him money to see a doctor or asked his mother’s name so he can daven for him, saying, ” If I, who am already elderly, find it dangerous to be in a mokom nisayon, then if you, a young man, have no problem, you are surely ill!”
Wake up. The Jewish Communities all throughout the USA have male and female lifeguards and mixed swimming all day long. This is really not the biggest problem in the Nation of Israel (K’lal Yisrael). True there are always modesty issues. But that said, this is the least of your problems dear Religious Authorities.