Israel – A visit to the Ron Shulamit Music Conservatory in the haredi Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem may not melt away the animosity an anti-haredi feels toward the community, but it will certainly force him to use more than one flashlight when illuminating its largely veiled world. Besides training haredi girls to play and teach classical music and opening the doors for potential careers in the arts or music education, the 15-year-old institution is slowly changing perceptions – that of the girls and their families toward the outside secular world of culture, and also of society’s accepted but tainted view of the haredi world as a backward society where culture is disdained and scorned.
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Maybe somewhere, a middle ground exists where the truth lies. And if the Ron Shulamit conservatory is involved, then surely there’s music playing.
“It’s a quiet revolution in the heart of the ultra-Orthodox community of Har Nof, as well as in broader Jerusalem and beyond,” says Shira Barzily, the young, energetic outreach manager of the conservatory, as she leads me into Har Nof’s Beit Ya’acov elementary school, where the conservatory exists after regular school hours.
There, some 500 female students, ranging in age from seven through adulthood, immerse themselves in the world of classical music.
For a quiet revolution though, it sure is noisy. The sounds of string instruments being tuned, piano scales being played and accordions meshing in various combinations seep through classrooms in all corners of the old-fashioned school. A look inside any of the rooms will reveal not starchy, mustached egghead musicians, but young, innocent-looking girls in long skirts, long shirts and ponytails.
It’s no secret that you don’t have to be a pure person to create wondrous music – in fact you can be a horrible human being. No need to look any further than Richard Wagner or Ike Turner for examples of that.
It’s Assur Gumer to play live music in Yerushalayim! They are playing with FIRE and causing a chilul Hashem…
There is no stronger Girou HaYetzer and desruction of the barriors of Tznius than a woman playing an instrument – particularly a violin. This Chilul Hashem must stop immediately.
Kudos. If only they would do the same thing for the boys both there and here in America, we would have a lot less of a problem with off the derech kids.
Just curious. What kind of “parnassa” can be made from a BA playing classical music. (The whole college diploma thing is way overrated.) This seems more like an outlet, like dancing and painting, than a serious attempt to earn a living.
I would like to hear a moderate opinion on this. There are many heterim about aveilus. Is this considered enjoyment, education or umnus? For example, lifeguards have been given a heter to swim in the nine days to keep up their skills. This is definitely not poshut as #1 states.
I would think a cello would be worse than a violin!
Many of these women can go on to become music teachers, and entertain womens and childrens groups. Some people just can’t think outside the box.
While you people are busy poskening amongst yourselves, I hope this school enjoys continued hatzlacha for its endeavors and that many girls find a worthwhile outlet through it.
what is the heter to get a collage degree? the gedolim of the last generation were strongly against this abomination.
There is no stronger Girou HaYetzer and desruction of the barriors of Tznius than a woman playing an instrument – particularly a violin. This Chilul Hashem must stop immediately.
Some people here have their halacha confused. It’s men listening to women singing that’s assur. It’s perfectly OK for a woman to sing/play in front of other women, and I don’t recollect hearing that it’s assur for a man to listen to a woman playing a musical instrument. Being on stage in front of men, or being in a mixed orchestra with men, may or may not be forbidden – that I don’t know.
But listen up – it’s not the woman playing/singing, it’s the men listening. The woman is only chayav on lifnei iver. It’s the men that are forbidden to hear the women sing. So grow up, and in the meantime consult a halacha sefer.
Mechtig. So now there’s a new venue for parnass–music teachers.
somebody please explain to me what is not tzniusdig about playing the violin….
It’s Assur Gumer to play live music in Yerushalayim! They are playing with FIRE and causing a chilul Hashem…
I understand the issur of music in Jerusalem, however, Har Nof is not part of the “original Jerusalem” that is why there are wedding halls right outside the entrance to Har Nof.
When bnai yisroel came out of mitzrayim didn’t the women play instruments, by
Oz yashir?
“may not melt away the animosity an anti-haredi feels toward the community,”
“and also of society’s accepted but tainted view of the haredi world as a backward society where culture is disdained and scorned”
“It’s no secret that you don’t have to be a pure person to create wondrous music – in fact you can be a horrible human being.”
What kind of person wrote this article? What point exactly is he trying to make? They are not the first chareidi music school where it is possible to get a BA (Try the Beis Yaakov Hayashan for example!!) Its a beautiful oppurtunity and idea – why use it to bash chareidim as usual??
perhaps this is just a way for girls to have fun in a safe environment, this is not any different than a painting class, or dance class that hundreds if not thousands of girls have taken over the years
“Mitzva Gedolah Lehiyos Besimcha” If music makes you happy then what’s wrong?
rebbe nachman says that one should do anything withing the bounds of halacha to make oneself happy