Brooklyn, NY – In the Hasidic enclave of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, there are many things that women can’t or just don’t do: Be counted as one of the 10 people needed to make up a minyan, or prayer quorum. Walk around in pants. But vote?
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According to the bylaws of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, a social service agency and community pillar that has received millions of dollars in government grants over the years, only those who meet the following requirements can vote for its leadership:
Now Eliyahu Federman, a Crown Heights resident and recent law school graduate, is challenging that last requirement, saying he believes it to be unconstitutional.
In Crown Heights, religion and life are inextricably interwoven. But the council itself is not a religious organization, Mr. Federman argues. And in 2008, according to the most recent tax filings available, the council received $1.9 million in government grants.
“he has heard several explanations for the policy: that voting is immodest, that this is how it’s always been done — and that allotting women votes could sow discord among married couples”
Any leader of a social service agency, even one serving frum yidden, who would actually say that allowing a woman to vote is “untziniusdik” or would threaten “shalom bayis” is himself of need of counseling from his own professionals. This is not even funny anymore. How can any credible jewish organization mindlessly continue such practices outside of a shul and mumble “this is the way is was done back in the alte heim” so we continue it here in the 21st century when a large percentage of the women are better educated and more aware of the social policy issues than their male counterparts. This type of story is what makes the leadership of a small number of yiddeshe mosdos look like a bunch of fools.
Is this your gift to the Rebbe on Yud Aleph Nissan? Why did the Rebbe not pressure the JCC to allow women to vote?
I am somewhat aware of not for profits and Community Councils. When do you ever find that there are neighborhood votes for the Board? That is only for membership organizations, not for regular not for profit. If you look at the 990 of the council, you will see that they are not a membership organization.
The whole article makes no sense at all.
There is a Vaad Haschunah in Crown Heights, which is a RELIGIOUS organization. They are responsible for paying the beis din and other such expenses. That is a RELIGIOUS organization and they are free to follow the precepts of the religion in establishing how and who can vote. The Vaad Haschunah does not get any government monies. It so happens that Vaad Haschuna translates to something similar to community council. But it is a seperate entity, as anyone in Crown Heights knows.
Possibly this a person who did not win the election for the Vaad Haschunah, and is trying something surreptitious. (I do not know who the candidates in Vaad Haschuna elections are, I am not a member of the community)
By the way, what is that book in the picture???? It looks like Harry Potter.
And he should do something about that scrawny beard.
They don’t even live in Crown Heights. They live in Queens
It appears to me that Eliyahu Federman has a great case. This is not a Minyan where the rules of the religion revail, the council is not a religious organization and is receiving Government grants …they can not discriminate. I am suprised that in CH which I thought was an enlightened community that this would happen. This is an insult to frum women who desire to be active in their community affairs.
Pathetic self- aggrandizing, heedless of the effect on others.
I support the position taken by attorney Federman. Women should have an equal right to vote in any and all community wide and community organization elections. Community matters and community organizations impact the lives of both men and women, There is no justification for exclusion. It is certainly unconstitutional. Further, it sends a rather negative message about the role of women in religious society. Also, I would assume that it discouages some women from joing the movement or community.
Rav Kook, whatever you think of his hashkafah vis-a-vis the Zionists, wrote that women should not vote or run for office.
The whole article, as many published by the NY Times about yiddishkeit, is non-sense. They are many errors in their description of the Vaad HaShchunah. And by the way, it has been like that since the Rebbe built the community. So if the Rebbe saw nothing wrong in that, what these two guys are saying isn’t worth to be heard. There is something quite simple: if you don’t like the founctionning of your shchunah, go anywhere else, but don’t pretend speaking for the whole shchunah.
There is a Vaad Hakahal (which is a religious organization, and its members are elected) and a Community Council (which is appointed) in CH, it seems that the two are being confused by many of the people commenting here.