Saturday, March 28, 2009

More cruel customs

Looks like I am on a roll. Last Monday, I posted the NYT article from 1897 about birchas hachama in NYC, and two days later VIN picked it up. (He credited me; unlike certain other mega News aggregators, VIN is a mentch.)

Last week, I also wrote about the horribly cruel custom of banning women from Jewish funerals. Tonight, YNET has an article on the subject.

Rabbi: Satan dances as women attend funerals: After a woman innocently rose to lament her father, a rabbi blocked her way to the podium with his body insisting that it would be disrespectful to the dead if she was allowed to speak. And what about his own display of bad taste, bad manners and bad judgement? It amazes me that some value the dignity of the dead over the dignity of the living. The woman wanted to mourn her father (at a funeral where she and/or her family were likely paying the bills) in a way she found meaningful. Who is this rabbi to say no, and to impose upon them his uninivited, and undesired views?

HT: The Beadle

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