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Kathy Willens / AP
Yocheved Lerner demonstrates cardiopulmonary resuscitation technique during a women's-only CPR training session in the Borough Park section of New York, on Nov. 9.
Most Orthodox Jewish women avoid touching men except direct relatives. They don't sit next to men on buses or even at weddings. They have separate swimming hours at indoor pools. But for an emergency birth, Orthodox Jewish women will usually turn to the all-male volunteer ambulance corps known as Hatzolah.
Now a group of women in one of the country's largest Orthodox Jewish communities is proposing to join up with Hatzolah as emergency medical technicians to respond in cases of labor or gynecological emergencies.
The proposal for a women's division has stirred up criticism within Orthodox Jewish circles, with one well-known blog editorializing that it amounts to a "new radical feminist agenda." And when a prominent elected local official, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, spoke about it on his weekly radio show, he was criticized for even bringing the subject up.
Rachel Freier, a Hasidic attorney who is representing the women in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, said there is a need for emergency services that adhere to the community's customs of modesty, calling for the sexes to avoid physical contact unless they are related.
"It has nothing to do with feminism," Freier said. "It has to do with the dignity of women and their modesty."
She is careful to avoid framing the proposal as a critique of Hatzolah, whose work she says they respect. Instead, she says it is a matter of reclaiming a "job that has been the role of women for thousands of years" — that of midwife. "We are so proud of Hatzolah," she said. But, she added, "they can't understand what a woman feels like when she is in labor."
The volunteer ambulance corps was founded by Rabbi Herschel Weber in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in the 1960s in response to a perceived delay in responding to emergency calls made by Jewish communities. Today Hatzolah, a Hebrew word that translates as "rescue" or "relief," has dozens of affiliates around the world, each of them operating independently and often in close coordination with the community they serve. Policies, such as whether women can volunteer, are usually set locally by each affiliate.
It is unclear how many Hatzolah affiliates allow women to volunteer. But in Israel, for instance, United Hatzalah, which responds to more than 112,500 calls per year, has volunteers who are both male and female, as well as secular and Jewish, according to its website.
And the new division being proposed in Brooklyn by the women Freier represents — it would be known as the Ezras Nashim, Hebrew for "women's section" — would be modeled after a program created more than a year ago in New Square, N.Y., a small, insular Orthodox Jewish community in New York City's northern suburbs.
But a program for women, with women volunteers, in Borough Park would be far more ambitious in scope and size. Besides being one of the biggest Orthodox Jewish communities in the country, if not the world, the neighborhood had the city's highest birth rate in 2009 with 26.7 per 1,000 people, according to the Department of Health. That is a lot of babies that need to be delivered.
Yocheved Lerner, 49, is one of the women who would like to work as a volunteer for a newly formed all-women Hatzolah division in Brooklyn.
A state-certified emergency medical technician and mother herself, she said her group has a list of about 200 trained Orthodox Jewish women who could respond to medical calls in the neighborhood.
"There are strict rules between men and women, except in the case of Hatzolah," she said. "The problem is that any number of men might respond to a call on Hatzolah." That has been a source of "tremendous embarrassment" for some women, she said.
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The 21st century still hasn't arrived for some people. Their god is still running Windows 95.
More like vacuum tube computers...
Fianchetto and 482933, you are the ones who are backwards. You have no concept for the culture or the reasons for what they do. They are not what you or society have sterotyped them to be.
That said, I fully believe it is more than appropriate for the Orthodox women to perform as an EMT within the parameters of Halacha.
Jewish women ROCK!
I'm not the one telling women they can't do stuff. Who cares what you or your cult thinks.
Fianchetto, thanks for proving my point. Have a wonderful day!
I think the point the commenters are trying to make is that cultural beliefs (even religious ones) that are sexist should not be respected...
lorenzo, please read comment 4.1 and 6.
It looks like they, Orthodox Jews, have about as much of a problem with reality as the Muslims. Or should I say, are as stupid and don't realize we are in the 21st Century.
This is the USA. Freedom of religion. Whether you believe what others believe or not is inconsequential.
We all should have tolerance and respect for our fellow countrymen and women.
You don't have to believe...no one is asking you to.
This is the USA. Freedom of religion. Whether you believe what others believe or not is inconsequential.
We all should have tolerance and respect for our fellow countrymen and women.
You don't have to believe...no one is asking you to.
So freedom of religion trumps discrimination? Jehovah bless America.
In order for religion to maintain its strength, it must evolve with the people and times. To still single out women and look down on them for wanting to do the same things men do, shows a stagnant and lifeless ideal system. Good for these women, I hope they are able to contribute the way they wish to.
for a country that sees itself as one of the leading lights in the world and one that projects free speech and the right to freely associate as one of the main stays of it's constitution the acts of these orthodox jewish fractions is doing no more than draging these forward thinking womens ideas back into the dark ages
Before you open your mouth about what you have no idea of.... investigate. In an Orthodox marriage, the woman has more rights than the man. They have what is called a "Katubah", it is the marriage contract. Because of it, less than 1% of Orthodox marriages fail. It is stacked against the man to protect the woman, if the man fails to do what he has promised to his wife, he gets fined. Women are well respected and honored in the Orthodox Jewish community.
There are deeper and more meaningful things about the Orthodox, which I dont think you would understand or appreciate. I am a gentile, and I am amazed by the beauty, dignity, and kindness of the Orthodox.
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There will never be such a thing as equality.
As long as there are ____— only things.
That applies to everyone. The example here is an EMT group. An example I use all of the time is this:
What is the only demographic group that does not have it's own exclusive scholarship or grant for higher education? Think about that one folks.
I disagree with you totally First I happen to be an orthodox married Rabbanit, I have a degree in accounting, Computer science, Duala, and I even have an EMT license ANY man that feels threatened by the female has an issue with insecurity, ignorance and just a pride head. Anyone with a little sense knows very well that we all need each other, and that makes us strong. My grade mates are lawyers accountants special ed medical doctors dentist authors and teachers and last and foremost mothers, yes by the way a very religious Bais Yakov. We have brilliant women and men. We don't look like animal act like animals that proves we have self control and pride as who we are. Insecure people look to attract write lies so they feel they are superior but that all falls apart because lies don’t last it surfaces sooner or later. We do not want to change our religion our religion does not approve of ignorance, true knowledge never hurt anyone.
If a orthodox Jewish woman feels more confortable with a same sex EMT more power to her, myself if it was a emergency i just want anyone qualified...
Stupid. Like the radical Christians and the muslims.
Again with the "stupid."
You don't have to like what others believe or practice it or even understand it but you should work on your tolerance.
Well Dan Tanner, isn't that a clever little moniker. You're clearly beyond Stupid.
This is what freedom of religion is all about! The Orthodox Jews are free to believe any way they like, as long as they are not imposing it upon anyone else. It's really little different than the Amish or some of the other strongly conservative religious groups. The thing is, no one is forcing them to practice this religion and they can leave it at any time. Also, I don't see too many Orthodox Jews trying to make their religious law the law of the land.
This EMT unit is composed of volunteers. If it's not government funded, then they have the right to make their own rules, just as any other organization.
Having said that, looking at it as an outsider, I would think that a female "sub-group" of this organization would be even more fitting toward their religious law, as it would be women treating women.
Orthodox Jews were one of the principle groups opposed to gay marriage in New York. For some reason they think everyone must live under their peculiar sharia laws. The Catholic church has the same view, that their sharia laws should control everyone else. Neither group seems to understand the concept of separation of church and state.
Shrekk; It would be better if you would read up on who's law Sharia Law is. It is Muslim and they already have a poor track record when it comes to women.
You do not understand the concept of 'Separation of church and state'. If you would really read the Constitution, you might find that 'Separation of Church and state' means that the state cannot dictate any religion as a religion of the 'State' or country. It by no means meant that God and the Church were supposed to be completely removed from every aspect of our lives. You can blame the Atheists and Liberals for that!
I guess you missed the rather obvious metaphor. I don't care whether your sharia laws originate in the Koran, the Mosaic Code, Canon law or Kosher law......none of your sharia laws belong in our secular law. Your religion belongs in your life, not in mine.
It means much more than that. Learn about the Lemon Test.
You're free to have imaginary friends, but our secular government cannot. Nor can it enforce the sharia laws of your favorite cult.
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Are groups like this good for America or do they have their own agenda I suspect their real loyalty is to their own Orthodox religion first, Israel second and the USA a distant 3rd. Look how our politicians are terrified of Israel, in fact how they endorse any action of Israel no matter how radical, there are a lot of Jews in our Govt, just look at the Supreme Court, another reason this this group has a strangle hold on our policies. I'm sure these are good meaning people but I wonder how much influence they have over our Govt?
This story has nothing to do with the government. the dispute is within the Orthodox Jewish community and is theirs alone to address. And, there are a lot more Christians in government and business than Jews!
And how is this different from Sharia law?
Go for it girls!...Just make sure its Hatzolah and not Hizballah.....
You go Girls!!!!
stupid, just stupid....so where is the all the concern for"modest" men...who may not want to be handled by a female? Yep...no answer for that.