Posted on 02/07/2018 11:19:01 AM PST by nickcarraway
At Jerusalem concert for female-only crowd, American-born Yonatan Razel takes drastic action
An ultra-Orthodox singer covered his eyes with masking tape in the middle of a concert for women only in order not to see audience members who were dancing in front of the stage.
Yonatan Razel was playing his keyboard and singing at Jerusalem’s International Conference Center on Sunday night when he put the tape over his eyes during one song. Video of the incident was played on Hadashot television news.
Razel is an American-born musician, and one of most popular ultra-Orthodox performers in Israel. He recently released his third album.
An organizer of the concert, which was part of a festival of ultra-Orthodox music for women, said that Razel covered his eyes for a few minutes.
“The scene in which he is seen to be covering his eyes took place for only a few minutes, when there were circles of women dancing at the foot of the stage,” he told the Ynet news site. “It was his personal decision, so as not to sit with his eyes open in front of the dancing women. Then he removed the tape and continued the concert normally.”
The act was considered unusual, even among the ultra-Orthodox who practice strict adherence to modesty laws. There have not been other incidents of Haredi singers covering their eyes in this way in front of the all-female crowd.
Galia Wolloch, president of Israeli women’s rights organization Na’amat, slammed the singer for his extreme behavior.
“How far will this ostensibly religious extremism go?” she wrote on Facebook. “And who are the religious authorities who encourage this bizarre behavior?”
A representative of Razel downplayed the incident.
“Razel wants to say that he has appeared regularly for years before women and respects them, and his actions yesterday should not be given any other significance,” he told the news site.
“My eyes! My eyes!”
Certainly better than beating the women, or forcing them to put on black sacks or forcing women to leave a public space.
its a discipline he put on himself, not on others. As such, its his choice and I respect him for it.
Nobody puts Baby in the corner. : ),
What he did may seem a bit over the top, but it did no harm to anyone. Contrast it with Islam and forcing women to cover up; why don’t the offended males cover their own eyes? (Or PLUCK THEM OUT!)
Orthodox Jewish women have a pretty strict dress code and lots of restrictions on what they can do. Also, there have been many instances of the ultra-Orthodox attacking other “less perfect” Jews on the street for some imagined violation. The ultra-Orthodox are not a popular group in Israel because they have the attitude that only they are true Jews, and they’re not shy about saying it or trying to enforce it.
Seems a pretty fair to me:
“And if your eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.”
Who said anyone encouraged this kind of behavior?
It's none of her business what a private person decides to do that isn't hurting anyone.
Weird-A-Rama!
Let’s hope be doesn’t encounter any women when he’s driving.
Point taken.
Note the difference:
Jewish ultra-Orthodox: Tapes his own eyes closed.
Muslim: blames the women and forces them to dress in such a way as not to entice him.
Cool! Playing so well blinded too. Ray Charles II — with tefillin?
This might be the solution to keep muslin men from attacking women.
PGR88:
“its a discipline he put on himself, not on others. As such, its his choice and I respect him for it.”
- - -
Skooz:
“Jewish ultra-Orthodox: Tapes his own eyes closed.
Muslim: blames the women and forces them to dress in such a way as not to entice him.”
- - -
Agree, agree, agree!
More power (and respect) to him.
Less power (and respect) to Muzzies and other muzzlers.
“And I think to myself / What a Stevie Wonder-full world”
Kind of. They mainly are asshats in their particular neighborhood in old Jerusalem. You go in their hood, they get pissed. I’m an observant Orthodox Jew (Chasidic) and they are unfriendly to me.
Each little sect has its own so-called tzadick and thinks anyone who doesn’t follow THEIR tzadick is a heretic. We’re talking about little tiny cults.
Do women dance in scantily-clad outfits while driving in your area?
So long as it doesn’t affect his playing.
Concur. I think he’s a bit over the top.
But then, like most Orthodox, I made an oath to my wife to not touch another women not in my family. It makes her touch that much special.
I end up having to shake hands to avoid being rude in the West, but after I get to know people they respect it and don’t press the issue.
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