Jewish Women Sing

Many extremely talented and skilled women in the Orthodox world today face a tension between their self-expression and modesty. The Prohibition of Kol Isha requires that a man refrain from listening to a woman's singing voice. The purpose of this article is not to examine the halachic ramifications of this requirement, although it has been discussed at length in the past in the Commentator, if anyone will recall Mordechai Levovitz's "Do You Hear the Women Sing? The Kol Isha Myth" and its aftermath. The purpose of this article instead, is to investigate the motivation of those few women who choose to perform for "Women Only" audiences, and to examine some of their struggles, and perhaps for struggling orthodox women musicians and bands like ""Kankan," the new Stern College for Women band, to gain insight and help direct us in the future.

It seems to me that Jewish Women's music is not stylistically distinct from Jewish music in general. If you were to compare Debbie Friedman to Safam, for instance, their styles, while somewhat different, are only slightly affected by their genders. I wonder if the case is different in orthodox Jewish women's music. Is there a distinct character, because the audiences are "Women Only?" Comparing the Shira Girls Choir to Miami Boys Choir, for instance, actually might yield that same conclusion. Just as Neshama Carlebach started out singing together with her father, Rav Shlomo, Ravital Kranzler and her father, Eli Kranzler, followed suit.

On the other hand, women who become professional singers in the orthodox community are, oftentimes, ba'alei teshuva and converts. The narrator in the Gush Raise Your Spirits Summer Stock Company's "Esther", Larelyn Cole, who played Darius, was a convert, as is Rachel Factor, the star of J.A.P., going around the country on an extremely successful tour. This might explain some unique characteristics that some possess. The music of Julia Bloom, who is a ba'alat Teshuva, is supposed to be emotional. Certainly, Rachel Factor's J.A.P. is very much "for women only." She jokes about make-up and tells about tricks she used to get-the-guy that has entire halls of women laughing and I can't imagine most men would relate to.

Interestingly, it seems that the singers for "All- (Jewish Orthodox) Women" audiences are not only unique in performance, style, and content, but also the publicity and functionality of a given singer's performances. I am personally curious to know why it is so difficult to get information about most "Women Only" singers. Only a very select few of the performers for whom I tried searching have their own websites, and still fewer are sold on major Jewish music websites. Perhaps it is another siyag (protective fence) that people place around themselves, to guarantee that no man hears the recorded sound of their voice. Now they not only print on the cover of the tapes, "For Women Only," and "Do not listen on Shabbos or Yom Tov," but they won't even allow you access to the music, lest you come to sin.

Another example: Kineret Cohen, popularly known as "Kineret", is important enough (and immodest enough) to have a Website. This is unlike many other singers who are known mostly by word of mouth and private concerts. On this Website, the celebrity displays, "HAVE KINERET TO APPEAR AT YOUR NEXT FUNDRAISING EVENT!" (see http://www.kineretonline.com if you don't believe me).

Many women in the community feel stifled and frustrated with the limitations that Kol Isha places on them on a personal and professional level (I know I do). One singer, Shimona Gotleib, who, like many of the professionally trained singers, was not always orthodox, said in an interview with the Jewish News Weekly of Northern California that, "There were serious issues for me when I was thinking about following an Orthodox route," she said. "My view was that Judaism had a patriarchal center and that women were consigned to a secondary role...I always wanted to be a cross between Judy Collins and Madonna," she said, half-jokingly. "My life was supposed to be about going on tour to lots of exciting places and playing in all sorts of different clubs and venues. To me the Orthodox lifestyle didn't seem to reconcile with my artistic dreams."

While these artists might feel, or have once felt frustrated, they do not see this issue important enough to cause a change in their halachic observance. In fact, these women sing almost entirely Shirei Kodesh (which is slightly ironic, for those familiar with the sdei chemed on kol isha), and they serve as an inspiration to their audiences, in addition to entertainment.

Some artists might have started out feeling frustrated, but are pleasantly surprised at the results of the decision to go "Women Only." Rachel Factor, for instance, pointed out to The New York Times advantages that people might not predict in this area. Interestingly, despite her adherence to a religion that prohibits her from performing on Saturdays or singing in front of men outside her family, and requires her to forgo leotards for long skirts and modest hair coverings, she said she was more successful as an entertainer now than ever before. Since converting, Ms. Factor has become something of a celebrity, albeit within the small Orthodox subculture. "I thought I was closing a door" to creativity, Ms. Factor, 36, said. "I found out that I was not only not closing the door, I was opening a door that had remained closed to me."