The struggle of women who are 'not elected, not voting' escalated after the publicity they received on the program 'Uvda', which aired on Channel 2.
After watching the program, I had some thoughts about the groundbreaking struggle of these women.
1.
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There is nothing that can convince me of the justice of their struggle like that violent and rude "stay in the coop" response that one Golem unleashed at them. And twice more. As he wanted to say, it didn't escape me except that that really sums up my entire (lack of) opinion of you. A rooster dressed in black. That's all he is.
2.
But why in practice have I still not been convinced of the righteousness of their struggle? Not because of legal considerations that are subject to interpretation, debate, or relative 'view' arguments, which certainly depend on a changing reality. But simply because politics in general, and functioning as a member of Knesset in particular, is ultimately a profession. No less, no more.
Yes, representation, no, a member of Knesset is, before all else, just a professional for the promotion and realization of private and general interests.
And in this proper context - a question: Have you ever met a female plumber? No. Not even a secular one. Why? Simply because a woman is not supposed to unclog drains and wade through sewers. Realistically, this doesn't happen, and let's hope it never will.
Of course, privately and independently, there are certainly those who are capable of and do this, but they too will not insist on doing it in public. Certainly not by choice.
Forgive me, but the Knesset in its essence, in my opinion, is the closest thing to a drain plug. Even if we crown it, and agree that it is certainly one of the most influential places, who knows that the way it is conducted is very much a 'wading in Jura.' There is no nicer way to put it.
Even today, with no Haredi women in the Knesset, I find myself more than once or twice embarrassed to the roots of my hair watching Knesset members, even though they are secular, scream like crazy, and fight like taxi drivers on a daily basis. It even shocks me. And not because a woman should be "quiet" and "modest," although these are positive qualities in every person, man and woman, but mainly because it does not suit the female personality structure.
Yes, absolutely. A woman, almost every woman, is much more refined in character than a man. If she is not, it is a disadvantage, not an advantage. And not necessarily because "all her dignity is that of a king's daughter inside," but because even the daughter of a plumber is not necessarily suitable to become a plumber.
So it is true that the work of an MK, and perhaps even its main part, is not just shouting and cursing from the podium. It consists of a great deal of legislative work and votes in the various Knesset committees. But the path to advancing interests still requires a great deal of force and belligerence, constant clashes and confrontations.
And this may sound a bit disconnected from the current reality, in which Haredi women are already integrated almost everywhere, but the Haredi woman in her public representation is still, in my opinion, a symbol and model for everything that is beyond the flat and rebellious norms of the modern era, for everything that is supposed to elevate her above the inferior, the obnoxious, the forceful, and the quarrelsome.
My wife, mother, and sisters, and in fact any woman I know, whoever she may be, I would not want to see and would not even be able to imagine functioning in the Knesset. If so, it would only be to their detriment, not their advantage. And what is good/bad for a secular Knesset member, I would not wish on an ultra-Orthodox Knesset member.
Because, to put it a little more cleverly, if you really feel that you are capable of bringing a "different style" of noble conduct to the Knesset and still succeed in carrying out your role in realizing the goals of your mission - you have proven that you are truly unfit...
We as a public, especially the Haredi public, need plumbers.
3.
So will there be an ultra-Orthodox woman in the Knesset in the future? It's possible.
But I wouldn't see this as a positive breakthrough, just as I wouldn't see it as a sign of the devaluation of our women.
If this happens, it will be just another step in the ongoing, natural process of generational decline. We have already deteriorated in enough things and areas, so even such a decline in the image and value of the Haredi woman will not undermine my existence.
If we want, ultra-Orthodox women, much more than men, are the exact reflection of the face of ultra-Orthodox society.
Whatever they are, that's how we are truly equal.
4.
And what about the benefits of having an ultra-Orthodox woman in the Knesset?
They mainly talk about how this will change the status of the ultra-Orthodox woman. I don't believe this. A change in the "status of the ultra-Orthodox woman," or at least in the chauvinistic, ultra-Orthodox male perception of women as it exists in a distorted way in people like that black-clad rooster who crowed "Stay in the coop," is very doubtful if it will result from this.
For people like him, if the current reality - in which an ultra-Orthodox woman is found and acts in almost every field as an equal among equals - has not succeeded in making them wiser, nothing will be done.
So right now it's just playing with what I think and considering profit versus loss.
The loss, as I see it, is too great for my taste.
