If The "Woman" Is Counted As A Man For A Minyan, She/He Should Not Be Sitting In The Women's Section of The Shul...

 

Trans woman helps a UK "Orthodox" synagogue complete a minyan - Sit Her/Him With The Guys, Don't Hide Her In The Women's Section, He Is Not A She !

 

A woman agreed to be the 10th male in a synagogue minyan after the rabbi ruled it acceptable as she was born a man. Would you want your wife and daughter sitting in the "not sure what this is" section?

Princes Road synagogue in Liverpool, United Kingdom

 

A transgender woman in the United Kingdom recently helped an Orthodox synagogue in Liverpool complete a minyan despite not being a man by gender.

The Princes Road synagogue asked the woman to complete the prayer quorum on the first day of the Sukkot holiday, September 21, the Jewish News reported, in turn citing The Jewish Telegraph. 

According to Jewish law, 10 men are the minimum needed to hold a prayer service.

“According to Jewish law, she can be counted in a minyan and we were one person short,” said the synagogue’s Rabbi Yigal Wachmann. “We took into account her sensitivities. I asked her permission so as not to offend her. She was fine with it.”

The newspaper said she sat in the synagogue’s ladies section for the entirety of the service and quoted Dayan Gavriel Krausz, former head of the Manchester Beth Din, who said she could be included in an all-male minyan provided she adheres to the tenets of the religion. However, he is quoted as stating: “A man cannot become a woman just by an operation. If you are born a man, you are a man.”

Krausz also called cross-dressing “despicable” and added that “he” could be included, but “should not get an aliya (a invitation to stand at the bimah, the holiest place in the synagogue where the Torah is kept).”

“It’s always good to see Jewish communities such as Princes Road welcoming and including their trans members,” said Dalia Fleming, Executive Director of Keshet UK, which supports LGBT+ Jews

“There’s no one model that works for every community or Jewish trans person, and many communities are just starting to work this through. In the meanwhile, Keshet UK really wants to see these conversations are reported sensitively and kindly, to avoid causing hurt to LGBT+ people, and to give communities and their LGBT+ members time and space to create an authentic approach that works for them.”

https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/transgender-woman-makes-up-a-minyan-at-orthodox-synagogue/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/trans-woman-helps-a-uk-synagogue-complete-minyan/?utm_source=The+Daily+Edition&utm_campaign=daily-edition-2021-10-10&utm_medium=email