ice. Most observant Jewish women usually attend the synagogue on Sabbaths and festival. Yet, their attendance is not a religious requirement. Therefore they may be regarded and less privileged then the males. Written in the Jewish scripts, it is understood that the men and women are not allowed to be together during prayer. In Orthodox Judaism, the men and women are usually in separate sections of the synagogue, and is often separated by a curtain, or in some cases even a wall. To the Jewish men, this is not a sexist act. It is solely done, so that the men would not be distracted by the women’s beauty. For some this may seem chauvinistic, and unfair. But, as Judaism evolved, other segregations were formed. Within many of these new forms of Judaism, the Conservative and Reform Judaism was created. Both these forms of Judaism see women’s role as being very different then the Orthodox view. However, the basic gender differentiation of traditional laws has created serious tensions in many sections of the Orthodox community.The Reform movement was created in the eighteenth-century Germany as an attempt to modernize the religion. Within this new form of Judaism, they have adapted many ideas from Christianity. The rabbi, or maybe even priest, can be male or female. This allows all females to be counted in all the rituals and prayers. They have introduced alternative mitzvoth (Good deeds that are based on Jewish tradition) and rituals to address religious needs for the women. In some cases, in Reform synagogue they may have someone playing a musical instrument during services, just like they do in a church. Reform and Conservative Judaism have for the most part embraced religious egalitarianism, allowing women to participate as men do in most rituals. Feminism in Judaism has grown in the last century. These women have come back to religious observance, but not in the traditional way. Some women view it as being patriarchal and sexis...
