Published: 23 November 2020
Last updated: 4 March 2024
LAST WEEK, WHILE WAITING in the queue to pick up my daughters from Moriah College in Sydney, I noticed the white ribbon affixed to the fence near the main entrance. White Ribbon Day, part of a global social movement dedicated to eliminating gendered violence against women is held each year on November 25, the International Day Against Violence Against Women.
White ribbons are used in more than 60 countries worldwide as a powerful symbol to demonstrate commitment to end gendered violence against women. White Ribbon Australia also seeks to “promote gender equality”.
I was initially pleased to see the white ribbon on York Road and another ribbon on Baronga Avenue. To its credit, Moriah College includes white ribbon concepts in their Protective Behaviours program. The school recently uploaded a video to Facebook featuring male students and teachers publicly confirming their dedication to ending violence against women. High school students also accept leadership roles in planning initiatives regarding White Ribbon Day.
However, I also felt my heart sink as I considered some deeper truths.
Moriah College divides its students into four houses – Akiva, Ezra, Herzl, and Hillel; each one named for prominent men in Jewish history. Of the 22 individuals on the Moriah College Board, including directors, life patrons and trustees, only two women hold positions of governance.
Of the 22 individuals on the Moriah College Board, including directors, life patrons and trustees, only two women hold positions of governance.
Additionally, a primary school prayer video for students in Years K-2 presents two female teachers lip synching silently while playing a recording of a male teacher singing the liturgy.
Clearly, more attention and resources are needed. The 2017 National Community Attitudes towards Violence Against Women Survey (NCAS) identified the prevalence and consequences of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment and stalking for women.
In Australia, including the Jewish community, approximately one in four women over the age of 15 has experienced at least one incident of violence by an intimate partner, three in ten women have experienced physical violence, and approximately one in five have experienced sexual violence.
In response to these troubling statistics, NCAS suggested that institutions should address, “…all aspects of gender equality with a focus on challenging rigid gender roles and the idea that gender inequality is no longer a problem. The latter is especially important, as attitudes in this theme are both the strongest predicter of attitudes supportive of violence against women and the most widely held.”
We entrust our schools with the responsibility of providing our children with an education that will prepare them to engage in one of the most diverse countries in the world. Such preparation includes helping to shape the attitudes of young men with respect to young women.
In addition to recognising Moriah’s ongoing efforts, I have some polite and practical suggestions. First, to demonstrate its commitment to gender equality, Moriah College could teach students about prominent female Jewish leaders who have impacted the Jewish community, undertaking a process that might result in renaming two of the four houses for women.
Second, Moriah College’s Board of Directors could institute a phased strategy over the next four years, rotating a man off the board, creating a space for a woman to ascend into a leadership role.
Third, it may be time for Moriah and other Jewish schools and synagogues to re-evaluate traditional male-centric practices. NCAS indicated that 66% of Australians surveyed support gender equality.
The Talmud teaches that in certain manners of halakhic observance, those entrusted with the responsibility of leadership should, “Go out and observe what the people are doing.”
How can we expect that men and boys will listen respectfully to women and girls in any sphere of public or private life when our schools and religious institutions segregate women and silence their voices in our synagogues?
How can we expect that men and boys will listen respectfully to women and girls in any sphere of public or private life when our schools and religious institutions segregate women and silence their voices in our synagogues?
If even our youngest Jewish boys are watching a prayer video where a recording of a man’s voice dominates the voices of his female teachers, what message does this send to both our boys and our girls?
Beyond the organisational level, the White Ribbon Movement has engaged men and boys as drivers of social change in the fight against violence against women. As a father of two young daughters, I want to help create and eventually celebrate a world where women’s voices are heard, their abilities are championed, and equal opportunities for achievement and leadership are realised.
I remain hopeful that other men in the Sydney Jewish community wish to become allies, collaborating in efforts to end gendered violence against women, while advocating for gender equality in all spheres of private and public life.
Together we can inspire young men to embody a deeper sense of goodness and fairness, a manhood grounded in gentleness, integrity, empathy, and respect.
