Jewish Women In Gal Gadot And Gisella Perl

Women, in general, have always been the subject of discrimination, and inequality. They struggle to hold a high status within society, and this struggle does not become any easier when religion is involved. For centuries now, Jewish women have lived their lives not knowing whether they will be accepted or turned away, liked or disliked, or even valued adequately for the many skills they exhibit. In the past, Jewish women were not given many opportunities. They were to obey their husband’s commands, and follow the commandments of the Torah. This is still prevalent in society today. However, Jewish women have taken a stand, and are now seen excelling in the workforce. As well, many have interpreted the Torah in a lighter sense, thus giving themselves

Looking through the lens of many scholarly writers, I will compare beliefs, and behaviours of Jewish women, including two well-known individuals, Gal Gadot, and Gisella Perl.

In the early 20th century, Jewish women were treated as if they had no worth. They were not given the opportunity to display their skills in the workforce, regardless if these skills were one’s that would benefit society. As well, they were to strictly follow the commandments, and rituals associated with Judaism. However, in Isaac Sassoon’s article, titled, The Status of Women in Jewish Tradition, there was a cliché offered by many orthodox Jews, regarding the spiritual superiority of women. This went on to state that women had less of a need to perform all of the commandments, or that their role of mothers outweighed the importance of fulfilling certain commandments (152-153). Many women abided by these commandments, as it allowed them to feel a greater connection to G-D by doing so. Nevertheless, a Jewish man’s commitment to the commandments was not disrupted by family life, as it was not his job to worry about any domestic work. As well, girls were taught to pray three times a day, just as boys were taught to pray three times a day. However, a

Another scholarly author, Chana Rachel Kovacs, touched on this subject as well. In her article, Woman’s Role in Traditional Judaism, she stated the following: “Men and women were created differently. Different does not mean unequal” (Kovacs, 2). She then went on to explain that men have always been thought of as the head of the household. Yet, a child is Jewish because of the mother. These are both important statements, as they give insight as to what the life of a Jewish woman was like centuries ago. These women were not given the opportunity to strictly abide by the commandments, thus leaving them less connected to G-D. They were also not given the opportunity to participate in the workforce. Although this may not seem like a desirable activity, being given the opportunity to show their skills, would have made their lives a little more exciting. One individual who stepped out