Authors: Naomi Ragen

Women's Minyan (2 page)

BOOK: Women's Minyan

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Prologue

AT RISE:

An empty stage. Down stage a row of twelve plain, high–backed, empty wooden chairs. On each rests the folded clothing of a
haredi
woman or girl. One by one, the actors enter in their normal street clothes—jeans, leather jackets, low cut dresses etc. Each stands behind a chair.

MAN’S VOICE
: [
deep, authoritative and demanding.
] “In the merit of saintly women were the generation enslaved in Egypt redeemed. As in the first redemption, so will it be in the final redemption, which will come about because of the saintliness of women. Therefore
women must be
modest…and refuse to follow the temptations of fashion as practiced by the gentiles. True happiness, eternal happiness, can be found in the exercise of modesty. Because in every moment that she is dressed modestly, a woman performs a good deed according to the spirit of the Torah, bringing endless happiness and good to themselves and their families, a good that benefits the entire world. With the power of their modesty, modest women influence the rest of the women in the world, bringing down a spirit of purity and good behavior.

As the
MAN’S VOICE
speaks, the
actors
begin to remove their clothing (underneath are bodysuits) as if hearkening to the male directives.

MAN’S VOICE
: The laws of modesty. The laws of modest dress are not simply a matter of personal choice, but specific, detailed laws stated clearly in the Code of Jewish Law.

MODESTY
: a woman shall not wear man’s clothing. She must not wear anything flashy or loud, like clothes with embroidery, or sequins, or big flowers in the front or back, or clothing with appliqués, wording, and so forth. Clothing that is form-fitting is absolutely forbidden, and it is simple and plain to any person with sense that this is the biggest stumbling block to modest dress. She shall wear no bright colors. Red is the color of licentiousness, and licentiousness brings sin. Denim clothing and sneakers are not fit to be worn by those seeking modesty.

The
ACTORS
take the
haredi
clothing from the chair and begin to dress in accordance with the instructions read by
man’s voice.
They do this modestly, no flesh showing. If they remove trousers, it is only after they have put a skirt on top of it.

MAN’S VOICE
: The Law of Covering: the law of covering the body has as its purpose to hide the flesh from foreign eyes. Clothing made from lace or transparent in any part, does not constitute lawful covering—and this is the problem with white shirts, almost all of which are see-through, and so you must wear another garment underneath. Little girls must be educated to this from the earliest age. From the age of three, it is absolutely forbidden for them to show their bodies.

And these are the particulars of the laws: The Sleeves:

The
ACTORS
finish putting on their outfits. They raise up their arms, checking the sleeves according to the text as it is read.

MAN’S VOICE
: The strict interpretation of the law requires that the arms be covered until the palm of the hand, and this is praiseworthy. However, those who wish to be lenient may permit the arm to be covered until beneath the elbow. But in any case, the elbow must be covered. And this is why one should not wear clothing with wide sleeves that might reveal the elbow—even accidentally—when the hands are raised up.

The Neck—

ACTORS
feel the sides of their necks as instructed.

MAN’S VOICE
: It is permitted to see the neck. The boundaries of the neck are: The sides—from the place where the neck descends into the shoulder—this must be covered. The front: from the collarbone and down, it must be covered. The back: from the first vertebra of the spine, it must be covered. There are those whose custom it is to wear only a buttoned-up collar. Failure to button the collar is very commonplace, and one must be on guard, paying careful attention to where the first button on a blouse is located, as well as to the width of the opening in sweaters and collarless dresses.

Stockings:

ACTORS
put on stockings.

MAN’S VOICE
: The wearing of stockings is mandatory. Our sages have written at length about the obligation to cover the leg from the knee to the bottom of the foot. And for those who observe stringently, the wearing of thin, transparent stockings does not fulfill this obligation. The wearing of transparent stockings or fishnet stockings is forbidden. One must wear stockings through which the flesh cannot be easily discerned. One should not wear knee-socks, because this might lead to revealing a place which is forbidden to reveal. Stockings with bold patterns and bright colors should not be worn by the modest, because they attract the eye. It is forbidden to go without stockings even in one’s own home.

The
ACTORS
, now fully dressed in ultra-Orthodox clothes, check the length of their dresses.

MAN’S VOICE
: The length of the dress. The knee must be covered in all events, whether sitting or standing. And the sages of our generation have already ruled that a dress must fall no less than ten centimeters below the knee, because if a dress falls just below the knee while standing, when one sits it is sure to ride up and reveal forbidden places. And this is a terrible sin recognized by all. And certain kinds of material which are likely to ride up even further when sitting, must be compensated for by lengthening them still further, so that the knee will not be revealed under any circumstances. It is mandatory to check how much every piece of clothing rides up when one sits down, in order to calculate the minimum length of the garment necessary to cover the knee. And those that go beyond the law and lengthen their skirts still further, this is praiseworthy.

The
ACTORS
begin to cover their hair.

MAN’S VOICE
: The head. A married woman is required to cover all the hair on her head, either with a head covering or a wig, according to the custom. When is a wig permissible? When one can clearly see that it is a wig. A modest head covering is the crowning glory of a woman, wife, and mother. It is forbidden that one should mistake her wig for her own hair, but it should be clearly a foreign body on her.

CHANA
starts. She leaves her chair and goes offstage. The Actors continue their transformation, ignoring her.

MAN’S VOICE
: [
continues reading without interruption.
] It is forbidden that a wig be styled in a disheveled manner, because the act of wearing disheveled hair is a sin, an imitation of the whoring ways of the dregs of humanity. And this is true also of all types of wigs styled in a way that is eye-catching or strange. Because, after all, the whole reason for hair covering is to discourage strangers from catching the eyes of strangers. And women must be vigilant in overseeing the quiet, modest style and length of their wigs.

The
ACTORS
transformation into
haredi
women in
haredi
dress is complete.

CHANA
:
[
off. Screaming
]
ENOUGH
!!

A door slams. A male voice shouts angrily: “Chana!” The
ACTORS
freeze, looking up. Beat.
CHANA
reenters, fleeing. Her head covering is half off. Her face and neck are stained with red marks. She tries to run through the row of chairs. She trips on her own empty chair and falls.
SHAINE RUTH
and
BLUMA
rush to help her up.
BLUMA
touches
CHANA
’s bleeding cheek, looks in horror at her own hand, now tainted with her mother’s blood.
SHAINE RUTH
grabs her mother’s arm.
CHANA
breaks free. Like a frightened, trapped animal, she looks for escape, and heads toward the door at stage right.
FRUME
grabs her arm.

FRUME
: If you leave now, you will regret it until the end of your days!

CHANA
shakes off her mother’s restraining arm. Running, she circles the stage once, then disappears.
SHAINE RUTH, BLUMA
and
FRUME
return to their places in the row, and together with the rest, retreat with the chairs and disappear into the darkness.

MAN’S VOICE
: Compiled, with the grace of God, by Talmud scholars, under the supervision and guidance of the Gaonim, Rav Shalom Elyashiv,
Shlita
, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach,
Shlita,
Rav Ben Tziyon Aba Shaul,
Shlita
, Rav Shmuel HaLevi Vanzer,
Shlita,
Rav Sheinberg,
Shlita
, Rav Nissim Karlitz,
Shlita.
Rav Zilbershtein,
Shlita
, Rav Luria,
Shlita
….

Black.

Act I

Scene one

The living/dining room in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish home in a Jerusalem apartment building. The room is worn, but very clean. Large bookcases filled with Bibles, heavy Talmudic volumes, and ritual objects line the walls: Sabbath candlesticks, a silver menorah, wine cups, spice boxes, a citron holder. Pictures of revered, bearded rabbis peer down from the walls. Stage right, the front door. Stage left, a back entrance. Along the back wall, to the right and left of the window, there’s one exit to the other rooms and another to the kitchen.

The furniture includes a large dining room table which, when lit to effect, resembles an altar. There are chairs and a telephone stand. Children’s toys are scattered over the floor and table. There is an empty baby stroller, a laundry basket filled with clean laundry, an ironing board. A room left hurriedly. Upstage center, a large window between the bookcases dominates the room, bringing in the outside world. Like an all seeing-eye, the unseen but powerful male presence outside intrudes constantly through the window. Alternatively, actors may look towards the audience through an imagined window.

Off, a
MALE VOICE
reads Psalm 75, and a
CHORUS OF MEN
repeat after him, line by line, in a crescendo of threatening sound. Individual calls of “
Pritza” (
whore
)
and “
Cherem” (
excommunication
)
ring out.

SHAINE RUTH
enters from the right. She surveys the disorder with dismay. Off, a
CHORUS OF MEN
shout: “A shame and a disgrace! It’s shameful, it’s wantonness.”

SHAINE RUTH
hurries to look out the window. She is visibly horrified and confused. She turns her back on it, picking up the laundry basket. Enter
BLUMA
from the back entrance.

SHAINE RUTH
: [
throwing laundry basket aside.
] Bluma! I’m so glad you’ve come!

BLUMA
: I had to go all the way around. It’s just not modest for…a woman to press her body through such a crowd of men.

SHAINE RUTH
: [
wiping away tears.
] I thought you’d forgotten.

BLUMA
: How could I forget?! Granny Fruma called me twice yesterday, and Rav (Rabbi) Aaron even reminded my husband—

SHAINE RUTH
: So what took you so long?

BLUMA
: [
evasively.
] I’m sorry, I was feeling—[
beat.
] not well.

SHAINE RUTH
: Never mind. Thank God you’re here now. [
indicating the window
]. Just listen to what they’re saying about her! Oh, I wish this was over already!

They embrace, listening to the threatening male voices filtering in through the window. Pause.

BLUMA
: Maybe she won’t come. I don’t believe even she’d have the
chutzpah
to face all those men.

SHAINE RUTH
: But what if she does? What if she brings the police? Oh, let’s get out of here, now!

BLUMA
: You know it’s forbidden. We’ve been told what we have to do. [
suddenly taking in the disorder.
] Shaine Ruth! How did you leave everything in such a mess?

SHAINE RUTH
: I ran after Shimmy with his
tzitzis
[
holds them in her hand.
]

BLUMA
: [
appalled.
]
How
could you forget such a thing?

SHAINE RUTH
: [
hurt, defensive.
] I dressed all the little ones myself. It’s the one thing I forgot.

BLUMA
: [
beginning to straighten up.
] You poor thing! When I was here they knew they’d better behave themselves. Come on, let’s clean this mess up!

SHAINE RUTH
: [
with one ear cocked to the window, she picks up a holy book from the table.
] Since you got married, everything is so much harder!

BLUMA
: You’re seventeen already, Shaine Ruth. You should be able to manage. Make the children do their share.

SHAINE RUTH
: They try. But they are still so young. And so am I. I don’t know how to be a mother to ten children.

Off.
VOICES
call out: “Shun her! We won’t allow it! In the name of the Torah!”
SHAINE RUTH
drops the books and runs to the window.

BLUMA
: What are you doing, Shaine Ruth! Get away from that window. Come, finish with these books.

SHAINE RUTH
: [
still peering out of the window, agitated.
]
Oy
no! The older boys are still here in the yard!

BLUMA
: It can’t be!

SHAINE RUTH
: Yes! Yitzchak and Eliahu! They’re standing there with the rest of the men! [
guilty and appalled.
]
Oy va’a voy!!
Are they also going to scream insults at
Ima
(Mother)?

BLUMA
: [
taking out her frustrations on the cleaning.
] She’s brought it all on herself!

SHAINE RUTH
: What’s gotten into you? Honor thy father and mother. It’s the fifth commandment. [
looking out the window, suddenly relaxing. She waves, sighs.
] That’s it. They’re gone. Granny Frume just came back and took them. [
Pause.
] Let’s also run away, you and I!
Ima
will come and the place will be empty.

BLUMA
: I already told you. It’s forbidden. Someone has to be here to get rid of her.

SHAINE RUTH
: Why? If she doesn’t find anyone…?

BLUMA
: Rav Aaron said.

SHAINE RUTH
: But why us? Why not Granny or Father?

BLUMA
: Shaine Ruth!! Who are we to question the words of the holy Rav?

SHAINE RUTH
: All right, all right! [
NOISES
off bring back their attention to the window.
] Look Bluma! More men are coming! Instead of spending their precious time learning the Torah, they’re here “protecting” us from her. It’s sinful.

BLUMA
: [
arranging things, furious.
] Another mark on her black soul.

SHAINE RUTH
: Oy! Bluma come look! They’ve brought clubs. [
frightened.
] You don’t think…you don’t think they’ll beat her up, do you? What a horror!

BLUMA
: What a
mitzvah!
[good deed].

SHAINE RUTH
: How can you say that?!! These are not
your
words, Bluma. [
staring out the window longingly.
] I wonder how she looks now.

BLUMA
: I couldn’t care less. Come back here—stop staring and put away this laundry.

SHAINE RUTH
: [
lost in thought.
] Two years. Two whole years since she left. Such a long time. I’ve tried so hard to forget, the way everyone told us, but I just can’t. Last night, I dreamt about her. She was braiding my hair and—[
NOISE
off draws her to window.
] Oh, look! It’s him!

BLUMA
: Who?

SHAINE RUTH
: Your…. [
changes her mind, lies.
] No. Nothing. I just thought…

BLUMA
:
Please
get away from that window. Do you want the entire neighborhood to see you?

The room is in order, except for the table.
BLUMA
takes off the tablecloth and hands it to
SHAINE RUTH
.

Go bring an ironed one. And fix your braid. We don’t want her to think that without her we’re falling apart at the seams.

SHAINE RUTH
looks toward her sister, toward the window. She hesitates a moment, then exits.
VOICES
off:
“Excommunication! Never! Jezebel!”

BLUMA
: [
to herself.
] She won’t come. She won’t have the
chutzpah
to stand up against all of them. Even she couldn’t be that shameless.

SHAINE RUTH
returns with a tablecloth. She again glances toward the window, toward her sister. She begins to speak, thinks better of it, and remains silent. Facing each other on either side of the long table, they grasp the tablecloth and with a single movement let it drop over the table, which acquires the aura of ritual.

BLUMA
: [
smiling ironically.
] Shaine Ruth! You call this ironed?

SHAINE RUTH
: [
laughingly, in sad agreement.
] Nothing is the same as it was when
Ima
was here. She used to spend an hour ironing the Sabbath tablecloth until it was perfect. With her, everything was clean and shining and polished…. Remember?

BLUMA
: [
hardening.
] What I remember is that she ruined my chances for the marriage I dreamed about.

Pause.

SHAINE RUTH
: I saw him just now. He was out there, with the others.

BLUMA
: [
agitated.
] Joseph Graetz? [
she takes a step toward the window, then stops in pain.
] It was her fault! Everything was her fault. She destroyed any chance I had with a man like him. And now she’s coming back to destroy your chances. All of a sudden she loves her children so much. All of a sudden she misses us so much….

SHAINE RUTH
: I miss her also. [
beat.
] So much.

BLUMA
: What a little fool you are, Shaine Ruth! Get this into your head once and for all: the fewer people who see her, the better your chances are for a decent match. Just imagine the mothers of all the yeshiva boys in Meah Shearim looking out the window as she marches to our door with the police…. Do you think any one of them would agree to be your mother-in-law after that?

Off.
SOUND OF POLICE SIREN.

There, you see!? That’s your precious mother. She’s brought the Cossacks from the police!

SHAINE RUTH
: [
frightened.
] Oh, no! I can’t face her!

BLUMA
: Why should
you
be ashamed to face
her
?
She
is the one who ruined our family’s honor, poured filth over our good name.
She
is the one who abandoned a husband and twelve children and went to live with a woman! [
SHAINE RUTH
is shocked.
] Yes, to live with her, like husband and wife! Why can’t
you
face
her
?!