Anger and confusion as strictly-Orthodox girls banned from London concert
Girls' schools and religious authorities say Orthodox women should stay away from event featuring female Jewish Orthodox singers
Strictly-Orthodox girls in London have been warned by religious authorities to stay away from a women-only concert being performed by an Orthodox Jewish female singer because it may cause “spiritual harm”.
The row, involving several Charedi girls’ schools and the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (UOHC) umbrella group, centres on the singer Bracha Jaffe, a New York nurse and mother-of-five.
She is due to play in concert alongside fellow singer Chaya Kogan as well as “child sensation” Esther Krohn at Hackney Empire on 15 January, an event for which tickets had sold out by last week.
However, in a statement issued by email and posted to synagogue noticeboards, the UOHC said it “endorses and supports the decision” of Charedi girls’ schools such as Beis Yaakov Grammar School for ban girls from attending the concert.
Referring to “the concert for ladies and girls”, the UOHC said it “may cause spiritual harm in Ruchniyus and Hashkofo CV and one should therefore not participate in such an event”.
A community source said: “Many women are selling their tickets because of this [edict]… People are concerned that they won’t be accepted to the secondary school if they are spotted at the concert, despite their own disagreement with the ban. They feel they have to follow authority for their children’s education.”
In response, Jaffe said: “Our girls need healthy kosher music, healthy kosher entertainment that will bring them closer to God. I want to be a good example to our girls. I care about the way I present myself. I only want to be a positive role model.”
In a video message posted online, she said she had been “greatly saddened” by the furore but urged those who still want to attend to “join me on January 15th”, adding: “We’ll sing, we’ll dance, we’ll have an emotional and spiritual connection.”
Well-known to religious Jewish communities around the world, Jaffe, 33, grew up in a cantorial family and performs across the US and Europe. She covers her hair and sings only to women, with all-female bands, and even makes her social media accounts available only to women.
Following the distribution of the UOHC statement and a subsequent communal backlash, Orthodox media reported that a co-signatory of the letter was seen ripping down copies from shul boards, although this cannot be independently verified.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.