9:19 AM
Gil Student
R. Yosef Blau discusses R. Shlomo Amar's decision to cancel the Agunah conference (link):
Rabbi Blau said that Rabbi Amar told them that some rabbis – without specifying which – felt that holding the conference would give the appearance that rabbis are responding to feminist pressure. However, Rabbi Blau says this accusation is an "insult to the chief rabbi of Israel and all the rabbonim who agreed to go."
On the contrary, Rabbi Blau argued, canceling the conference "has strengthened feminist tendencies because now the perception is that rabbis are not willing to deal with the issue of agunos. The argument is backwards and upside down..."
Ultimately, Rabbi Blau concluded, "this is not a women's issue; it's an issue of tzedek."
