Men's Rights and Jewish Orthodoxy

Men's Rights is a controversial movement that attempts to reverse some of the progressions made by Feminism in recent decades. It can't be compared directly to Feminism as the structure of the Men's Rights movement is quite distinct from that of Feminism. The focus is quite different.

Frum Men's Rights Facebook Group

One major source of information on the internet for Orthodox Jewish Men's Rights is the Facebook Group. What is discussed here?

What is the controversy?

In general the trend is shifting of Jewish values instigated by Feminists. In virtually every case Feminism challenges the basic codes of Jewish Laws. Predictably opportunistic rabbis play up to the congregation and bend or break the basic laws of Judaism.

Orthodox Jewish Divorce

Most of the discussions revolve around divorce. The basic fact of Jewish law is that only a man(the husband) may initiate a divorce, which runs counter to the modern notion of equality and rights. The result is a panoply of excuses, violations, scandals and the like both on the part of rabbis and those who are going through divorce proceedings. Obviously sums of money are at stake in these rulings and typically it can spell ruin and social isolation for those who are caught up in a problem like this. 

Menachem Lowy  

I've had many discussions with Menachem Lowy who is one of the admins of the Frum Men's Rights Facebook group. The interactions are usually informative but not always friendly. Menachem does have a grasp of Jewish Law, as well as the particular details and often overlooked loopholes and such. While Menachem does display a thorough grasp of Talmudic law, he also shows a contempt for Kabbalistic thought.

יהושפט אוליבר(Yehosephat Oliver)

Yehosephat Oliver is the founder of Frum Men's rights. He blogs regularily about these issues and more on his Facebook profile.

These controversies are bound to continue for some time so it's an area to watch.