Emily Weiner

Blog Questions 10/9

1. What is the mission of the Alliance Israelite for Jews in North Africa & Middle East?

The mission of the Alliance Israelite for Jews in North Africa & the Middle East was that they urged the Jews of a strong education and professional foundation in order to become important members within society.  This organization was French-Jewish based in Paris. Prior to this, as we learned in class most education was given in the home and was provided by the mother of house. Now, this organization’s main point is so leave that level of education and take it to a higher level. They started opening schools in order to start this shift and by the end of this century it was seen to be about one hundred schools. These schools were also for all genders, prior to this men were given the opportunity of secondary education but they did not all continue on with it.

3. How does Rabbi Uzziel argue in favor of women’s suffrage?

Rabbi Ben-Zion Uzziel main point was that he was in favor of the Jewish women to have the right of involvement in elections such as voting and holding office. He felt not allowing such rights for women was extremely unfair. He explains that it is unjust to not grant woman these rights as we have not been given a concrete reason behind such a decision. He focuses on two main rights of woman, one being the right to vote and the other being the opportunity to hold office if elected. He stated that gender should not be a factor in determining who could represent a community but we should be focusing on the abilities and leadership instead.