Mechitza

A mechitza (Hebrew: מחיצה, partition or division, pl.: מחיצות, mechitzot) in Judaism is a partition, particularly one that is used to separate men and women.

The rationale in

The land will mourn each of the families by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of Shimei by itself and their wives by themselves; and all the families who remain, each of the families by itself and their wives by themselves.[4]

Rav explained that if such a sad occasion necessitates a separation between men and women, then the Simchat Beit HaShoeivah in the Temple in Jerusalem (a very happy occasion) does as well.^[1]

Medieval period

Meir of Rothenburg (13th century, Germany) is reported to have had a separate women's section in his synagogue.^[5]

Shlomo ibn Aderet (13th century, Spain) mentions a women's section in synagogue.^[6]

The Yu Aw Synagogue in Afghanistan, built in 1393, has a separate women's gallery.

Separate seating in synagogue

A mechitza most commonly means the physical divider placed between the men's and women's sections in Orthodox synagogues and at religious celebrations. The idea behind this is twofold. First, mingling of the sexes is generally frowned upon, as this leads to frivolity, which itself may lead to promiscuity.^{[citation needed]} Secondly, even if the sexes are separated, they should not be able to interact to a high degree during a religious service, lest this leads to gazing and impure thoughts.^{[citation needed]} Due to these restrictions, mechitzot are usually opaque (at least looking from the men's side to the women's side).^{[citation needed]}

In some synagogues, the mechitza divided the front and back of the synagogue. In others it divides the left and right sides of the synagogue.^[7] The latter is often seen as more equal, since the women are not farther away from the service than the men.

The women's section of the synagogue is called the

into the vernacular.

Orthodox Judaism is divided on whether a synagogue mechitza represents binding law or a custom. During the middle portion of the 20th century, there were a substantial number of synagogues which considered themselves Orthodox but did not have one.

Joseph Soloveitchik

held that a separation of men and women is Biblically required, while the physical mechitza was required by Rabbinic decree. These views have gained adherence over the later portion of the 20th century.

The

Beth Midrash Hagadol-Beth Joseph remains the only synagogue in the country affiliated with the Orthodox Union (OU) to have so-called 'mixed seating.'"^[8] However, in 2015 this synagogue decided to leave the OU, after learning that the OU was planning to expel it from OU membership.^[9] Mixed-seating Orthodox synagogues (Conservadox), which were a prevalent minority as late as a generation ago, have now all but disappeared. The partnership minyan

movement, which seeks a greater synagogue role for women within an Orthodox context, requires a mechitza.

The Union for Traditional Judaism recently published a viewpoint arguing that a mechitza is not required to have a particular height by either Biblical law or rabbinic decree.^[10]

Men and women are generally not separated in most Conservative synagogues, although it is a permissible option within Conservative Judaism and some Conservative synagogues, particularly in Canada, have one or have separate seating for men and women without a physical partition. Conservative Judaism takes the position that the Mechitza referred to in Talmud Tractate Sukkah applied only to the festival of Sukkah in the Temple and that its use to separate men and women for synagogue worship and other occasions represents a custom rather than a requirement of core Jewish law, and is subject to contemporary Rabbinic re-examination. Some Conservative synagogues (e.g. in Europe and Israel) also have a meḥitza or separate seating sections for men and women without a physical partition. At one point the synagogue in the Jewish Theological Seminary did so.

Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism, consistent with their view that traditional religious law is not mandatory in modern times and a more liberal interpretation of gender roles, do not use mechitzot in their synagogues.^[3] This development is historically connected with the United States; the original German Reform retained the women's balcony, although the "curtain or lattice-work" was removed.^[11][12] (Even in Orthodoxy there is a dispute as to whether a balcony requires a curtain.)

It has been argued that abolition of the mechitza became a symbol of Reform Judaism and that, correspondingly, opposition to its abolition became a symbol of Orthodoxy.^{[citation needed]}

Height

There are different views on the proper height of a mechitzah separating men and women in a synagogue. According to the

Balcony

Balconies with a three-foot wall are themselves traditionally considered fitting mechitzas. In this design, women sit in the balcony and men sit below. This design was common in the 19th and early 20th century, and is common in Europe, including the

Beth Jacob Synagogue in North York

, Ontario.

Balconies with curtains or one-way glass

More strict congregations add a curtain to the balcony so that men cannot see even women's faces.

Central partition

A fixed-height gate or planter running down the center of the room, so that women and men both face front side by side. Often these partitions are minimal height (3 feet or 0.91 m). In addition to the partition, sometimes the women's section is elevated by about a foot above the men's section. Example of a lower partition with a raised floor is in

Mount Sinai Jewish Center of Washington Heights in Manhattan

.

Booth

Synagogues that expect very few women to attend provide a token space that can accommodate about six women comfortably. The space is demarcated by moveable, opaque partitions that are over 6 feet (1.8 m) high. Examples are in the

beit midrash, and the Shabbat afternoon service at Young Israel of Avenue J in Flatbush, Brooklyn. In some synagogues, the booth is a supplement to the balcony, to accommodate women who have difficulty walking up the stairs (such as at She'erith Israel Congregation, Glen Avenue, Baltimore

).

Fixed-height opaque wall

Sometimes with a non-opaque curtain, screen, glass, or other material above the wall, which can include: blinds or a curtain that can be opened during announcements or a sermon, etched glass, stained glass, a one-way screen with lights so that women can see through without being seen (e.g. Beth Jacob Shaarei Zion and Suburban Orthodox in Baltimore).

The mechitza at the Bostoner Rebbe's synagogue in Brookline, Massachusetts, is made entirely of panels from the Boston John Hancock Tower (which had been removed from that building due to safety concerns). The Bostoner Rebbe chose these panels because they are one-way glass so the women can see out, but men cannot see into the women's section. Later, the Rebbe's wife put curtains inside the women's section, so that women could not see into the men's section.)

Curtain

Usually 5 feet (1.5 m) tall or higher, made of opaque or semi-opaque material, held up by poles on stands or a clothesline. This option costs less than the above fixed options and is used frequently by synagogues that wish to use their prayer halls for mixed-sex functions in addition to separate sex prayer. College Hillel Orthodox minyans may choose this option because the rooms at Hillel are all used for multiple purposes besides prayer.

Separate room

The strictest separation has women in a separate room from the men, able to view through one-way glass or an open window from a balcony, or not view at all. Examples of this are the yeshiva

Chabad Lubavitch movement in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and the Main Belzer

Shul in Jerusalem.

In halakhic discourse, "mechitza" can also refer to the boundary walls of an eruv for carrying (to carry within a given area on the Sabbath the area must be entirely enclosed). There are many specific rules for what constitutes a valid mechitza, although the mechitza does not have to be solid. (For example, there are many instances where part of an eruv may be a string run across several poles, and this could constitute a valid mechitza).

Sukkah

The walls of a