Perl Wolfe and Dalia Shusterman, two Hasidic Jews living in Crown Heights, make up Bulletproof Stockings, a rock band that plays only for women.
Bulletproof Stockings is changing the way Orthodox Jewry interprets kol isha, a law which prohibits Jewish men from listening to a woman’s singing voice.
Perl: we appreciate a women’s only space bc we see how women react to rocking out with their gfs without guys around. its a v different experience, it’s a really spiritual experience and empowering experience. So that really is what our focus is,giving them an opportunity to get a break from the guys for a second, let’s hang out and let our hair down so to speak and whatever.
Dahlia: We’re not out there to be Jewish musicians, preachers. we’re musicians, we’re hasidim, you know and like whatever.We’re just doing our own thing in our own way and that’s it.
Dahlia: it just kinda became bulletproof stockings, …. you know when ppl from outside the community see women walking around in stockings that are so thick, so opaque, i mean it just fits.
Perl: there’s nothing wrong tzinus wise, like modesty wise to do what we’re doing but bc it’s never been done before there are a lot of qs.
Perl: I called a rabbi to learn about what are the laws pertaining to kol isha, and all the women singing, bc kol isha means voice of a woman. i always knew it was for jewish man not to listen to women singing but i didn’t know who it was incumbent upon to keep that mitzva. turns out it’s entirely on the man. there’s no mitzvah on women to not sing or perform in public at all. you could literally sing on the street and if a guy doesn’t want to listen to you he’d have to leave.
Dahlia: People usually don’t get the kol isha thing
they think we’re oppressed, that men are telling us what to do. but we can sing in whoever want to sing in front of. we CHOOSE not to
I mean, listen, most ppl out there want to paint all hasidim with the misogynistic brush, but it doesn’t fit, a woman is like queen here, you know, the pillar of the house.
We have relig jewish men who will never hear our music will totally as our FB friends. there’s no neg push from men here.
Perl:nobody has outlawed us just yet.
Dahlia: nobody is going to out law us
Perl:we’ll know we made it if someone has outlawed us.
Dahlia: We’re not out there to be Jewish musicians, preachers. we’re musicians, we’re hasidim, you know and like whatever.We’re just doing our own thing in our own way and that’s it.
Dahlia: it just kinda became bulletproof stockings, …. you know when ppl from outside the community see women walking around in stockings that are so thick, so opaque, i mean it just fits.
Perl: there’s nothing wrong tzinus wise, like modesty wise to do what we’re doing but bc it’s never been done before there are a lot of qs.
Perl: I called a rabbi to learn about what are the laws pertaining to kol isha, and all the women singing, bc kol isha means voice of a woman. i always knew it was for jewish man not to listen to women singing but i didn’t know who it was incumbent upon to keep that mitzva. turns out it’s entirely on the man. there’s no mitzvah on women to not sing or perform in public at all. you could literally sing on the street and if a guy doesn’t want to listen to you he’d have to leave.
Dahlia: People usually don’t get the kol isha thing
they think we’re oppressed, that men are telling us what to do. but we can sing in whoever want to sing in front of. we CHOOSE not to
I mean, listen, most ppl out there want to paint all hasidim with the misogynistic brush, but it doesn’t fit, a woman is like queen here, you know, the pillar of the house.
We have relig jewish men who will never hear our music will totally as our FB friends. there’s no neg push from men here.
Perl:nobody has outlawed us just yet.
Dahlia: nobody is going to out law us
Perl:we’ll know we made it if someone has outlawed us.
more info:
Bulletproof Stockings is changing the way Orthodox Jewry interprets kol isha, a law which prohibits Jewish men from listening to a woman’s singing voice. Bulletproof Stockings plays rock music only for women. They’re an Orthodox Jewish band trying to make space for women who normally don’t have a voice in the same arena.
facebook.com/BulletproofStockings?pnref=lhc
soundcloud.com/bulletproofstockings
youtube.com/user/perlsparks
