Photoshopped by Laura E. Adkins Image by Forward Montage

By Laura E. Adkins August 11, 2016

For religious reasons, many ultra-Orthodox Jewish newspapers opt not to feature photos of women, even modestly dressed women, in their publications.

Women in positions of power around the world often pose a problem: Last year, the small Israeli paper Hamevaser photoshoppsed German chancellor Angela Merkel out of a photo from the Paris march against terror attacks after Islamic extremists killed 17 people at the headquarters of the satirical publication Charlie Hebdo.

Binyamin Lipkin, editor of Hamevaser, told the Guardian his reason: “The eight-year-old can’t see what I don’t want him to see.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Though this point has already been articulated, I, for one, don’t want eight-year-olds to be exposed to the hateful vitriol of Donald Trump.

Talk to the Hand

Today, the ultra-orthodox publication Yated Ne’eman made history for something that sounds progressive: publishing a photo of a woman. However, the image itself was utterly embarrassing.

A photo of Hillary Clinton’s hand in Yated Ne’eman Image by Screenshot

Really? As a fellow orthodox Jew, I understand that the rules of modesty are important, but these are not the rules. Anything from below the elbow to the fingertips, above the collarbone (excluding the hair of a married woman), or below the knee is totally kosher for public viewing. That includes the face of the possible next president of the United States.

As a woman, it is of course offensive to be blotted out of the news that’s fit to print. But more importantly, it just makes the newspaper look ridiculous.

So, in the bizarro world where I run my own newspaper, here’s how I’d cover the other presidential candidate:

His Own Right Hand Man

Photoshopped by Laura E. Adkins Image by Forward Montage

Trump gesticulated in front of a large audience in Cleveland for the GOP convention.

Trump Starts Off the GOP Debate

Photoshopped by Laura E. Adkins Image by Forward Montage

Trump spoke at the GOP debate. So did 3 other men, whose hands are featured here.

Trump Speaks at a Rally in Charleston, West Virginia

Photoshopped by Laura E. Adkins Image by Forward Montage

Trump spoke about jobs, and brought his own invisibility cloak.

Trump Debuts His Other Hat

Photoshopped by Laura E. Adkins Image by Forward Montage

And a nice flag pin, to boot.

Laura is the Forward’s Contributing Network Editor. Contact her at [email protected] or on Twitter @Laura_E_Adkins.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount