Dear Matzav Inbox,
I am writing out of deep frustration, sadness, and genuine concern, asking—no, begging—for someone to finally explain the decision by frum publications to erase women from their pages.
Not blur. Not minimize. Erase.
This policy has become so normalized that many no longer stop to question it, but it is nothing short of absurd. Half of Klal Yisroel has been rendered invisible, and we are expected to accept this as if it were a natural extension of Torah values, rather than a social choice that quietly metastasized into dogma.
Let’s be clear: This is not mandated by halacha. There is no source that requires the total removal of women’s faces from newspapers, magazines, or public discourse. This is not tznius as defined by Chazal or poskim. It is a chumrah that somehow hardened into policy, enforced by editors afraid of backlash and advertisers afraid of phone calls.
And the price is being paid by our daughters.
We raise girls to be thoughtful, capable, idealistic, and committed to Torah life—and then we show them a world in which women do not exist. No role models. No achievers. No leaders. No images of women who contribute, build, create, teach, save lives, run chesed organizations, educate generations, or carry communities on their shoulders.
We tell girls they matter, but the pages they read say otherwise.
We tell them they are essential to Klal Yisroel, but the media that shapes their worldview treats them like a liability that must be cropped out. What message do we think that sends? That their presence is a problem? That visibility itself is shameful? That the safest version of a frum woman is one who cannot be seen?
This is not chinuch. It is abdication of responsibility.
Ironically, the same publications that claim to be protecting tznius are creating a vacuum—one where young girls must look elsewhere to find anyone to admire. If they cannot see women within their own value system, they will inevitably seek representation outside of it. We should not be shocked when they do.
And let’s address the unspoken truth: This policy does not elevate men either. It infantilizes the public, implying that a respectful photograph of a woman—fully modest, dignified, appropriate—is somehow beyond the capacity of frum readers to process without moral collapse. That assumption is not flattering to anyone.
A Torah society is not one that pretends women don’t exist. It is one that knows how to see women properly.
Policies born of fear rarely age well.
I am not asking for sensationalism. I am not asking for modernity for its own sake. I am asking for honesty, balance, and courage. I am asking editors to take responsibility for the culture they are shaping and the children who are absorbing it.
Explain the decision. Defend it openly, if you can. And if you cannot, have the integrity to reconsider it.
Our daughters deserve to be seen. Our community deserves better than silence dressed up as piety.
Sincerely,
A deeply concerned reader
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The article makes a strong point-especially considering that many of the websites DO post women, as do podcasts and all other manner of frum media that people consume.
About this issue, as well as other similar ones, I feel it’s a result of the “black and white”, “one size fits all”, wholesale regulatory nature of our generation.
Ideally the writer is correct, but we don’t live in a generation where you can make nuanced guidelines. Much can be discussed about how we got here, but that is the simple reality.
As a woman, I don’t know what papers and magazines you are reading, but I see lots of respect and information about the nshei chail of klal yisroel. Perhaps you should look into the words of chazal Kol kevuda bas melech pnima.
You’re a woman ?
why do you think not?
Well said
If your Rabbi can’t explain it to you, find another Rabbi. You will argue with everyone here because it’s easy and anonymous, try arguing this out with a qualified Rabbi.
if a message needs a picture to feel real or create value, that usually means the message itself is not landing on its own merits.
So why are pictures of male authors always included? Are their messages “not landing”?
They aren’t
As it is, the men barely pick up these magazines
Play it again, Sam! This is a very good comment.
no
a few quick thoughts
1. the high temperature in your letter, both the intensity of the words and between the lines – makes anything anyone will answer fall on deaf ears.
2. the question is fair , yet throwing a whole bunch of complex issues together and blaming it on the lack of pics in hamodia is unfair
3. anyone on the inside knows that frum woman are not invisible “they run the world” , have u been to the bungalow colony? they run their husbands as well… vehamavin yovin..
4. i challenge you to stand on avenue j and ask any young frum girl or woman , from 1-10 how much of an issue is this , there are so many challenges facing frum girls and woman that this really isn’t one of them…
5. if you dont believe me i will gladly give u an inside peek on the two tracks that yahadus america is running on simultaneously. on the one hand es iz azoi GUT and at the same time es iz azoi NISHT GUT ( meaning that klal yisroel is booming in every area yet in each area there are fatal flaws and challenges that even money cant solve ( moshiach now!
Well said. The ladies are invisible and are expected to stay that way. We also raise our boys to believe that EVERY Yid is precious and important but our magazines show us a world of Roshei Yeshiva, Rebbes, and “successful” people (i.e. gvirim). The regular guy does not exist in todays frum world.
I believe the letter’s underlying assumption—that a woman’s self-worth or communal value is determined by whether her photograph appears in a publication—is deeply mistaken.
Women in our community are, unquestionably, role models, achievers, leaders, builders, educators, lifesavers, and the backbone of countless chesed organizations and institutions. They teach generations, sustain families, and carry communities on their shoulders. That reality is neither denied nor obscured.
In fact, our frum publications devote a significant and appropriate amount of space to these women and their accomplishments—through articles, profiles, and coverage of the work they do. The question, then, is a simple one: why must recognition require a photograph?
The Torah itself offers a different value system. “Kol kevudah bas Melech פנימה.” Kavod is not created through visibility, exposure, or public display. On the contrary, the Torah’s definition of dignity is inwardness, restraint, and privacy. To minimize physical exposure is not to erase a woman—it is to accord her prestige.
This has nothing to do with an alleged fear that readers cannot control their thoughts. That framing misunderstands the issue entirely. The policy is not rooted in suspicion of men, nor in shame of women, but in a Torah understanding that a woman’s worth is not enhanced by her image being circulated.
True respect does not require visibility. True uplift does not depend on being seen.
If anything, insisting that validation must come through photographs risks importing foreign values into a Torah society—values that equate presence with exposure and dignity with display. Our mesorah teaches otherwise.
Women do not need to be pictured in order to matter. They matter because of who they are and what they do—and that truth does not require a camera to be real
“”GIT GEZUKT””
Excellent!
Very well said.
The chiddush is that we even have to articulate something like this, especially since this has been the policy of mainstream frum publications for decades, under the guidance of our Gedolim.
No it hasn’t. The Jewish Observer, which was the voice of the great gedolim of yesteryear, had pictures of women in it.
The Jewish Observer was written for American Jewry of yesteryear…
Certain things that were tenable for that generation are untenable today. Additionally, the world is much more porutz today, hence the reactionary posture of today’s Jewish publications.
So does the ArtScroll book Ronnie. Many many pictures of women from, duh, his girls camp. Gasp!
Hear hear! This answer resonates with me, as a frum woman, very much.
It wasn’t that long ago that pictures of women were the norm. One who comes immediately to mind is Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis a”h. There was once a biography of a certain very elegant and refined Rebbetzin in Family First, Mishpacha ‘s women’s magazine without women. How much a photograph would have enhanced that article, especially because I knew her sister. This is not a good trend. We are tznius, but we don’t want to be hidden away as are Muslim women because their men have “no self control “. We are better then that.
Well said, Yaakov Kay. You have articulated a profound message like a true Machanech and Manhig Ruchani. The Passuk of “Sarah Hinei Ba’Ohel” is eternalized in the most widely recognized Torah Publcation (“L’havdil”) as a statement of identity, pride and persona of the “Yiddish’s Mama” declaring that the private space of her home is the place to magnify her character, talent and ability to run all domestic and familial operations in the lofty and securely tucked away confines of her elegantly and intelligently designed control tower high above the busy and often tumultuous ground operations below. What her family and inner circle witness and experience in her “control tower” sets the stage for the legacy she will eternally impart to the family, friends, and community she values most.
Up in that visionary tower where she sees but is hardly seen, the Perek concludes, “V’at Aleese Al Kulana.”
Kol HaKavod RabbKay!
REALLY A SICKO TO WRITE SUCH AN ARTICLE !!!!!
Another yid who is so secularized he can’t even understand the issue here. It is assur for a man to be mistakel/stare at the clothing of a woman let alone the face or body of a woman. Therefore, when frum men encounter women on their daily routine they glance but then look away. Plain and simple. If you print images of women in publications which will be seen by men, you are placing a stumbling block before them. The publisher would be placing an image of a woman before the reader where the reader is expected to concentrate on the subject at hand.
They will have to find role models outside the media.There is nothing wrong with that. There are plenty of role models they can see in their own communities without having to read about them. This is not a problem for any intelligent, idealistic woman. The ones who are not idealistic are not looking anywhere for role models.
The writer states that: “Our daughters deserve to be seen”.
We think it better to say that they deserve to remain unseen.
Who says which is the authentic Torah value? What source does this writer claim for moral authority? There is none given only a few (false) premises.
No thank you.
The writer is assuming that the current situation of Western communication media is the standard, and that since Frum Jews also have their versions of media, whatever is fine for Frum men in Frum media is the baseline and the same should be done for women. However, what if Judaism and Torah is really primarily about one’s internal life & Shleimus, not what we have come to expect to see in frum media? While it is true that we must deal with the world fully and correctly, even a man being visible in the media is only the surface, external, and not really in keeping with who he really is.
Even a frum man is a Neshama, and even on the surface is really a full human being with hopes and dreams, pain and accomplishments, not what is visible in the media.
It is a misrepresentation of the real human being to flash his image across the phones and billboards, without people really knowing him as he really is – he is not a Celebrity, but a Neshama.
While there is some truth to some of the points made in the article, the main issue is really the preciousness of a Yiddishe man and woman. In some senses, the above understanding of Neshama applies even more to a woman than a man ‘Shedarkoi Latzeis laMilchomo’, and only after that is understood can the questions brought up by the writer be weighed and addressed properly.
Finally, someone with the courage to state the obvious. The Jewish Observer, for those who remember that wonderful magazine, contained pictures of women in it whenever applicable, as did all other publications. Artscroll does the same in their books, as the great Rabbi Zlotowitz z”l felt the same as this wonderful writes. Newspapers show pictures of resha’im gemurim like Hitler ym”sh and Stalin Chilmlitzki, but chas veshalom to show a picture of a tznius, frum woman. It’s the influence of chassidic publications and the general attitude of elitism, ostensibly showing “we are better or more frum than the rest” that caused this insanity and it should be stopped immediately.
Anyways define “where applicable”
Which sentence is, in your view, not true? [‘Whenever applicable’ means when it was necessary to have one.]
“Let’s be clear: This is not mandated by halacha. There is no source that requires the total removal of women’s faces from newspapers, magazines, or public discourse. This is not tznius as defined by Chazal or poskim. It is a chumrah that somehow hardened into policy, enforced by editors afraid of backlash and advertisers afraid of phone calls.”
Please name ALL the Rabbanim and Poskim that are alive today (no anecdotal stories) that pasken according to Halacha there is absolutely no problem posting pictures of women. If the psak is written in a sefer, please reference it.
Yeah, please reference psaks that disallow pictures of women. Great tzaddikim, rabbonim , were photographed with their wives and daughters , you find them in published books.
BTW, there are duplicate and at least triplicate posts here by the same person and fake posts by “women.”
It doesn’t work that way. You don’t need to name poskim who permit it. You need to name those who said its assur.
Go ahead.
A man is not supposed to look at another man’s wife. Yes, if it’s unavoidable, he may, but otherwise he shouldn’t. It’s a very simple thing & it strengthens the Jewish family unit.
The one encharged to acknowledge the contributions of the Jewish woman is her husband, not society at large. I don’t want my wife’s photo sitting in everyone else’s living room & neither does she.
I hope this letter isn’t a troll for clickbait, as many other submitted letters seem to be here.
1 or 2 per week.
The premise of this letter is stupid in my opinion. Value should never come from pictures and articles they must come from a real place. Like everything why is everyone kvetching so much I feel the charedi society is from the most successful in the world. The majority stay married raise family, earn a decent living. If Chas v’shalom they get hit with a rough bump in the road, we have phenomenal organizations. Show me ONE society in the world that offers what we have. No lets not change the status quo if no woman in magazines it’s not tznius.
“Henie Sara Baohel ” Genesis.23.1-25.18
“And the price is being paid by our daughters….”
I don’t know….
My wife and 5 daughters have no problem with this as I would say most frum ladies in the world who understand basic hashkafa……and yet they are all happy, strong, accomplished, appreciated members of klal yisroel.
Seems like a cover for other issues that you are dealing with……
Magazines are full of articles by women and about women.
Also, this is nothing new
Please seek help
Hear hear! This answer resonates with me, as a frum woman, very much.
There is a quiet truth in our mesorah that deserves careful remembering: Torah does not advance by erasure, nor does kedushah grow from fear. From the first pages of Bereishis, woman is presented not as an afterthought but as ezer k’negdo—a necessary counterpart without whom Adam himself is incomplete. Chazal teach that the Shechinah rests in a home only when ish and ishah stand together in harmony. A Torah society has never been one that hides women; it is one that knows how to honor them properly.
“Kol kevudah bas melech פנימה” speaks of dignity, not disappearance. פנימה describes an inner anchoring of value, not an absence from the world. Sarah Imeinu is praised for modesty, yet her voice reshapes Jewish destiny. Devorah judges Klal Yisrael. Bruriah teaches Torah. Imahos and nashim tzidkaniyos are visible throughout Tanach and Chazal—not as objects, but as forces of wisdom, courage, and responsibility. Their presence did not diminish tznius; it defined it.
Our daughters learn Torah not only from what we say, but from what we choose to show. When their accomplishments, leadership, and contribution are conveyed with dignity and balance, we strengthen rather than weaken our values.
The writer has a goyische השקפה.
Since when in all the history of כלל ישראל were women and girls in the limelight?
Some modern colleges in NYC advertise with pictures of girls. I have never seen an online ad for one of those colleges with a picture of a chubby pimple-faced girl.
ONE WORD ANSWER: TSNIUS
Kol Kvoda Bad Melech PENIMAH
You can be respected while still not having your face shown to the world. The two do not contradict. If women were to be shown then where is the line? Will you say at some point that someone is not Tznius enough or once all women are allowed then you have to allow everyone. Many people also forget that this concept is brought up with Avraham and Sarah when Avraham mentioned to the Malachim “Hinei Baohel”. The role of a woman is not to be flashing on a magazine cover but rather to have inner beauty. You can still have an influence without your face plastered everywhere. And yes, this is coming from a woman who has explored this topic.
While your letter does bring up a point If you take a poll amongst teenagers girls and women I think you would find that the majority is just fine with the current arrangement and don’t feel like second class citizens. I believe that most understand and respect this sensitivity. Secondly While it may not be ideal not to publish any pictures of women most can easily imagine the slippery slope and problems that can lead to
Most of these comments are painful to read. I don’t believe the detractors stopped for a moment to try and consider the words of the writer – basically lends more credence to her contention. And just because she writes passionately, it doesn’t make her unreasonable and close-minded as Ruby fom bp suggests. Sheesh.
Let’s try this. Can we agree that every human being wishes to be heard? That everyone deserves credit where credit is due? Now try to put yourselves in the shoes of someone who is being negated, made literally invisible – in this case, because they are female. Be honest, how would you feel?
If a woman is already a public figure, or deserves credit because of some beneficial accomplishment, or should be recognized so that those in need can reach out to her, why is it so wrong to have her FACE appear in a Frum magazine meant for the general public? We are not Sharia adherents who must walk around with faces and every inch covered! In the same way that a man is free not to look directly at a woman’s face who is not immediate family, readers do not have to look at the faces of women in magazines. At some point, the onus of responsibility must be placed on the man to control his thoughts and actions. Short of editorial discretion regarding the modesty of any given woman’s attire – which if it’s good enough in public, should be good enough to appear in a magazine where photographs are surely taken or printed with this sensitivity in mind – certainly a good “compromise” would be to at least allow for women’s face shots.
Or is the next logical step really to return to the times of face veils..?
wow im shocked this letter even got posted. just because you have no concept of actual Yiddish values and think your messed up american mindset actually has some worth and value is not a reason to induntated your goyish values to the public. good luck and keep your values (not wothy to be called hashkafos) to yourself
BH somehtings didn’t change. In order to consider yourself a frum (Chareidi) publication print or digital the baseline rule is not to show pictures of woman. This has nothing to do with chinuch or roll modals. We do not erase the Akeres Habayis from our lives just from the media. Think about it, 50% of the faces that do appear in the media are criminals, terrorists, politicians or world leaders that we would never shake hands with. Not being in the media is a good thing not a bad thing. We hold our Neshie Chayil above that.
Check out Jewish Observer archives that can be found online. Google “Jewish Observer Directory” or Jewish Observer Archives. You will notice that The Jewish Observer did not have this policy. They allowed photos of women. It is quite interesting to look at the ads in those days. Much simpler. With today’s fancy ads and advanced marketing strategies, allowing photos of women may be risky. But maybe publications could make a policy where photos are only allowed in articles, not ads.
False!
THERE were never colored pics of women! Like magazines nowadays!
& they never would!
& most of the old generation from then would have wanted their offspring to be even frummer than themselves
If you, or anyone else, feels that no pictures of women reflects the value of tznius and other Torah values, I invite you to explain why women should not cover their faces when going out? It would follow naturally from everything you said. Lev Tahor seems to be on to something!
I look forward to your response.
Everything needs to be weighed
There ‘s enough inappropriate pics & stuff entering already. Let somebody leave a fence somewhere ! Especially those who claim to publish weekly in the name of frumkeit
If somebody wants to cover their face that’s ok.
Either way, We can’t control everybody in the street, but who/how we invite women into our own house matters!
Would you prefer that your wife cover her face in the street?
“who/how we invite women into our own house matters!”
So if you and your wife visit someone’s house do you suggest that she cover her face? And if a woman visits your house, do you (respectfully) ask her to cover her face?
why are you so desperate to see pictures of women
Your the dummest person on planet earth. you mmade a lot of lies, and and assumptions. it is a absolute breach of tznius having women in public. there beauty and attention grabbing is strictly for their husband, if you dont understand that, your stupid, and bias.
Reading this ‘comment’, its wonderful use of the English language and creative punctuation, is indicative of the intellectual level of all those condemning this long overdue and well-written article.
Which shul are you the rav of?
Matzav is read by chareidi men too for whom the obligation of shmiras eynayim is very serious. Chareidi women who feel hurt about this is a lack of self-confidence and tznius.
To Liberal author & agenda defenders,
It just the opposite from how you dishonestly portray. The jewish weeklies have gotten ever worse pushing the envelope for more than a decade disingenuously because this incessant nefarious agenda of your ilk.
STOP your phony pretence that you’re combatting on something new!
On the contrary we should ROLL back to the way eg the weeklies were when they started -more censored THAN they are now. Because of your feminism under a smokescreen
THERE were never colored pics of women in frum publications! THIS HAS always been the policy. To the old generation last century colored glossy photos of women eg secular magazines REPRESENTED all what was wrong with Treife America
MATZAV & similar sites didn’t have any pics of women just a short decade ago.
It was a whole topic in 2016 that if Hillary would win would they start showing her photo?
These “innocent” modox agenda pushers won’t stop!
They pushed that change so steadily that now they’re on to the next glass wall to smash
So you agree that if they do go out in public, they should wear a burka and cover their faces? Have you discussed it with your wife yet?
Stuffing yet another rogue Strawman,MK?
Rather Pruste Strawwomen??
You don’t want to answer?
lol, while i agree in theory to some of the sentiments you wrote(?) about, it is quite rich for you to call someone stupid and literally spell the word “dummest” (sic) wrong.
Also, your certainly no Rav.
So this is an easy one. Too easy in fact…..
This publication along with the Hamodia and Yated Neeman and Mishpacha Magazine , all cater to a readership that chooses to adhere to a different level of modesty , meaning no pictures of female. It’s what this clientele wants and its what the female readers prefer as well for their own dignity and protection.
I wonder if it’s a male or female that wrote this article, but if you need publications with photos of female you can easily find the Jewish Press and the Long Island Jewish weekly, no problem.
No apologies necessary here.
CLICK CLIK CLIK
drive around Monsey and spring valley
We are inundated with the latest frum fad
Advertising for a clicking device which keeps count of each time a person averts his eyes from non tznius.
It counts up to 9999
There are signs in Yiddish of a jubilant chasidish looking guy pumping his fist in the air while holding the clicker in his other hand
How he is proud to keep count averting his eyes . Ps it’s a cheap plastic counter selling for
Three dollars
You can buy a quality clicker metal on line from Walmart for 2 dollars
However the Yiddish packaged version comes in clever packaging how this magic device helps avoid temptation.
i dont really go for that cuz the guy that tries not to go on the main streets or busy stores during peak hours will have very few clicks…
perhaps no one will read this, cuz i’m posting it too late, but the claim that in the previous generations pictures of women were displayed is not a valid claim to allow it today.
i dont remember seeing pictures of women in the jewish observer. however, if it is so, the previous generations were able to publish pictures, not becasue they were less frum than us, and we are being extra frum, quite the contrary, we are less frum than they were. therefore we need more gedarim than they needed. the pitfalls and scandals that can ensue from publishing photos of women (and if we do away with other chumros in tznius that we have in our generation) are much more serious than what could have occurred in the previous generation.
Incorrect. There were NEVER colored pics of women. Check that up!
Even as black & whites they were produced rather old & vague.
Furthermore ,as s R’Ruderman stated (it’s on a recording) these newer american generations need to be & should be more machmir than they were
This is so important to publicize as it is such a good example of דעת בעל הבית הפך דעת תורה the opinion of Bala batim is the opposite of das Torah (Sm”a chohsen mishpat Simon 1):
The am ha’aretz says it’s disrespectful to woman to hide them whereas the Torah says explicitly כל כבודה בת מלך פנימה the honor of a Jewish woman is actually when she is not seen!
Wow!
shtuyot!
Btw- Men don’t want to(or shouldn’t want to) read mags that have pix of ladies.
They’ll lose tons of money if they include pictures of ladies.
But I as a women, would like the mags geared for women to include pictures of the A”H women so I can see who I’m reading about.
Why is Ilan Ohmar’s picture shown on Matzav?
Excellent letter!
Many years ago a Chareidi woman in Meah Shearim wrote up a clinical death experience she had during which she was confronted by terrifying (to put it very mildly) melachim that had been created by the thoughts men had when she raised her voice in public or otherwise called attention to herself. The message seems obvious.
The fact that a site like Matzav can even post this discussion is DISGRACEFUL!!!! What has this generation come to? I don’t think you will publish that but I want you to see this message and maybe re-evaluate what you stand for. There are plenty of places women can see women as role models (well depending what you are calling role models that is) and men that want to be poretz geder can see some too (just go on instagram, podcasts, non frum publications- if you need some ideas). Why on earth would a mainstream chareidi publication even post such a discussion? Next time someone sends you such a letter maybe ask for a picture of them and ask them which neighborhood and Rabbanim they are associated with before you decide their hashkfos should be aired on your site!!!
It precisely because of the the mindset of this writer, that older single girls aren’t getting married. The lack of humility by older single girls and their desire to lead “professional” life’s, is what makes them unattractive to our yeshiva boys.
Not a drop of relevance
the author is insidiously wrong &you are flippantly wrong
I have yet to hear from those who consider pictures of women a violation of tznius with an explanation for why their faces should not be covered when they go out in public. Everything they say would apply to that as well.
I am waiting.
Being the writer is clearly a female, she has no idea what can go on in a male’s mind when they see a “a respectful photograph of a woman—fully modest, dignified, appropriate”. This is totally beyond her scope.
The contrary. More egregious. He/she probably does.
IMO the author is male. Though basically irrelevant
Hopefully, at least.
Looks like we are headed for covered faces in publicize no one can explain the difference. The first time a woman walks into a chasuna looking like a Muslim people will think she’s crazy. Before you turn around those who don’t will
be “prutzos “.
The issue is too much the other way. If anything.
Furthermore,the whole jewish world attacked Lev Tahor ;destroyed anything resembling them
So cease with that modox phony incessant “Sky is falling”
I guess you don’t have an answer.
It is women and girls who are in the forefront of the battle against sending pictures for shiduchim. They clearly don’t see it as being erased.