JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli folk singer Yuval Dayan recently became religious and now dresses modestly at her performances. However she is still willing to sing in front of men and was invited together with fellow singer Ran Danker to sing in front of President Biden when he visited the Israeli president’s residence Thursday.
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After Dayan and Danker sang “Lu Yehi” in Hebrew and “Let It Be” in English, a song describing the desire for peace, a visibly moved Biden called them over and asked to shake their hands. After Danker shook hands with him, Biden went towards Dayan and offered his hand. Dayan however gave him a deep bow but did not extend her hand despite the president’s gesture. Despite the awkwardness of the situation, the newly religious singer maintained her values and did not shake hands with the president.
יובל, אנחנו גאים בך!
יובל דיין עשתה קידוש השם כשסרבה ללחוץ את ידו של ביידן בגלל שהיא שומרת נגיעה pic.twitter.com/UkGFDNZT2u— הצעקה (@Hatzehaka) July 14, 2022
Dayan explained her decision in a post she published afterwards, stating that “I was so excited by the occasion and by the special role I was given. In the last week, during the preparations for the ceremony, I made sure to announce a number of times to whoever I could that I am Shomeres Negiah. I had no intention of insulting and only wished to represent our country with honor and stay faithful to my principles as a religious girl. Thank you for all of the positive responses.”
Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu praised Dayan for her courageous act, stating that “We should admire Yuval Dayan for withstanding the test. In her merit everyone will know what Shmiras Negiah means. From now, thousands of women in the world will not give their hand to a man and thousands of men won’t offer their hand to women, they’ll understand that one can say hello warmly without touching or shaking hands, patting on the shoulder, hugging or kissing.”
Very impressed and amazed by the strength and character of this tzadekkes. It takes such courage to be faithful to Hashem and His Torah in such a circumstance.
Ashreinu mah tov chelkeinu!
We don’t know how Hashem had judged this scenario. Who are we to judge?
Do we know from where she has risen?? let’s refrain from judgments, in return Hashem will judge us with fairly with love.
How stupid is Biden? When he got off the plane at Ben Gurion he refused to shake anyones hands. He did fist pumps claiming that it was his new Covid policy. Then he goes shaking random singers. What a moron.
I thought that observant men are not allowed to hear a woman singing, and hence, must leave the room. There must have been some religious/observant men in the audience. Also, Biden’s advisors should have tipped in off in advance, about the handshaking taboo, with religious women.
Biden didn’t shake any of the Israeli politician’s hands when he got off the plane… but the singer he does…?
She probably didn’t want him sniffing her hair!
I don’t understand those that are complaining.
Lets analyze..
Regarding the kol isha problem, lets analyze it from her perspective.
She is considered a tinok shenishba according to the chazon ish and according to many other gedoiley hador of the previous generation, since she was born, raised and educated in a secular system, that means that until she cant completely keep all the mitsvos due to her secular upbringing, she is patur from all mitsvos including the kol isha prohibition.
Regarding the fact that she didn’t shake a males hand, that is absolutely an amazing thing, not only is she taking upon herself a new lifestyle which is hard as it is, she also did it in public, and not only in public, like on the street corner or in the mall, it was at a concert where she was center stage in front of hundreds of people [perhaps thousands due to TV views], [plus it was at the place of her parnasah as she is a singer and performs for a living, in other words she risked her parnasah as well since potentially there can be a backlash from her secular fans] and not only with any male, it was with the male that the whole world envies and that gets all the honor and respect in any nation that he will visit, due to the fact that he is “the leader of the free world”, in other words the most famous, most prestigious and most powerful male in the whole world “THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES”, and yet she still chose hashem and his torah.
She had the amazing zechus of sanctifying hashem’s name in such a manner that I cant think of a greater way for any person to be mekadeish shem shmaim in such a profound way. She proclaimed to whole world that hashem is way more important to her than even the most powerful person on earth.
[I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually she will be zoche to have a son one-day that will grow up to be a gadol hador, due to this amazing kiddush hasahem]
And even if you disagree with the tinok shenishab argument and you wish to condemn her for kol isha, it wouldn’t make sense to confuse the right with wrong, what is right is right and what is wrong is wrong, so after you would choose to condemn her for the kol isha you would have to praise her for the kiddush hashem of her actions. [similar to when a frum man falls through and speaks loshon horah, you don’t tell him take off your tsitis while your talking loshon horah. As they are separate mitsvois and when you transgress one it doesn’t mean that you must now automatically transgress all the other mistvois]
im sure Biden learned something new here
I wouldn’t shake that creep’s hand either. And I am a man.
Does anyone watch the videos before they write the story on VIN News? Cuz it’s certainly doesn’t seem so.
If you watch the video it’s clear that the president wanted to shake her hand and she bowed. Then the other singer stuck out his hand and shook the president’s hand. It’s not the way you have it.
What is wrong with looking at the video and then write it down as you saw it, not to make things up.
Looks like Biden didnt care to shake the guys hand only hers.
I find it interesting that Rav Shmuel Eliyahu finds this incident an inspiration while many commentators here find it something to critique and condemn.
Given that she did sing (actually, it was lip-syncing to a recording), would the nay-sayers here have preferred that she might as well have ALSO shaken Biden’s hand?
She is in the learning process….cut her some slack…no pun intended…Most people cannot stand in the place of a baal(as) teshuva.
He probably didn’t see her. He thought he was shaking hands with the air.
A non-Jewish friend of mine told me many years ago that he understood when Orthodox Jews don’t want to shake hands with a member of the opposite sex. However, the situation becomes really awkward, when, as in the case of Biden and Dayan, Biden had already extended his hand. My friend suggested that in cases like these, someone in Dayan’s position should say, “I am sorry, but for religious reasons, I do not shake hands with men.” This allows for a respectful exit from the problem. In the present case, Dayan did tell the Israelis that she would not shake hands. We don’t know if Biden was forewarned and simply forgot, or if he was unaware. Either way, when opposite you stands a world leader in a moment that is being recorded and likely will be broadcast worldwide, I would think that one can rely on the lenient opinion and shake hands.
Not the first time Biden is shaking hands with thin air
He can still smell her hair, he likes smelling.
Anyone know which shampoo she uses, me wants to buy some.
Why would anyone male or female want to shake the hands of that demented Alzheimer diseased treasonous America hating old hair sniffing pervert.
Special!
Remain committed always.
There are those who say listening to a woman singing using a microphone since it alters her voice
There is no such Halacha of Kol Isha. Tznius is Minhag and is based on the cultural norms. Any woman in Poland 150 years ago, whether Jewish or not, dressed the same way. Any one of those women, or any of the Rabonim in the towns where they lived would be shocked to walk down the streets of Boro Park, Monroe or Lakewood and see the clothing of even the most Tznius people.
Shaking hands with strangers is allowed by Halacha, while women singing for men isn’t.
It’s confusing to me.
One detail though, not mentioned, in the song ‘Let It Be’ there are some words very inappropriate for Yidden to sing or/and articulate, ‘mother mary’ referring to the mother of ‘J’, in Israel of all places.
Please no comments, that’s why you’re against the State of Israel !!!
Why is this news?
So she sings with men for men and woman, but she does not shake hands with men
Don’t pretends she follows Halachah. mixed singing is not exactly in keeping with halachah
i am not judging her or anyone else. Let her do whatever she wants but I just don’t understand all the commotion.
What’s so amazing about her? She sings for men? What’s with קול באשה ערוה?? Either she observeses the whole Torah or nothing!
is that a sheitel