January 30, 2013

JERUSALEM (JTA) — An Israeli teenager was suspended from her religious high school for singing on Israel’s version of “The Voice.”

Ofir Ben Sheetrit of Ashdod reportedly was suspended for singing in public after complaints from parents of her fellow students. Her parents allowed the suspension.

Singing in public violates the Jewish law of kol isha, which prohibits men from hearing women sing. 

“I think the Torah wants us to find ways to be happy,” Ben Sheetrit, a senior, said in her initial interview on the show, according to the Times of Israel. “The Torah wants music to make people happy, and I think it’s possible to do both, which is why I came to the show.”

She is being mentored by Israeli rocker Aviv Geffen.
 

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