Answers to Quora Questions by Yair Davidiy (19 February, 2018, 4 Adar, 5778)
Is it wrong of me to feel annoyed and offended that a Hasidic Jew didn't hold the door for me and let it slam in my face because his religion doesn't allow him to make contact with women?
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-wrong-of-me-to-feel-annoyed-and-offended-that-a-Hasidic-Jew-didn-t-hold-the-door-for-me-and-let-it-slam-in-my-face-because-his-religion-doesn-t-allow-him-to-make-contact-with-women/answer/Yair-Davidiy
I live in a neighborhood in Israel of mixed Hasidic and regular Hareidi families. I do not know what happens elsewhere. Where I live you hold the door open for someone (man or woman) who might need it e.g. they are carrying something. Otherwise it is not considered necessary. A male might hold the door open for a male or he might not. It would not necessarily be considered offensive if he did not. So too, a male might hold the door open for a female but he runs the risk of being considered unduly familiar, i.e. the lady might not appreciate it. A married woman would probably feel slightly irritated if you held the door open for her. It depends how far she was behind you, how much you went out of your way. An unmarried woman probably would not mind so much. In other words it is not only the attitude of the male which is a factor here.
Anyway, what is the big deal whether they hold the door open or not?
Why take offence when no offence is intended?