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I always heard that it is not modest to publicly be courteous to woman (if a Jewish woman needs help you should help her, but if she does not, just you are holding the door for her or giving her the right of way)
(I thought it was an invention of the knight in the dark ages and not a Jewish custom ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chivalry ) )

I guess that if she is an old woman you need to respect her

But @DavidKenner told me that Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Aurbach in his book שו''ת מנחת שלמה the opposite of what I always heard

Is this true? Source?
What other Rabbis hold like that?

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From time to time I hear Gedolim remembered for their ordinary courtesy to women that they happened to encounter. Here's such an article:

"She went on to explain that when Rabbi (Yaakov) Kamenetsky came to the hotel, he gave “some kind of Bible class” every morning in the lobby of the hotel. “Every single morning before he gave the class, he would come by my desk, give me a nod, and say ‘Good morning!’. When he finished the class he would walk by my desk again and say ‘Have a good day!’ That Rabbi Kamenetsky, he was a great rabbi, but he was a great MAN!”

A Father-In-Law’s Gentle Reminder To His Son-In-Law. Parshas Yisro. Posted on February 8, 2007 (5767) By Rabbi Yissocher Frand | Series: Rav Frand | Level: Intermediate

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  • I found similar stories without reliable attribution, such as this one: theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/inspiring-rabbi-stories. BasYisroel2, Member. At Rav yaakov Kaminetzky's levaya there was a Nun. The family members asked her in a polite way how come she came to Rav Yaakov Zatzal's levaya. She answered that everybody ignored her because she was a nun. However, ever morning Rav Yaakov would pass the nunnery on his way to somewhere and would say good morning to her. She said I just had to come to the funeral of such a great man!
    – Chaim
    Commented Jan 31, 2017 at 12:59

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