BICOM

A large demonstration took place in the town of Beit Shemesh near Jerusalem yesterday, against attempts by extremist elements in the ultra-Orthodox community to impose strict codes of gender segregation and modesty in the local area. Several thousand protestors carried banners proclaiming that the Israeli majority would be ‘silent no more’ and that ‘gender segregation is my red line.’ Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat, leader of the main opposition Kadima party Tzipi Livni, a Knesset member from the religious Shas party Rabbi Haim Amsalem and Labor Leader Shelly Yachimovich addressed the crowd. Public figures from across the political spectrum in Israel, including religious leaders, have spoken out in recent days against harassment of women by some in the ultra-Orthodox community. Israeli President Shimon Peres said in a speech on Tuesday, ‘We are fighting for the soul of the country and the content of the state.  Today is a test for which the entire country must be mobilized in order to save the majority from a small minority.’ Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Tuesday, ‘The exclusion of women is an unacceptable phenomenon that contradicts the values of Judaism and democracy.’

The tense situation in an area of Beit Shemesh, where a modern-Orthodox religious community borders on a community of ultra-Orthodox Jews, has been ongoing for some time. A hard-core group of young men from the ultra-Orthodox community have been verbally abusing and intimidating young girls and their parents from the modern-Orthodox community whose personal codes of modesty they do not consider stringent enough. They have also attempted to prevent women walking outside a local synagogue during prayer times. Though the issue has been reported in Israeli and international media in the past, it caught the Israeli public imagination following a report by Israeli Channel 2 News over the weekend. The report showed the extent of the fear of an eight year old girl from the modern-Orthodox community, Na’ama Margolis, due to the intimidation she received. Public anger about this issue follows on from a similar recent outcry over attempts by some ultra-Orthodox men to impose gender segregation on bus lines travelling in ultra-Orthodox areas.