Ultra Orthodox And Secular Jews Clash Over Gender Segregation In Israel

Ultra Orthodox Jews continue to push for segregation between men and women in the city of Beit-Shemesh, Israel, as secular residents fight back. "It is the fight for the soul of Israel," one resident stated.

Comments

[Mag7]

01:05 PM on 01/02/2012

Like the extremists of all other religions, the ultra-orthodox will justify their acts and claim to be the victims.

[Polly27]

11:10 PM on 01/02/2012

While also claiming to be the only ones with the truth. . . whatever that is.

[OlongapoEd]

06:25 PM on 01/01/2012

A prediction: It is the Ultra-Orthodox Jews who will, directly or indirectly be the undoing of Israel.

[Claudia L]

01:04 PM on 01/02/2012

Just like the Christian radicals are doing in the US.

[schnauzergirl]

12:08 PM on 01/04/2012

Spot on!

[MIKEinNYC]

05:03 PM on 01/01/2012

What exactly is it about that garb that's Jewish? Who wore that garb? Abraham, Issac, Jacob, Moses, Aron, who?

[shastar]

03:06 PM on 01/01/2012

Women need an Abraham Lincoln all for them self, to stop this segregation policy.

[Goldmel]

05:03 PM on 12/31/2011

The crust of the matter is, its the problem for the government which has gone on since 1948 and not set-up a proper division of the people in the country for voting and all kinds of reglious parties now exist. The advarage Israeli are decent people, they are Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews. The Ultra-Orthodox, the Heremim which is a small percentage, wants to impose their rules on all of the rest of the population. The Heredim Jews are fundamentalist and extremist who can not be allowed to impart their wishes on the rest of the population. And the government will have to deal with the problem. This small group is projecting an ugly picture of Judaism to the rest of the world that is not true of Jewish people or the Torahs teachings.

[wilray]

05:01 PM on 01/01/2012

"The crust of the matter?"

I assume you were joking. However, if you weren't, it's "the crux of the matter."

[Goldmel]

09:33 PM on 01/01/2012

To tell the truth I can't spell worth a dam and I appreciate your correction, I'm not even a religious Jew and this has upset me, because they are generalizing Jews and putting a bad face on Judaism and I find that dispicable. I had problems with bone head english back in college and now I'm retired...

[Claudia L]

01:10 PM on 01/02/2012

I think they should all get married and live together, just like King David. Wait, he boffed another guys wife and shipped her husband to the front lines of war so he would get killed so he could marry her, Bathsheba.

[Goldmel]

02:55 PM on 01/02/2012

Claudia, what are you proposing? I'm a David, but you will have to ask my wife's permission!
Happy New Year! Thanks for your response..I grew up in a small southern town in Virginia and everyone called me little King David.

[Gay Iberian]

03:51 PM on 12/31/2011

Those Jews are afraid of female empowerment, which is all the more reason why segregation should abolished.

[crowepps]

03:10 PM on 12/31/2011

Follow-up articles from Israeli papers:

http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/ultra-orthodox-extremism-is-a-reaction-to-growing-reform-in-the-community-1.404544

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/news/israel-police-jerusalem-yeshiva-students-linked-to-attack-on-west-bank-base-1.403976


http://forward.com/articles/148763/?p=all

[crowepps]

02:02 PM on 12/31/2011

"The Sisterhood" has an interesting article on this:
"
The idea that “they” deserve to have “their” culture respected is a disingenuous use of cultural relativism to defend a society that, ironically, is one of the most culturally intolerant that Israel has ever seen. Sure, Haredim can yell, spit, bully, and worse in order to defend their absolutist notions of right and wrong. But if someone comes along and calls them on it, out comes this whole “woe is me” thing; why don’t you all leave us alone, let us have our culture, this is our way. And unfortunately, some people mistaken fall for this, the latest being Livnat."

Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/sisterhood-blog/148569/#ixzz1i8lo2aXU

[HockeyMom]

01:32 PM on 12/31/2011

A whole minute ad before viewing the video is too much.

[shastar]

03:10 PM on 01/01/2012

If you don't have to pay for the content, i think it's OK.

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

07:38 PM on 01/02/2012

Just scroll down and read some comments for a minute. That's what I do.

[wcgfairfield]

09:52 PM on 12/30/2011

Example of Old Testament traditions getting people into trouble.

[smcircle]

10:05 PM on 12/30/2011

No, these are examples of people misinterpreting life. Do not condemn what you are not part of just because you do not understand it...

[CognitoErgoSum]

10:14 PM on 01/01/2012

Nowhere in the Old Testament did it decree that women had to walk on different sidewalks and be segregated or that girls should be spit on.

[Pratitya]

07:34 PM on 12/30/2011

There is so many vitriolic comments condemning Orthodox Judaism that one wonders whether such anger might spill over into unwarranted activity that might hurt those who have nothing to do with this unconscionable behavior as reported in the press. We must balance our remarks carefully assessing the situation and not take broad swipes against whole communities whose philosophy of life differs radically from ours. All too often this prejudice had been transmitted into terrible actions against innocent men women and children. This is a plea for sobriety in your comments. Yes, be angry at adults who intimidate children but also be mindful of that very anger lest it grows into an irrational mass of hate..

[soodeeell]

08:05 PM on 12/30/2011

It is alarming how quickly people react to extremism with extremism!

[crowepps]

10:34 PM on 12/30/2011

Oh, right, right, we've exceeded 500 comments so it must be time for the *tone* argument: the real problem is not extremists spitting at children and shoving women off buses and throwing stones at little boys, but instead those who get *angry* about it. (Eye roll)

[Pratitya]

10:52 PM on 12/30/2011

Please re-read my comment above.

It is about hatred pure and simple.

There is no justification of lumping a whole portion of humanity into the same bucket as those who mistreat others. Such categorizing of people can become at least as dangerous as the zealots who spit on children.

[ElBruce]

05:07 PM on 12/30/2011

You know, the article is written almost as if there are two valid sides to the issue.

[darkmark]

04:13 PM on 12/30/2011

i should say the last line in my other comment is mine.

[DrHopeful]

03:49 PM on 12/30/2011

The confusion of patriarchal, misogynistic cultural norms with orthodox religion has made fundamentalism, whether Muslim, Jewish, or Christian, abhorrent among the secular. Those who insist that God has determined how everyone must think or even dress and has divinely justified land grabs, inevitably resort to intimidation and violence. Ultimately, opponents of the pure are considered instruments of Satan, to be totally destroyed. To attack someone for wearing or not wearing a scarf or a beard is the first step on a dangerous, slippery slope.

[Rubinwitz12]

07:09 AM on 12/30/2011

What do we know aboit the Tal mud??!

[Sunwyn Ravenwood]

07:44 PM on 01/02/2012

I don't know what you know but I know there are 2 of them, the Palestinian and the Babylonian, the latter one being the later and more complete.

They are records of the decisions arrived at by committees of Rabbis studying the Torah and the Mishnah, and applying the laws to the situations in which they found themselves.