Group of ultra-Orthodox Jews wearing prison uniforms from the Holocaust during a demonstration in Jerusalem on December 31, 2011 to protest against what they call the 'media campaign of incitement'
(AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images/Getty)
Tensions between ultra-Orthodox Haredim and more secular Israelis have been growing over the past year. With strict codes in regards to clothing, observance of the Sabbath, and male-female interactions, this 1 million-strong segment of the population has become increasingly vocal about its displeasure with what it perceives as an insufficiently observant state. Specifically, the majority of this animosity has been focused on women.
Last month controversy erupted when ultra-Orthodox men spit on an 8-year-old girl whom they deemed immodestly dressed, and women have been banned from taking the stage at several high-profile events over the past week, including a conference on women's health.
Isabel Kershner is a reporter for our partner The New York Times in Jerusalem. Idit Karni is the mother of two daughters, aged 8 and 10, in Jerusalem. She also recently led a campaign to bring women back into the public sphere in Jerusalem.
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Comments [3]
The next time you do this topic, please include some of the charedim who also disgusted by Neturei Karta and their fellow travelers.
Here's something you could refer to: "The Events in Beit Shemesh: A Hareidi Resident Speaks." http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/11056?mid=567#.TxQ7LJgnFLt
It's really important, I think, to round out the context about hateful religious Jews, the same way we do it with hateful Muslims, Christians or others' religions, to make it clear that these guys are sick, not religious.
The great sophist quest for moral equivalency leads to a ridiculous comparison of democratic Israel to its chaotic and tyrannical neighbors. All nations have religious and ethnic tensions but in this case the Arab world should take a lesson in how Israel deals with it in their society. The Arab Spring can only hope they someday produce a society like Israel in their nations.
Interesting how a disgusting act like spiting at a protest in Israel is dutifully reported here but no coverage of the several disgusting acts committed by the Occupy protests against women and others.
Yet another religious war, albeit not yet as violent as others. What makes religion, something that purports to teach good, cause so much hate and death? Forgive my cynicism, however, if we all followed the same religion and we all belonged to the same political party, we would come to wars between blue eyed people and brown eyed people. Why can’t our religious leaders focus on what we have in common and foster respect for our differences ?
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