Tel-Chai Nation

An important ruling was made on the status of college education, and what ultra-Orthodox can or cannot expect:

The High Court of Justice on Monday upheld the Council for Higher Education’s policy of offering gender-segregated college courses in order to encourage the integration of ultra-Orthodox students.

Writing for the majority, Justice Hanan Melcer argued that he did not accept “the claim that any gender segregation in universities and colleges violates the fundamental right to equality.”

“Most students studying in gender-segregated tracks choose to do so out of their own free will, in accordance with their religious views that support gender segregation as a way of life,” he maintained.

“Even if there is a certain violation of equality in this arrangement, it is worth it for the purpose of integrating the ultra-Orthodox population into academia, and largely meets the tests of proportionality,” Melcer added.

The ruling did however accept a clause of the petition against the barring of female lecturers from teaching male-only courses, with the judges arguing that such a policy fails the test of proportionality and discriminates against female lecturers.

The court also ruled that the prohibition on segregation between men and women in public spaces on campuses must be enforced immediately.

This is one ruling by an otherwise corrupt legal system I'm in favor of, because harming women's status in society is exactly how you bring it down hard.

With all that told, I can't understand what this article's writer means by Haredis integrating into wider society:

For many years, the State of Israel has made an effort to incorporate Haredim into academia to allow them to integrate into the job market, earn a living, and build a career. To make it easier for them to enter the secular academic world and its vastly different values, numerous academic tracks were established at campuses across the country.

As part of the strict gender segregation and in an effort not to deter Haredim, female lecturers were kept from teaching Haredi men. This gender segregation, which slipped into campuses' public domain and undermined equal opportunities for women lecturers, has come under intense public scrutiny, and as is usually the case, found its way to the High Court of Justice. A series of petitions were filed against segregation in an attempt to ban it outright. On the other side, petitions were submitted to extend the segregation to additional tracks.

In its ruling this week, a majority of justices ruled the Council for Higher Education can continue its gender-segregated tracks for Haredim, with a few caveats: Gender segregation can only be maintained inside classrooms but not libraries, cafeterias, or outside, meaning not in the public space. In addition, the court determined keeping women lecturers out of classrooms where men study harms them severely and is therefore prohibited.

This important, balanced, and landmark ruling is important for a few reasons: The court, which is sensitive to any blow to equality, has shown a great deal of understanding of Haredi religious values. In the face of ultra-Orthodox complaints the sector is being trampled on by the courts, the High Court has in fact shown itself as its protector.

Well as a matter of fact, speaking as a right-winger, I don't think they should be showing any "understanding" of Haredi values. I won't say there aren't some good things they practice, but gender segregation and abstinence till marriage aren't among them. Worst is when any particular clan bans imagery of women yet not men, which puts the lie to the notion they're against idolatry, one defense they've had for this bias. And how can one integrate into the market if they retain the most repellent customs of their wretched interpretation of Judaism?

Yet the ruling is of even greater significance than that. In recent years, we have been witness to a series of Haredi attempts to segregate women from the public space or impose segregation on buses, sidewalks, and public performances. The more the Haredi population grows and integrates into Israeli society, the more they will make such demands.

Now here, it's even more peculiar why he'd say they're "integrating" into society, if they demand gender segregation anywhere outside the synagogue halls. If they really believe that gobbledygook, they are not integrating at all. They're only hurting society, along with women and children, as was seen in the past decade in Beit Shemesh. That's why I think the right-wing has to reevaluate whether they should retain such close ties with the Haredi parties in Knesset, because they enabled a lot of this stuff on their part, not the least being socialist influence, which is indeed what some of their beliefs in gender segregation and censorship build on. Somebody has to make clear such ideologies are unacceptable in the long run.

The court ruling for now is a good one, but even so, the Haredi clans' ideology cannot be excused, and most definitely not by right-wingers, because to do so risks giving the left a weapon to use against them.

Labels: haredi corruption, Israel, misogyny, Moonbattery