Tel-Chai Nation

The religious-led parties in the Knesset are making petty demands for legalizing gender-segregated gatherings with public funding:

United Torah Judaism and Religious Zionist Party demanded, as part of ongoing coalition negotiations, to legalize gender segregation for the ultra-Orthodox and religious public, a report said Sunday.

The demand is to enact legislation that says that segregation between men and women in public spaces, specifically cultural events for the haredi and religious public, academic studies and public services, would not be considered illegal discrimination, according to Israel Hayom.

Israeli law currently prohibits gender segregation in public services and spaces, except in specific circumstances that meet a number of requisite criteria. [...]

The move by UTJ and RZP is aimed at stopping the “legal hounding” of any form of segregation, according to Israel Hayom. It is not intended to force segregation on the public but only for the haredi and religious populaces, the report added.

As it so happens, why must Haredi/religious populaces follow this "custom" at all, certainly outside a synagogue? It's a very unhealthy notion that it has to be done no matter, regardless of whether it hurts the wider population or not.

National Unity MK and former religious affairs minister Matan Kahana responded to Lapid on Twitter: “There are population groups for whom gender segregation is a way of life. Not to enable these population groups to hold gender-segregated events is simply coercion. No Israeli citizen needs to attend these events or study at an institution that includes such segregation. Whoever wants haredi integration into Israeli society cannot force his way of life on others,” Kahana wrote.

But what if the most extreme Haredis do this? Again, I'm at a loss to understand why people like Kahana have no issue or questions to raise whether it's a good or bad influence. Religious communities should not be practicing this kind of "custom" outside the synagogue or other forms of prayer service.

The news led to the following op-ed by two columnists:

When MK Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionist Party, and Yitzhak Goldknopf, head of United Torah Judaism, come and demand that gender segregation not be considered discrimination, this is already problematic. How can two men, one from a party that does not even allow women to be a part of it, join together to lead such an initiative? How is it possible that these kinds of demands always come from men? How is it that no woman has ever raised the banner of this demand?

[...] So, yes, Knesset members and rabbis, and religious adjudicators always think that they know what is best and right for us. They have ownership over wisdom and morality and justice. They are here to do good for women, while, God forbid, never marring their status. It's just that all this good they are showering on us, such as not permitting women to enlist into the army, not to sing in front of men, not to attend mixed events, and a million and one other examples, always amount to what is forbidden for women to do. What men claim that they are doing in favor of women, always ends against them.

[...] And the moment that the law is enacted, the floodgates will open for a torrent of separated events. The hole in the dam, which we anyway stop with our little finger, just like the Dutch girl, will burst. Then women will not only be removed from positions of power and influence, their voices will not only be banned in public – they will not be heard at all.

Yes, this is the valid concern in the whole affair, and if they do this, they're only providing leftists with more ammunition to make issues out of. The Haredi representatives in particular have to stop with this whole segregation custom, because it does more harm than good.

Of course, as the 2nd writer notes, the left's already been practicing hypocrisy in its own way:

Outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid had no free time to support the vital struggle of women in Iran; that is until yesterday. That is when Lapid came out with a populist and shallow statement, comparing the demand of the Religious Zionist Party and United Torah Judaism to change the law so that gender segregation in public events on religious grounds is not considered discrimination, to the atrocities taking place in the Islamic Republic.

The sad part of Lapid's outrageous statement is not the fact that he did not bother to read the article to the end, nor the clear reservation that this is an important amendment for ultra-Orthodox and religious women, who want to enjoy cultural events with gender segregation, in accordance with their faith and lifestyle. The sad part here is that Lapid knows the truth, yet chooses to create rifts, incite and lie, all in order to stir up the Israeli public, who are absolutely terrified of the government that is about to be formed, making them believe that the Revolutionary Guards of the Modesty Police will be present at Shlomo Artzi and Omer Adam's performances forcing the audience to sit separately.

This is especially infuriating when knowing that in recent years Lapid's wife, Lihi Lapid, has personally held several cultural events for women only. MK Merav Ben Ari, of the Yesh Atid party, also organized an event in the last elections for ultra-Orthodox women only, where she promised to answer their questions.

Under the Radar

Under the embarrassing and groveling title " The wisest of women – each one built her house" (Proverbs, 14:1), they were joined by Merav Michaeli, who set up an ultra-Orthodox section in the Labor Party and invited ultra-orthodox women to participate in a gender-separate conference that she organized.

In fact, in October, even the left-wing Meretz party held a conference at Beit Jann with gender segregation. The conference, organized by MK Ali Salalha, passed quietly under the radar because the Arabs are allowed to hold events according to the lifestyle they believe in. Michaeli and Ben Ari are also allowed to take the votes of ultra-Orthodox women, but, God forbid, they are not allowed to live according to their faith.

On the other hand, Motti Steinmetz's performance in Afula during the summer, as well as the concerts of Hanan Ben Ari, Of Simhas, and Kobi Aflalo in Bat Yam, were canceled in 2019 following a vexing petition by women's organizations.

So these leftist movements are okay with Islamic communities holding gender-segregated events, but otherwise oppose Haredis holding the same. This is exactly why any valid argument they could have against Haredis doing it falls flat, because they won't apply the same standards to the Religion of Peace.

In any case, as I said before, Orthodox Judaist communities, Haredi or otherwise, shouldn't be following this kind of custom, because it's exactly what's brought down a lot of other countries - segregation that does more harm than good, that's got nothing to do with private quarters like bathrooms and changing rooms, or even synagogues and other such prayer locations. Those who tolerate this kind of lifestyle aren't doing Judaism any favors.

Labels: dhimmitude, haredi corruption, iran, islam, Israel, Israeli Arabs, Judaism, Knesset, msm foulness