Protest organizers expect 10,000 protestors to gather in Beit Shemesh and cry, "Enough to the exclusion of women!" The protest is creating considerable tension and high expectations among local residents.
The Israel Police is bringing in reinforcements to protect protesters, and to prevent them from trickling into the haredi (ultra-orthodox) neighborhoods. The protest will commence at the Orot school, which Naama Margolis attends, the seven year-old girl whose story in an "Ulpan Shishi" expose sparked widespread public outrage. "Only a cold and boorish person could remain indifferent in the face of a seven year-old child being spat upon and cursed at. Spitting on a seven year-old is like spitting on all of us!" the protest's Facebook page said.
Yesterday, a policeman was lightly injured by stones thrown by haredim, and six haredim who acted violently toward policemen and media crews were arrested.
There need to be separate buses for men and women
The "Kikar HaShabbat" website reported yesterday that Rabbi Yaakkov Adas said in his weekly lesson, "What is so bad about having women sit in the back and men sit in the front? Everyone knows, and psychologists agree, that it is women's nature to love keeping the honor of being the King's daughter inside. It is an honor for women to be modest. Satan has taken over those who are fighting this. Any woman who fights this is proclaiming that she is a complete idiot."
Rabbi Adas added, "This is so simple that every normal woman in the world understands this. It is natural for women to be modest, and not to be mixed with men. I asked some secular people to explain this to me. They told me that they are just jealous. They are jealous of the holiness of the haredi lifestyle. One secular person told me that he wanted his wife to be the most Haredi in the world with respect to being kept separate from men. I told someone that there needs to be completely separate buses for men and women, with 100 meters between the bus stops. If they would want to compromise on a Mehadrin bus, we would consider this option."
It is possible that journalists and photographers will no longer be the focus of violent attacks. Rabbi Natan Kupschitz, one of Beit Shemesh's top rabbis, has ordered his followers to cease participating in these activities. Kupschitz is considered to be close to local extremist groups.
In an effort to separate themselves from the extremist factions responsible for the violence in Beit Shemesh, following the intensification of the exclusion of women, and the exposure of the story of Naama Margolis, a reconciliation meeting was held by several religious and haredi leaders. They criticized the phenomenon and promised to join together in this struggle.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 27, 2011
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2011