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Jerusalem, Israel - Modern Bridge Welcome, Modern Dress Is Not |
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Ultra-Orthodox Jews watch acrobats rehearse for their performance at night for the inauguration of the light rail bridge in Jerusalem, Wednesday June 25, 2008. The bridge, which curves across Jerusalem's western entrance and will eventually carry a new light rail line, is suspended from 66 white cables attached to a spire 387 feet (118 meters) high that towers over the surrounding rooftops and is visible from miles away. AP
The bridge, which curves across Jerusalem's western entrance and will eventually carry a new light rail line, is suspended from 66 white cables attached to a spire 387 feet high that towers over the surrounding rooftops and is visible from miles away.
The bridge is the image of modernity in the ancient city. But the gala opening of the bridge created a controversy over teenage girl dancers.
The bridge celebration was scheduled to include a dance performance by 13- to 16-year-old girls, but pressure from ultra-Orthodox religious conservatives first changed their outfits and then canceled their routine.
The dancers usually perform in simple outfits of matching white pants and T-shirts. However, the young girls were given long brown frocks that came to their ankles, obscuring their figures. They were told to cover their hair with tight black caps.
And instead of dancing, they were left just standing on the stage in their shapeless robes.
"We have never had problems before," the dance company manager, Yaniv Hoffman, said.
"We were told before the performance that there would be a lot of religious people at the event," Hoffman said. "Someone came and checked the dances and the outfits beforehand, and told us that everything was acceptable."
On the day of the performance, Hoffman was informed that someone coordinating the event had bought the special caps for the girls. "They didn't want them to be recognizable as girls," he said. Ultimately, the group did not end up performing their dances at all. They appeared on the stage with torches, dressed in their modest clothes, and then went off the stage. "They didn't even want us to appear at all.
Jerusalem City Councilman Saar Netanel said he thought the decision to cancel the dance was outrageous, and that there was nothing in the dancers' behavior to warrant a change.
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Read Comments (15) — Post Yours »
1
Jun 26, 2008 at 03:29 PM Anonymous Says:
the bridge looks like a modern sculpture
2
Jun 26, 2008 at 03:55 PM Anonymous Says:
if they dont like it dont go. whos forcing them to watch?
3
Jun 26, 2008 at 04:18 PM Anonymous Says:
Anonymous Says:
if they dont like it dont go. whos forcing them to watch?
06-26-2008 - 3:55 PM
Absolutely!
This is an event, not a billboard. If you are afraid to have bad thoughts DO NOT GO TO THE EVENT and promise that you are really such a Tzadik 24/7/365, even online.
4
Jun 26, 2008 at 04:35 PM Anonymous Says:
I feel bad for the dancers. Their mind is focused on the performance and not on how they appear to onlookers. Attendance by the public and watching is totally voluntary! They do a lot of work to practice and be perfect and these perverts force a cancelation.
Years from now they will be out of this career but still remember the hurt they feel now.
5
Jun 26, 2008 at 04:47 PM asd Says:
wiessman gets 100+ comments and this only 4???
6
Jun 26, 2008 at 04:50 PM izzy Says:
These guys would love Saudi Arabia.
7
Jun 26, 2008 at 05:23 PM Gefilte Fish Says:
i have mixed feelings about this. on one hand its a democratic country, on the other hand after all its yerushalayim ir hakodesh! the city where we hope to rebuild the third temple very soon. we want mashiach to come marching on this bridge, lets keep it holy and fit for him to be able to come and redeem us BEKAROV!
8
Jun 26, 2008 at 08:01 PM Anonymous Says:
I'm wondering from where does the city ofJrslm have $73 million for a bridge, when most of all jerusalemites earn about $1200 per month?? who funded this? & who needs it????
9
Jun 26, 2008 at 08:21 PM Anonymous Says:
My fist thoughts too were that this is a Taliban tactic, but if you think about it, this celebration was for the city of Jerusalem and therefore it should be representative of the city's population which has a very large charedei presence k"h and it would behoove the organizers to be sensitive to the issues of their citizens. I can't imagine that most of the secular spectators felt deprived because the girls didn't do their routine on the other hand the religous were able to participate without being made uncomfortable.
10
Jun 26, 2008 at 10:08 PM chaim Says:
LEt it be!
I do agree it has absolutely no shaiches to Jerushalaim!
11
Jun 26, 2008 at 11:39 PM Anonymous Says:
"Years from now the hurt that they feel" - that "hurt" will be their defending angel upstairs
12
Jun 27, 2008 at 12:46 AM Matzahlocal101 Says:
We (G-d fearing orthodox Jews) put somebody to death for smoking a cigarette on Shabbos. (with Aidim and Hasra'ah) I'm not looking to find people to put to death. But Hashem's requirements don't change because an anti religious zionist government is in power. We do not say dina d'malchusa where the medina orders anti Torah behavior, particularly b'shas hashmad. Those that have no problem watching girls dance seem to forget there is a halacha in Shulchan orech that it is assur to walk behind a woman. (Ev"H s.21) And that halacha is talking about a properly dressed bas yisrael. Alas these are from the many simanim that modern orthodoxy has cut out from shulchan orech, in their embrace of "the secular world" i.e., Goyish Culture, and their rejection of authentic Judaism. Sorry to hurt your feelings, but we are the Taliban because Hashem said so, not because we went looking for the job.
13
Jun 27, 2008 at 12:53 AM Anonymous Says:
The Land of Israel is a gift to the Jews as a whole from G-d. If anybody want's to do something that offends the people that listen to G-d, they should do it in private. Don't force innocent people to see something not Kosher to the eye in a public street or parade. The same way you can not force someone to eat not Kosher - You can not force someone to see something or hear something not Kosher. Doing this at a public event is doing it by force.
14
Jun 27, 2008 at 01:07 AM Chareidi Leumi Says:
Why did they only wake up on the day of the celebration and realize that the religious jews did not want to see female dancers? Israels been around for 60 years and by now they should realize that this was gonna happen.
15
Jun 27, 2008 at 10:00 AM Anonymous Says:
So i guess this is why the rotten Zionists need their own so-called "Jewish" state, to step on abd desecrate the Torah with such evil and sin day after day.