Israel – A new type of religious certification has been launched in Sderot: A modesty standard. Businesses that commit to ensure modest dress and modest advertisements are to be granted a “modesty certification” after religious inspectors from the Ma’amakim organization examine the business’s premises and certify that it upholds the standard during periodic visits.
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The newly formed standard is the initiative of Ma’amakim, which was established by the Reut-Sderot organization in a bid to deepen awareness of Jewish tradition in the city.
“The idea was formed on the backdrop of the security situation in the city,” explained Rabbi Ariel Bareli, one of the leaders of Ma’amakim. “We felt like we want to do something to help. Bombing Gaza is not within our capacity, so we thought of doing something in order to increase opportunities to do something good. We consulted with Rabbi Eliyahu on how we can strengthen them in terms of Torah, and what came up as a request from the public of the Torah core families is the issue of modesty.
“It was clear to us that we could not turn to the general public and ask them to grow stronger in their abidance of modesty because this would not be accepted. Therefore, we thought of starting with people who serve the public. What we are in essence asking of them is to be considerate of the religious public. After all, it is fairly acceptable that businesses have uniform dress.”
Initial contact was made with large businesses like banks, sick funds, and the post office. The task has been entrusted with women in order to avoid the embarrassment of a man coming and talking to women’s cleavage.
“We started very cautiously,” said Rabbi Bareli. “There were places where it was important for them to cooperative with us, like sick funds, because we are satisfied customers. In their case, instructions were simply given that the desk clerks also be asked to wear the sick fund smocks. We reached people who understand us, like the branch manager of Superpharm, who contacted the chain’s management and asked that the Sderot branch be deemed a haredi branch so that the appropriate advertisements be sent to them. In the municipality, however, we weren’t successful. They weren’t interested.”
Improving the campaign
The modesty standard campaign, titled “Mutual Respect,” was promoted by notices hung throughout the city emphasizing the advantages of modest dress. The signs, which initially featured a picture of the Baba Sali along with one of his statements “Modest dress – happiness, honor, and blessing,” were not particularly successful. The organization then changed the word modesty to “Mutual Respect.”
The campaign was bolstered by print ads run in the newspapers featuring a list of the stores that abide by the modesty standard. “Our goal today is to raise the modesty issue to public consciousness,” explained Rabbi Bareli.
“We want people who don’t keep the Torah and mitzvoth also to understand the pain and suffering of a person trying to raise his children in purity but encounters public representatives who spoil it for him. I want people to understand that there is no oppression here.”
“Abroad, there are clear standards for appropriate dress in the workplace. We don’t want to close ourselves off like the haredim. We want to be part of the general public, and I am asking you to allow me to do this. We aren’t asking businesses to have their female workers come to work in skirts and long sleeves, but just without showing cleavage,” explained Rabbi Barel.
“It must be understood that despite all my good and earnest intentions to integrate into general society, I can’t sacrifice what is in my soul. I hope that in Sderot, which is a small town with a traditional character, we will manage to do this. I would be pleased if this model is later taken to other places as well.”
If they do this rationally and with consideration of global norms, it may work. If they take an rigid, Chareidi style censorship approach to tzninius, they will embarrass themselves and lose business.
So long as it is voluntary and done within darchei noam, this is great and should be emulated everywhere.
this is something we all need. maamakim demands are needed to cover up. there is no need to ever see cleavage in any shape or form.
“We felt like we want to do something to help. Bombing Gaza is not within our capacity, so we thought of doing something in order to increase opportunities to do something good.”
Come on. Surely it does not boil down only to a choice between this and bombing Gaza. I hate to say it (and I and others would not have many years ago) but how much would a certificate like this cost?
im quite sick and tired of haredim trying to impose their standards on the rest of society. You do what you think is right for yourself and let others live in peace.! Next we will see coercion and threats, no doubt. And all this came about because you couldnt bomb gaza???? is that supposed to encourage rational minded people to join your tznius cause?? It pains me to say this but the haredim of this world have turned into the Jewish Taliban. And for those who say how can you compare? It all starts out small, like this campaign and then it turns into more. I have to say Im quite frightened by the power that the religious fanatics are acquiring. They make me sick.
Who is ‘periodically’ checking on ‘rabbis’ who steal, lie, cheat, abuse? Who is checking on concert ban ‘rabbis’ to make sure they give back every penny they caused in lost money to the innocent concert promoters / singers? Who is ‘periodically’ checking on ‘rabbis’ who sell organs, and kashrut scandal ‘rabbis”
#6 u make us all sick so move on to a leftist site where they ur gloom and doom
Taliban kills people almost daily they bomb to kill in public places when was the last time chareidim killed people and bombed people … So sto comparing … Besides do not group all chareidim with some of the 2 % extremists
but u liberal Jew go ur way it won’t matter in 1-2 generations ur children won’t be Jewish they may even actually join the real Taliban ..
Of all the things that they need in Sderot, this is what tops the list?
What if some huge company like Intel takes a chance and wants to open up in Sderot? would they be turned away because they are not Tzanua enough?
Doesn’t “Mutual Respect” imply that it goes both ways? How about campaigning for Charedim to respect non-Charedim, and to stand still during the sirens on Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaShoah?
Due to the behavior of some other chareidis, people may legitimately fear that what is dubbed a “mutual respect” program only seeking some small changes and only in the workplace could quickly escalate into more stringent attempts at control and talibanization. People who care about tzunius should focus on their own behavior and not that of others.
I’m still trying to figure out what the “mutual” in “mutual respect” means. Normally it means you get something from both sides, but here it appears it’s one-sided. I always look with distrust at people who hide behind misleading words.
Hopefully, the “mutual respect” and low key approach to tzinius will work both ways and teach the Chareidi sector to be more tolerant and flexbile in what they consider “acceptable” dress and behavior. If they show some recogition of how normal people outside the chareidi sector dress than maybe they will be shown respect in return.
Why is it that every time someone wants to do something good everyone has another answer – why don’t they watch this and why don’t they first do that, there is stealing, lying, etc…. who cares?!?
some people decided to do this now ( and not take care of every other problem that happens to exist in this world at this time) so good for them!!! They think this mitzvah will help them so let them do it. So because other areas are imperfect we shouldn’t do anything?
Are all these big talkers out there doing anything ( other than criticizing?)
They don’t want pritzut and are trying to take care of it nicely so kol hakavod.
It’s just pathetic that our world came to the point where we have to explain people that certain parts of our body are supposed to be covered in public .
I must have typed in the wrong address into my browser – this must be the Muslim VIN site – Taliban Judiusim must be stopped before our women are forced to waer burkas.
If posters 6 and 7 woul really believe in gods word “Pen yireh bichoo ervas dovor vishov mayachreichu” they would post differently!
I recently stopped my regular visits to a world-famous Brooklyn Jewish neighborhood because of the pervasive immodest dress there. I refuse to shop there because of the situation.
I now visit and shop in Williamsburg where the men and women are exceptionally well-dressed. A pleasure.
#22 – you’re not keeping up with the news. There have been beatings, throwing of various liquids, threats, etc. done by self-identified “Chareidim” in the the name of modesty in more than one “mixed” town in central Israel. While it seems that these “religious” hoodlums are not being directed by any gedolim, one doesn’t hear any gedolim threatening to put them in cherem either. Women – and some men – have already been hurt, although to my knowledge no one has been killed (yet). Sooner or later someone may be killed when these “kanoim” get out of hand. We need to re-define “religious” in terms of actions towards other people and not just what someone wears and eats. There are sick people in every group who think beating people up is fun. It should be our business to make sure that our own sickos can’t take cover behind the excuse of being “religious.”
If this is such a good idea why don’t we see signs like this in Boro Park and Willyb. I havent been down to 47th street in a while but is there a sign by the Heimishe diamond stores, “dont walk in here if you are not dressed modestly. ” Seems more like a double standard than “Mutual
respect”
personally, i steer clear of stores where personnel dont dress tznius- i rather my $ go to someone with higher moral standards.
Rabbi Barelli. Who did you get your hetter horo’oh from?
Is there a website where I can see your written and signed semicha?
Maybe the same could be done for Boro Park. Store window displays should NOT SHOW “legs covered in mesh hosiery”, ladies under wear, or other such revealing items. It’s one thing to sell them inside, but to advertise them in the window should not be. I was shopping with my husband when in walks a pretty young woman, with a low, low cut top revealing way too too much. I had to warn the men in the store.
ALSO, a sign on the entrance of our BP stores should read, “SUMMERTIME: Please respect our modest establishment, please do not enter wearing revealing low-cut tops, or shorts, or short short skirts of any kind”.