Jerusalem – Hundreds Board Segregated Buses to Protest Exclusion of Women

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    Israeli women protesting against a gender-segregation campaign by ultra-Orthodox Jews sit at the front of a bus in defiance of demands by hardliners that women sit at the back, in Jerusalem on 01 January, 2012. Reports state that hundreds of mostly secular activists boarded buses used mostly by ultra-Orthodox Jews near Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem to voice opposition against the practice of separation between women and men on a number of lines traveling through religious neighbourhoods.  EPA/ABIR SULTANJerusalem – Hundreds of men and women boarded gender-segregated buses in Jerusalem and Ramat Gan on Sunday, in protest of the exclusion of women from the public sphere and against the segregation of men and women in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods.

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    Despite the friction between the two communities, the protest on board the buses went over relatively quietly.

    The event, which was created by Jerusalem resident Alon Visser called on people to put an end to the apathy and changing the status quo. Visser said that he has gotten used to seeing gender-segregated buses run through Jerusalem’s central bus station.

    “This is not the society that I want to live or raise my children in,” Visser wrote on the event’s Facebook page. “We cannot continue to be silent on the issue of gender segregation on bus lines – it is against the law and against human rights.”

    Israeli women protesting against a gender-segregation campaign by ultra-Orthodox Jews sit at the front of a bus in defiance of demands by hardliners that women sit at the back, in Jerusalem on 01 January, 2012. Reports state that hundreds of mostly secular activists boarded buses used mostly by ultra-Orthodox Jews near Tel Aviv and in Jerusalem to voice opposition against the practice of separation between women and men on a number of lines traveling through religious neighbourhoods.  EPA/ABIR SULTAN


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    44 Comments
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    MosheM
    MosheM
    12 years ago

    Stupid provocateurs. They failed miserably.

    username
    username
    12 years ago

    Who winds this round? Egged, for all the revenue they collected today.

    12 years ago

    This is similar to the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott of 1955, which was done to protest segregation on that bus system.

    12 years ago

    This is the religious world’s 9-11. The zealots have opened up a can of worms that they now cannot close. They have awoken the sleeping giant of normal Yidden who now say GENUG!

    Babishka
    Member
    Babishka
    12 years ago

    If you look closely at these pictures on VIN you will see an old lady standing in the aisle while all these fit young people (frum and frei) are taking up seats.

    YJay1
    YJay1
    12 years ago

    “the protest on board the buses went over relatively quietly.” Another blow to the Secular inciters. Sorry, no fun for you guys, this time around.

    To all Yidden who acted civilly today on the Mehadrin buses: A Groiseh Shkoyach, you have created a great Kiddush Hashem. May Hashem bless you all!

    PowerUp
    PowerUp
    12 years ago

    ”Achoiry Ari, V’loy Achoiry Ishu” translation from the talmud: ”better to walk in back of a lion then in back of a woman” anybody who doesn’t like this, is kofer btoras moshe rabeiny

    shredready
    shredready
    12 years ago

    good

    the sleeping giant has woken up.

    good for everybody that it was marred by any incidents

    keepsmiling
    keepsmiling
    12 years ago

    sorry #3 put on your glasses in my picture the lady is sitting and boys are standing.
    #2 what has this got to do with Rav Horowitz. I am really sorry to say but before everyone comments on the accurence the last few day PLEASE listen to the WHOLE story and not just read what is written in the secular news. Im not saying what was doen is correct but living here in BS i can say it was ALL blown to 1000% more than what happened and definatly was a 1 sided story.

    Reb Yid
    Reb Yid
    12 years ago

    “We cannot continue to be silent on the issue of gender segregation on bus lines – it is against the law and against human rights.”

    But it’s not enforced by law, it’s adhered to by societal convention. Is he saying it should be illegal for people to voluntarily ride in certain sections of the bus?

    confusedmom
    confusedmom
    12 years ago

    Aren’t tensions high enough? Why take action to deliberately fan the flames? Boruch Hashem this passed quietly.

    12 years ago

    This whole tumult is one big media frenzy and we the frummer by busy criticizing acheinu bnei yisroel are part of this “hype” and when the bubble is big everyone piles on.
    Someone spits and its a great big deal. Someone calls someone a shikse or a zoinah and its a huge big deal. Oh, come on the whole deal of segregation is one big nothing.
    Hillary Clinton was the one who started this whole tumult and that it should have stayed. The media is trying to keep this going so as the left wing parties can keep this going until the election. And so is the frummer in America that are so Marbeh shalom” and talk about “oiseh sholom” — then they should just shut up and stop keeping the flames going.

    Balaboos
    Balaboos
    12 years ago

    If you look carefully at the 2nd photo, the teenagers appear (and likely are) taunting this woman. She on the other hand appears indifferent to the whole situation.

    Is this what their heilige elders taught them to do? I strongly doubt it. This is the epitome of azus! And of they’re so frum (uh-huh), pray tell: WHY ARE THEY EVEN LOOKING AT HER?

    No further questions your honor – I rest my case….

    12 years ago

    No problem…they can come on board, but this is a democratic society where people can have “privately owned buses” where they can make and enforce their own rules…and if they will not allow for that…let me see who the instigaters are??????

    stamm
    stamm
    12 years ago

    They wanted their own buses but egged said instead, they will provide for them accordingly, they will make sure women are separated. i think this is mainly bec. they want to daven on the bus. the chilonim are stirring up trouble to win the elections. we definitely don’t see the whole pic. here. if most women want to sit in the back why are they protesting for these women. these routes are majorly majorly frum, so why shouldn’t they have their way.

    Egads
    Egads
    12 years ago

    I really dislike it when people lump all the “secular” or all the “frum” into one group. I am secular. Respect is a two way street, show me respect and I’ll show you respect 10 fold. The opposite also applies. I was brought up to respect people. As a secular Jew, I am always trying to find ways to improve upon myself, be it learning more about Yiddishkeit, etc. I work with a lot of frum Jews. They treat me with respect and I treat them with respect, so please do not lump everyone into the same category.

    I remember when I took my birthright trip to Israel and part of the trip was going through Meah Shearim. We were told to dress in a modest manner out of respect for those who live there. The same goes in the US. I wouldn’t walk into an frum establishment in BP or Williamsburg unless I was dressed modestly out of respect for those that are from that environment.

    If the secular media is fanning the fire, they are wrong. If those Chareidim are doing what they are doing to cause strife, they are wrong. You need to listen to both sides of the stories as well.

    chazzen
    chazzen
    12 years ago

    The chareidim should stop this.This is not religion.On the prewar pictures we dont see any of this rubbish