Jerusalem – Israel will act against anyone who harasses women in the public sphere, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, one day after a massive protest against gender segregation took place in the central Israel town of Beit Shemesh.
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Referring to rising tensions over gender segregation in Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community, Netanyahu said at the Knesset on Wednesday that Israel will act against “anyone who harasses women, anyone who harasses people in the public sphere.”
“We won’t accept spitting on people in the street just because someone doesn’t approve of their apparel,” the PM said, adding that the “public sphere is open and safe and will remain so.”
“This is part of what makes Israel a liberal western democracy, that the public sphere is open and free to everyone,” the premier said, warning, however, against an attack on the entire ultra-Orthodox community.
“We must beware of generalizing an entire population, because the vast majority of the Haredi public combines an adherence to Jewish tradition and a complete respect of the law,” Netanyahu said, commending top rabbis who criticized the actions of extremists.
Netanyahu should immediately go after the leadership and rabbonim of these fringe Chareidi groups. Once they have been thrown into jail as common criminials, its more likely that their followers will discontinue their assaults on women and children. He is correct that most of the problem is among a realtively small group of Chareidim but they are giving all frum yidden a bad name.
Quoting Haaretz: “a massive protest” what liars and leitzim they are.. a “massive” protest of less than 200 participants. what a joke.
Please call the Agudah at 212-797-2000 and respectfully ask them to issue a “kol koreh” issued by the Moetzes to condemn the violence in Beit Shemesh and elsewhere. If most Chareidim are against these acts than our leaders must make it clear.
Again the media is making up their own facts. Just check out this sentence from the article: “…one day after a massive protest against gender segregation took place in the central Israel town of Beit Shemesh.”
Pray tell, where on earth was there a “massive” protest? Last time I checked there were 300-500 people! Hardly “massive”. Actually the protest was a major flop for the media, who was trying to portray the Israeli public as “genuinely worried” for the regard of the Chareidi women. What this protest shows was exactly the opposite, the Israeli public could not care less! Had they cared, they would have should up in large numbers. Even regarding few people who did show up, they hardly came to the defense of women. Just check out the placards they were holding. They read – amongst others – “Out with the Chareidim”, “Chareidim are penguins”, etc. Check it out, the pictures are all very accessible online.
But then again, reality doesn’t create the facts, it’s the media who does, and in this case the new “fact” is that a few hundred protesters define a “massive” protest.
I wonder why women can’t go completely bare, who has the authority to determine how much skin is right to show? short sleeves, you get screamed at; it’s shorter, you go to jail.