Beit Shemesh – Almost eight months after the issue of Hadarat Nashim (exclusion of women) exploded in the media when eight-year-old Naama Margolis was harassed by haredi extremists outside the Orot Girls’ School in Beit Shemesh, three concerned women, including Naama’s mother, are still fighting for a more equal society in their city.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Hadassa Margolis, Alisa Colman, and Nili Philipp, modern-Orthodox women who call Beit Shemesh their home, only want to the ability to move about their city freely without worrying about being harassed because of what they wear.
In an effort to raise public awareness, the women organized a tour of the city to highlight areas where they still feel at risk, in conjunction with the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism.
The women’s tour went through ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods surrounding their own and described limitations on their movement within the city. Streets have big signs demanding that women avoid dwelling on one side of the street, in front of synagogues, and that they wear modest clothing, which includes long sleeves and skirts, and no tight or revealing clothing.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
Why are they starting up? making a chilul
Show me who you walk with and I will know who your are. This woman is a born trouble-maker; and proof is she has joined the reform movement to help her. I would definitely not eat from her cooking; even with a masgiach
Chilul? Please….maybe we need a completely new approach. Let the men be locked up during the day or maybe all the time so they shouldn’t see the women. The women can be free without worry of harassment. If the problem is that men are seeing women and feel the women are not modest, the men can hide in underground caves so they shouldn’t see them. Problem solved.
I dont suggest such action especially on EL AL flights where the men take their seats. I wonder if such zoog daisah happens in first class.
Together with the reform? at least we see the true faces.
Surprise! The feminist chalerias who pretend to be orthodox (or modern allegedly orthodox, to be accurate) are acting, I quote, “in conjunction with the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism.”
Quod erat demonstrandum.
Gut Shabbos.
The so-called “Haredim” must understand that they are living in Galus under the zionist regime. Medinat Israel is not Jeffersonian America where we have true freedom of religion and can have beautiful true Jewish communities like Kiryas Joel and New Square, where we can have separate sides of the street and side of busses for men and women, etc. if they don’t like it in socialist Israel they should come to America where we have true religious freedom
oh no, here we go again. yipyap has spoken. lets all wait for alterg now to shower us with his brilliance.
Who’s making a chillul hashem?
What? this lady on the pic with long hair is jewish? She looks more then a goyta then a yid, if she don’t like the jewish torha laws let her move to india & she can do & wear half naket & nobody will tell her something
yipyap….you must be joking…for months …people that profess to be frum go k’neged das torah yelling at these women publicly creating a great chilul hashem and you remain quiet……now the women want to raise awareness of the hamon am – that people should ostrisize these people and you say they are the creators of this chilul hashem….I really think you are part of the problem….or perhaps you are ignorant…..
The great Rav Shamshon Rephael Hirsch called his hashkafah תורה עם דרך ארץ (Torah with derech eretz).
The Kanna’im of Bet Shemesh have invented a new hashkafah. I suggest that we call it תורה בלי דרך ארץ (Torah *without* derech eretz).
Haredi men have no business standing in front of an RZ girls’ yeshiva , spitting on the kinderlach and calling them shiksas. It’s that outrageous sinas chinam that causes this kind of response.
If these women are aligning themselves with reform then it is because we frum people failed them. Where was Agudah? Why didn’t frum organizations speak out in defense of the young girls and against the spitters? Why aren’t frum leaders publicly criticizing the signs that compel women to cross to the other street?
You know, I think part of the Beit Shemesh clash was about who got to use the building. The methods used were unspeakable. Everyone knows derech eretz kodma l’Torah. It makes you wonder.
To all of you who r saying these women r making chilul hashem ..open your eyes and look who is making chilul hashem , it is these sick extremist who apperently with all thier tzidkus r doing the biggest chilul hashem by looking for women to spit at and throw thing on them by disrespecting women , These extremist are a bunch of sick people who apperently look at women as objects and not human biengs and instead of living a true life of torah they are busy looking at whats not modest in thier eyes , they are not supposed to look at women at all , They should go live in a island somewhere with only men and like that they wont have a problem with women.kol hakavod for these women who r standing to what is right ,
To # 36 You are wrong no matter how a women dresses no man has the right to spit at her to shout at her or throw things on her no man has the right to tell a women that she cant walk on any side of a street , If any man apperently some extreme men have a problem with women then they should close themselves in thier home and not look at women they should cover thier eyes when walking down the street .
i dont understand how is it ok for a person to go looking for a problem
who cares who started it why and who the evil one is this is a person who is looking to start up with the whole community and not just a few radicals
the is no excuse for what they did/do but dont be the problem and make them right
rivka…sadly these men and most people of this generation on not on the level of rebitzen batsheva kanievsky. but we can all try to be a bit more accepting of our brothers and sisters….
# 40 you r right yes it would be healthier to stay away from places like meah shearim if you dont look or dress like neturei karta , But the problem is that these extremist think they can take over any place they settle in and instead of bieng mekarev someone who is not like them they do it in such a negetive way that just makes you hate them. unfortunatly I as an orthodox women dressed tzniusly had a bad expierience in meah sheaarim while waiting for my husband to go out of shul myself and my daughter were spit at called pritzus had stuff thrown on us just beacuse we were standing by our car by meah shearim , i felt like i was in aza and was surounded by jew hating arabs it really was a nes that my husband came ontime and chased these so called extren jews away, before we could get hurt. and I thought they dont look at women apperently they look too much.