Tel Aviv (dpa) – All Na'ama Margolis wanted to do was get to school. But the blond, bespectacled eight-year-old faced a gauntlet of abuse from religious extremists who felt her clothing did not meet their standards of modesty. Since her case was featured on television on Friday night, Na'ama – who herself comes from a religious family – has become the latest symbol of what many more secular Israelis see as the struggle against religious coercion imposed by ultra-Orthodox extremists. Since Sunday, dozens of extremist religious Jews in Na'ama's home town of Beit Shemesh have been clashing with police attempting to remove a sign “requesting” women not to linger outside a synagogue. But Beit Shemesh, a short drive west of Jerusalem, is only the latest frontline in an increasingly public struggle. Ten days ago Tanya Rosenblit made headlines – and became a heroine among moderate Israelis – when she refused a demand by an ultra-Orthodox passenger to move to the back of a bus, as is increasingly customary on lines serving that community. Women have also been prevented from accepting an award handed out by the deputy health minister, himself ultra-Othrodox, and some religious soldiers have walked out of a ceremony which featured women singing – something forbidden by their rabbis. There are also reports of supermarkets serving the ultra-Orthodox community refusing to employ women. The cases of of Na'ama Margolis and Tanya Rosenblit led mainstream politicians to issue furious condemnation. Even some ultra-Orthodox politicians joined in. Not all the criticism was well-received; it has been pointed out that the so-called “banishment of women” is not a new phenomenon, but has been prevalent for years within ultra-religious communities in cities such as Jerusalem. But now, as it spreads into the public sphere, and to non-religious areas, is it making headlines. Blame has been pointed at the Beit Shemesh extremists – from other religious residents of the city, including ultra-Orthodox ones, who say that they have been terrorized for not meeting their standards of religiosity. Voices from within the ultra-Orthodox community have said that the group in Beit Shemesh does not represent the ultra-Orthodox community as a whole; it is a small cadre of extremists trying to impose a lifestyle which even other extremely religious Jews find objectionable. One Hasid – a member of an especially pious Jewish sect – called on the authorities to take action against the radicals. “The police have to crack down on them. They're violent, they threaten us, they're strangling us and their own rabbis. They don't let anyone live,” Ha'aretz quoted him as saying. For the time being at least, the case of Na'ama Margolis has lit a spark. “Clearly this is something which has touched gut issues,” says Rabbi Uri Regev, who heads a Jerusalem institution promoting religious freedom and equality. “I think modern-Orthodox Jews are going to take on the ultra-Orthodox,” says Howard Abrams, a liberal religious Jew. “The battlelines have been drawn for a number of years.” According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, approximately 8 per cent of Jewish Israelis define themselves as “ultra-Orthodox.” But they are represented by two political parties, and because of Israel's coalition governments, have an influence which for many far exceeds their real strength. Interior Minister Eli Yishai, perhaps Israel's most visible ultra-Orthodox politician, said on Sunday the issue of “banishment of women” had been blown out of all proportion. However, he also said the recent violence in Beit Shemesh was perpetrated by “radical elements” and needed to be condemned by “everyone in the (ultra-Orthodox) community.” Not everyone agrees. Some ultra-Orthodox figures, including women, say the “banishment” is not discrimination, and ultra-Orthodox women prefer it this way. Leaders of the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in Beit Shemesh condemned the violence, but said women agreed with the sign ordering them not to linger outside the synagogue “If it only depended on the women – they would exclude themselves from the synagogue area out of their own free will,” a statement, cited by the Ynet news site, said. And a submission on a Facebook page promoting a rally against the banishment phenomenon accused the organizers of fomenting “baseless hatred.” It was posted by a woman. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/72JoD Tags: Israel, Orthodox, Protest, Tel Aviv Section: Latest News, Palestine
