Comments on: Freedom of religion for all in Jerusalem – except women? http://israelity.com/2009/11/30/freedom-of-religion-for-all-in-jerusalem-except-women/ Life beyond the conflict Sun, 21 Mar 2010 08:23:54 +0000 hourly 1 By: Beth Frank-Backman http://israelity.com/2009/11/30/freedom-of-religion-for-all-in-jerusalem-except-women/comment-page-1/#comment-295409 Beth Frank-Backman Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:48:39 +0000 http://israelity.com/?p=14283#comment-295409 "Relations in Jerusalem between the haredi community and virtually everyone else seem to be at its nadir." I think turning this into a haredit/non-haredi debate is not constructive. I got to the rally late Motzei Shabbat, but I saw at least one black hat in the crowd and several more near the podium holding a sign protesting the violence within the haredi community. Brave souls and perhaps an exception within their own community, but it points to the fact that much, much larger issues are at stake here. Do we really want a Jewish world where we protest desecrations of Shabbat by desecrating synogoues, as happened on the Intel campus? Where fellow Jews of any gender are arrested because they find a tallit an aid to prayer? The one principle that trumps Shabbat over and over is Pikuach Nefesh and yet we tolerate the throwing of stones and possible injury of fellow human beings on Shabbat, as happened during the fight over keeping city parking lots open on Shabbat? Or trash cans burning because the state tried to protect a child who appeared to be neglected? At the rally I didn't see a single anti-haredi sign at the rally, but I sure saw a lot of anti-violence signs. Meretz or not, the focus should be on what was done (and what shouldn't be done), not on who was doing the doing. Your highlighting the views of "some participants" gets the focus off the issues and turns this into a political battle rather than a matter of principle. “Relations in Jerusalem between the haredi community and virtually everyone else seem to be at its nadir.”

I think turning this into a haredit/non-haredi debate is not constructive. I got to the rally late Motzei Shabbat, but I saw at least one black hat in the crowd and several more near the podium holding a sign protesting the violence within the haredi community. Brave souls and perhaps an exception within their own community, but it points to the fact that much, much larger issues are at stake here.

Do we really want a Jewish world where we protest desecrations of Shabbat by desecrating synogoues, as happened on the Intel campus? Where fellow Jews of any gender are arrested because they find a tallit an aid to prayer?

The one principle that trumps Shabbat over and over is Pikuach Nefesh and yet we tolerate the throwing of stones and possible injury of fellow human beings on Shabbat, as happened during the fight over keeping city parking lots open on Shabbat? Or trash cans burning because the state tried to protect a child who appeared to be neglected?

At the rally I didn’t see a single anti-haredi sign at the rally, but I sure saw a lot of anti-violence signs.

Meretz or not, the focus should be on what was done (and what shouldn’t be done), not on who was doing the doing. Your highlighting the views of “some participants” gets the focus off the issues and turns this into a political battle rather than a matter of principle.

]]> By: Ahuva http://israelity.com/2009/11/30/freedom-of-religion-for-all-in-jerusalem-except-women/comment-page-1/#comment-295407 Ahuva Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:40:46 +0000 http://israelity.com/?p=14283#comment-295407 It's a shame that the protest on Saturday night was highjacked by Meretz to support an entirely different notion. Barkat is right to say that we need to stand together, and find a compromise that is comfortable for both sides- but the Charedi treatment of women is an entirely different story. It was only a week or two ago that a law was passed stating that women are allowed to board the bus in the front (almost like a first rate citizen!) Do we really want to deny women the right to pray as they see fit, and to find their own identity within what has been mostly twisted into a male dominant religion? Perhaps we cannot all agree with these women's choices, but are they really hurting anyone? It’s a shame that the protest on Saturday night was highjacked by Meretz to support an entirely different notion. Barkat is right to say that we need to stand together, and find a compromise that is comfortable for both sides- but the Charedi treatment of women is an entirely different story. It was only a week or two ago that a law was passed stating that women are allowed to board the bus in the front (almost like a first rate citizen!) Do we really want to deny women the right to pray as they see fit, and to find their own identity within what has been mostly twisted into a male dominant religion? Perhaps we cannot all agree with these women’s choices, but are they really hurting anyone?

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