Orthodox Jewish millionaires consider segregated bus scheme
Under the proposed scheme, the buses would transport passengers from Haredi - or ultra-Orthodox - neighbourhoods in Jerusalem, Ashdod and Beit Shemesh, the Yediot Aharonot newspaper reported.
Israel’s transport ministry is yet to respond to the suggestions. Under the current scheme, segregation is voluntary. Israeli law says that any provider of a public service must treat everybody equally.
Israel’s Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger told the newspaper: “I support segregation, but only when it is done willingly. On private lines in which all the passengers are eager for separation, and the dignity of women is maintained, then that is a welcome initiative.”
The proposals come after Tanya Rosenblit, a 28-year-old Jewish woman, boarded a bus in Ashdod last week, and was told by a Haredi male to sit at the back. When she refused, the man did not allow the driver to close the doors and the police were eventually called. She has been compared to the American civil rights campaigner Rosa Parks.