The Ultra-Orthodox in Israel: A Clash of Cultures in the Holy Land
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups in Israel would like to see gender separation in public, and some have stooped to harassing women — and even children — to get their way. With thousands of Israelis protesting against the growing influence of the super-religious, the rift in Israeli society is getting deeper.
It wasn’t the first time that Doron Matalon had been verbally harassed on the way home. A young soldier, she had boarded a bus on Wednesday not far from the military base where she served. Shortly before reaching her stop, a 45-year-old man accosted her and demanded that she move to the back of the bus.
The man was demanding that Matalon comply with unwritten rules prescribed by ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel, decrees which require women to sit at the back of the bus or use different pedestrian routes or sidewalks than men do.
Matalon, however, had no intention of abiding by the edicts and refused to move — out of principle as she told the Israeli daily Haaretz. And because the back of the bus was stuffy. The man immediately began insulting Matalon, calling her a whore, and others quickly joined in the harassment.
The bus driver stopped and called the police. The man, a father of 11, was arrested and charged on Thursday before being released against a bond worth the equivalent of €4,000 ($5,200). He is not allowed to ride the bus until his court date.
It is just a single incident, but it shows a growing rift in Israeli society. Just 10 percent of the 6 million people in Israel are ultra-Orthodox, and a percentage of that group is extreme and militant. It is a small minority, but extremely vocal, and becoming more so. Whereas Tel Aviv is almost radically Western and secular, the ultra-Orthodox are attempting to impose their worldview — a primary element of which is gender separation — on the public life of an ever greater number of places within the country.