Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holy day, sparked a new clash last week between secular and ultra-Orthodox Jews in Tel Aviv, Israel’s most secular city.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews (Haredim, or “God-fearers”) wield unprecedented power within the Netanyahu government, which is engaged in a project to radically overhaul the legal system that threatens democracy.
Secular protesters drove Orthodox Jews from Place Dizengoff, an iconic public square in the heart of the city. The Charedim demanded that women be allowed to attend prayers separately from men. However, the community and Israel’s Supreme Court had ruled that they cannot discriminate against women and men and must be included in religious festivals. Orthodox Jews still defied the law.
Laypeople – men and women – removed the ropes and other obstacles that separated the sexes. Secular Jews also attacked other “misogynistic silos” elsewhere in Israel during Yom Kippur ceremonies.
The woman leading the movement, Orly Erez-Likhovski, has won several legal battles against Haredi discrimination against women on public transportation and public health clinics.
Quebec feminist organizations and Mayor Valérie Plante should invite him to Montreal to give a speech on gender equality. It probably wouldn’t go over very well with the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. The district, which includes Outremont and Mile-End, is home to about 7,000 Haredi Jews. In Outremont, ultra-Orthodox Jews make up almost a quarter of the population and are experiencing demographic growth.
The Torah replaces military service
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox responded to the demonstration in Tel Aviv by blocking two important intersections in Jerusalem. They were protesting against the arrest of one of their relatives who wanted to flee the country to avoid conscription. The ultra-Orthodox have managed to resist repeated attempts to force them to wear uniforms under religious pretexts.
Unlike secular Jews, they can be exempted from military service if they claim to dedicate their lives to the study of Hebrew religious texts. Extremists even refuse to apply for such an exemption, leading to arrests. This privilege angers non-practicing Israelis who are forced into military service.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews also recently blocked the entrance to a children’s playground that they said was desecrating the Sabbath by opening on Saturday. Angry secular parents opposed them.
Haredim anger the middle class
Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jews make up 13% of the country’s 9.7 million population. The community, isolated in individual neighborhoods, has always been at odds with the secular Israeli majority. Their growth is faster than any other group in Israel, at around 4% per year.
Many come in, they don’t work. They devote themselves to religious studies and live on government subsidies, which angers the secular, tax-paying middle class.
Teaching in Israeli Jewish ultra-Orthodox schools focuses primarily on religion. Does this also apply to Orthodox Jewish schools in Quebec approved by the Ministry of Education?
