Public gender separation sparks ire in Jerusalem, Petach Tikva

Despite a High Court ruling against gender segregation in public places, the Jerusalem municipality is sponsoring an outdoor event this week featuring "full gender segregation" and "complete adherence to rules of modesty."

The city is running an activity park this week geared toward the ultra-Orthodox in Jerusalem's Har Nof neighborhood. A poster advertising the event specified that there will be "full gender segregation in activities and strict adherence to the rules of modesty." The advertisement also said that "activities for girls require the wearing of loose-fitting skirts over gym pants."

The character of the fair sparked outrage among several groups. Jerusalem City Council member Rachel Azaria, an active leader of the struggle against extremism in the public square and the increasing severity of modesty dictates in the ultra-Orthodox community, said of the event, "only less than a year ago the Supreme Court ruled that separation within the public sphere is against the law. The official advertisement issued by the city of Jerusalem is very upsetting to me. It dictates a dress code to women. I want to remind everyone that Israel is a democratic and egalitarian state that prohibits gender discrimination."

Councilwoman Azaria called on Jerusalem's mayor to "act in accordance with the decision taken by the High Court and avoid endorsing any public event calling for separation based on gender, discrimination against women or their exclusion from a public space."

Some in the ultra-Orthodox community also voiced resentment against activity park's guidelines. "I have both sons and daughters who want to enjoy the activities together yet can not do so due to the different hours scheduled for each gender," said one ultra-Orthodox Jerusalem resident on Monday. "I have no problem with gender separation at celebrations, but these are kids who want to enjoy the summer together."

The municipality responded to the public outcry saying, "From the outset this activity park was intended for the city's ultra-Orthodox community. It goes without saying that events intended for the general public need no gender separation. The municipality of Jerusalem respects all sectors of society and is ready to provide services that cater to populations that live in accordance with their own personal standards and guidelines. It does not seek to promote discrimination, but rather acts out of respect and understanding for this sector and therefore this particular event is to be gender-separate.

Petach Tikva parents petition High Court

In related news, a group of parents submitted a petition to the High Court of Justice Monday against a decision by the Education Ministry to separate boys and girls in the Morasha state religious school in Petach Tikva due to overcrowding.

The Morasha School, known for its academic excellence, has attracted more and more students in recent years. Last year, 1,200 students registered to the school. Up until now, boys and girls studied in the same classrooms until the third grade and were then separated, though they were mixed during recess periods. The Education Ministry decided to separate boys and girls into different classrooms at younger ages in order to reduce class sizes.

The petition submitted to the High Court of Justice Monday stated that most parents of children learning in the school opposed the decision to separate their children into all-boy and all-girl classes. Dr. Aviad Hacohen, Dean of the Sha’arei Mishpat Academic College, and Senior Lecturer in Constitutional Law and Jewish Law at the College and at the Faculty of Law of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, represented the petitioners and said that forced separation of the children was a blow to basic legal values such as the right to an education, equality, freedom of religion and conscience. He added that it was also a deviation from legal instructions and proper methods of management.

The petition also stated that "the intended separation is part of a progressive rise in religious extremism which has been increasingly reflected in religious public schools in recent years. The goal of this extremism is to institute religious norms among the public, even among those who are not interested in such norms, undermining their and their children's autonomy."

Hacohen went on to say in the petition that "the Morasha school is the only religious public school in its neighborhood offering education to all children, regardless of their religious views. Separating the school into two schools, one for boys and one for girls, will leave many parents, with specific religious views without a educational framework for their children while dealing a serious blow to their right to an education.

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