The city of Beit Shemesh has recently become the eye of a storm of controversy over the exclusion of women from public spaces in Israel. Cameras recently installed throughout the city as part of the Public Security Ministry's "City Without Violence" program have documented incidents of gender segregation and violence toward women around the city, including spitting and shouting of insults, Israel Radio reported on Monday. On Sunday, Police said that a Channel 2 TV news crew filming in the city on Sunday were surrounded by ultra-Orthodox men, who hurled stones at them and incited a mini-riot. The news crew was following up on a report aired Friday about tensions in the city between Modern Orthodox residents and members of an extremist ultra-Orthodox Haredi sect. Friday's story, which drew massive backlash from Israeli politicians and the public, featured an 8-year-old American immigrant girl who said she was afraid to walk to school in the morning because she is habitually assaulted by some of the town's Haredim who feel she is not dressed modestly enough. Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators on Sunday surrounded the Channel 2 news truck, hurled stones at it and stole camera equipment, which was later recovered by police. A photographer and sound technician were lightly injured but no one was arrested and neighborhood residents did not get involved in the struggle. Later Sunday, municipal officials, summoned by Beit Shemesh Mayor Moshe Abutbul, came to remove signs that designate several city sidewalks for sole use by men or women and urge the women to dress modeslty and not to linger outdoors. The officials were accompanied by police bodyguards and ultra-Orthodox rioters threw stones at both them and the police while calling them "Nazis." Abutbul decided to remove the signs following an emergency meeting called by Deputy Mayor Meir Blaesh, a supervisor of the "non-violent city" program. In the meeting, they also decided to place security cameras in areas in the city in which ultra-Orthodox men have harassed women in the past. Video documentation of these areas has been made possible by the program, which was started with the installation of 50 cameras, providing 24-hour-a-day surveillance over the next month and a half. Meanwhile, Beit Shemesh police announced on Sunday that Moshe Eisenberg, a city resident who was caught by a Channel 2 photographer spitting on a woman, had been arrested. The Jerusalem Magistrates Court extended the suspect's remand. Police believe that Eisenberg, who claims he spat to the side of the woman, rather than on her, was also involved in inciting other attacks against women and children on their way to public religious schools in Beit Shemesh. Judge Avital Chen ruled that Eisenberg would be held in custody until the investigation is complete and will not be allowed to enter Beit Shemesh for seven days following his release. In Beit Shemesh, a number of events are being planned for later in the week to counter the recent events. On Tuesday, Shas MK Rabbi Chaim Amsellem is scheduled to participate in a public Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony with the 8-year old Naama, who was spat on. Tanya Rosenblit, the woman who last week refused to move to the back of a public bus when asked by an ultra-Orthodox man to do so, will also participate in the candle lighting. [link to story on tanya: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=2279] This ceremony is intended to be part of a massive demonstration against the exclusion of women, which will take place in the courtyard of Naama's elementary school. Six religious Knesset members, including Zevulun Orlev (New National Religious Party), David Rotem (Yisrael Beitenu) and Otniel Schneller (Kadima), wrote a letter on Sunday appealing to the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. The MKs want the Chief Rabbinate Council to issue a special condemnation against the exclusion of women. MK Rabbi Amsellem initiated the letter as a loud and clear call that the ultra-Orthodox mens' behavior, and any behavior like it that condemns, excludes or humiliates women, is forbidden. The letter, also addressed to President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said, "Violent extremists are trying to impose their views on all of Israeli society, in particular religious society, and are essentially committing a massive 'blashphemy.' The general public does not always know how to distinguish between most religious and ultra-Orthodox sane people and these lunatics on the fringe." Community rabbis in the Beit Shemesh Modern Orthodox community recently turned to the Tzohar organization for assistance in their struggle over the character of their city. Tzohar is a non-profit association of religious Zionist (Modern Orthodox) rabbis whose goal is to present Orthodox Judaism in a way that appeals to less observant Israeli Jews. In their letter, the rabbis wrote, "We feel that the mayor and his associates are under extreme pressure from a handful of radical ultra-Orthodox people who do not allow for the fair treatment of the national religious community." Tzohar Chairman Rabbi David Stav said, "Our job now is to stay strong and hope that people will not run away." Defense Minister Ehud Barak responded to the series of incidents, saying, "These phenomena that we have seen over the past few days in Beit Shemesh, as well as other places in Israel, did not start yesterday from out of nowhere and they are grievous incidents."
In Beit Shemesh, fear and loathing
Acts of segregation and violence toward women in Beit Shemesh turn the city into a focus of controversy • Police, called in to remove signs segregating streets, attacked by ultra-Orthodox rioters.
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