Unwilling to accept the “unacceptable situation forced upon the frum community,” an atzeres rally has been called for Thursday, the eve of Rosh Chodesh Iyar, to “decry the current situation” regarding the mixed bus service and the refusal of authorities to permit mehadrin buses in Yerushalayim.
The Vaad HaRabbonim for Transportation is organizing the event, announcing it will begin at 4:30pm on Thursday. The venue for the event is Shmuel HaNavi Street and Shiftei Yisrael Street, the location of the number 2 bus suicide bombing attack in Yerushalayim, in which 22 people perished Al Kiddush Hashem R”L on their way back from the Kosel.
The Vaad points an accusing finger at Egged Jerusalem and senior officials in the Transportation Ministry, for their continued adamant refusal to permit mehadrin bus service on the buses traveling to and from the Kosel. The organizers explain the site was chosen to highlight the fact that even mispalalim traveling to the Kosel must be permitted to do so within acceptable parameters of modesty, mehadrin buses.
The Vaad adds that despite the fact the suicide attack occurred about six years ago, Egged Yerushalayim remains adamant in its refusal to accommodate the growing demand for mehadrin bus service to the Kosel, and as a result, frum passengers are compelled to travel daily in crowded and immodest conditions.
The Vaad in recent days has turned to roshei yeshiva to permit talmidim to attend, seeking to attract large numbers as efforts continue to compel Egged to comply with the Vaad’s request. Organizers also point out that Egged has done everything possible, working in tandem with the Transportation Ministry, to prevent private mehadrin buses from serving commuters on the Kosel lines, decrying the policy and exhibiting a tenacious desire to achieve the goal of eventually offering mehadrin service to the Kosel.
The Vaad also points out that the mehadrin service should not be viewed as a ‘hidur’ but as a necessity in light of the crowded and unacceptable conditions existing on buses to the Kosel daily.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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23 Responses
no, I’m female, and I hate it, it’s such a chilul Hashem..
they make the women go to the back but meanwhile all the young guys sit in the back and the husbands with their wives… a common occasion is when the bus fills up women have nowhere to sit…
the other day a woman was sitting with her husband and five kids, and some guy told her to move back, and she did, with all the kids, while her husband sat in front and no one helped her with the kids. Meanwhile, the back was full of guys too.. it’s bad enough the women have to sit in the back, but if the men can sit in the back if they feel like it, the whole thing seems engineered as a ridiculous chauvinist exercise…
if it has to be separated (and there are mylos to it), do it right!!!!!!!! why can’t they separate it like the Monsey bus? Why do they have to make women like black people in the 60s?
As usual these “kana’im” seem to ignore a much more important issue called “chillul hashem”
to # 2
evidently u have not read the entire article. [assuming u read english otherwise have somone read id to u]
to # 3
u seem to be unaware that another problem with egged is that they do not NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH BUSSES!![as u indicate in ur complaint]
if there were enuf, most of ur complaints would dissapear.
as far as ur last criticism- the egged busses are not wide enough to facilitate the monsey option.
to #1,2 &5
we’ll be dan u lkaf zechut – u are unaware that this vaad has the full backing of gedolim.
u probably havent read the letter signed by rav e. weintraub ,rav c. kanievsky, & others.
Anyone ever hear of Rosa Parks? She refused to move to the back of the bus leading to freedom for millions.
Deleted.
If so many people really did want this, they should start their own mehadrin bus service and make a lot of money.
Once again, our modern orthodox brethren are up in arms at the absurd notion that somewhere in the world there might be Jews who actually care about what the Torah has to say on the subject of “Arayot” (as interpreted by the Gedolim).Its bad enough that they themselves base their principals on the standards of the decadent society in which they live, they deign to lecture others.
The reason why women are seated in the back is simply so that the men should not have to pass through them. Any comparison to the American civil rights movement is superficial.
The thought of all you feminist wannabees taking the time out from your women’s prayer group in order to share your self-righteous tripe is revolting.
Vaad HaRabbonim for Transportation
Gotta love that name.
How’s it spelled in Hebrew?
Or is it just for publicity?
How about some real names and adresses? Then we will see if its real Gedolim or just K’tanim who are involved.
to #8- i have no doubt that the gedolim do not support the chillul hashem that takes place because of these misguided “ka’naim”- these are often the same people who resort to physical abuse to enforce their “mehadrin” bus standards- but i’m sure you believe that these people are purely “l’shem shamayim”
Obviously people don’t read. They TRIED TO START A BUS COMPANY AND EGGED GOT IT BLOCKED!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please note that some here because of there disagreement with the demonstration have decided that they are the crowners of Gedolim and if they are in disagreement with the commmentor here than they are not gedolim. The Ga’avah and the idiocy is remarkable. I pray these people do Tshuva as they are definitely not Dass Torah eg#10
#12:
The bus has a back door. If they were REAL they would place a mechitza in the back & sit behind it, so they wouldn’t have to see the women walking onto the bus!
I think it is probably time to close down these blogs do to the chillul Hashem of how people think here of Rabbonim and have an opportunity R”L to express it
to #12- to suggest that passing by a woman on the bus is a violation on “giluy arayos” is absurd- especially where we are talking about modestly dressed frum women acting b’tznius- maybe it is also gilu arayos to leave your house bec you might see a frum woman on the streets of Yerushalayim- and your bashing of women’s prayer groups is a clear demonstration of your misguided priorities and insensitivity to anything going on around you
yossiea
Your proof is so intellectually shoddy I iniatially wasn’t going to respond, but then it occurred to me that perhaps someone else had made the same mistake. According to your reasoning R’ Shlomo Zalman Aurbach, by dint of living in Eretz Yisroel must have supported gay parades as well as many other atrocities.
#9, If you are one of her descendants I can understand in your taking such pride in what she did, but if you’re not don’t you think the derech hatorah is what you should be proud of?
Baruch Hashem we have these Tzadikim willing to stand up and fight for the Torah!
9 – just so you know … Rosa Parks was an opportunistic woman looking to make a total scene over what she was doing. The same stunt had been pulled before her, and yet the black community only used hers because it looked good politically.
Check out what a author by the name of Tammy Bruce (if that will be allowed through the moderators … please don’t block it) and what she has to say on the subject
The whole thing is ridiculous.
Take a sherut with all your guy friends or if u r a lady take a sherut with your girl friends and travel to the kotel to daven. There are issues that need our tefillos, the cholim, the violent kids of bnei brak, the unemployed and singles looking for shidduchim.
I am wondering how many of the posters live in Yerushalayim and travel on Egged busses on a regular basis. Once the #2 bus reaches Shmuel Hanavi street it is very often crowded. There are times when it is so severe that it is almost impossible for men and women not to bump into each other. Are you so desensitized by the long galus that you don’t understand that this is inappropriate? Is the idea of women in the back ideal? No. But it is better than nothing. I have seen women who were unaware of the system sitting up front on Mehadrin busses. Nobody bit their heads off. I know that some of the kanaim behave shamefully but that doesn’t mean that this is a bad idea. For those of you who don’t live in Isreal, it has been proven many times over that Egeed discriminates against the Charedim. The crowding on busses in Charedi neighborhoods is terrible. While there is some crowding in Chiloni areas to it does not come close. Everything I wrote is based on riding the busses for years.
# 9 what exactly is your point? explain. as far as the chillul hashem issue, how ironic is it that when it comes fighting and raising our voice for some tzniut, it automatically becomes a chillul hashem. Perhaps the biggest chillul hashem is whem we are all examining and bashing the plight of our gedolim who are trying to set some standards even on the account of our comfortability. #18, we are not Rav Shlomo Zalman and besides today is a differrent story. Vihamaven Yovin ! #2 your wasting your time by suggesting non practical suggestions for most people ! Kudos to #s 8 12 17 !!!
On day 6 of creation when Hashem created Man & Woman, the world became inhabited by mixed genders. Teach our children and spouses how to exist in a world where women are not found within the tent 24/7.