Every evening during Chol Hamoed Sukkos, thousands flock to the Meah Shearim to participate in the famous simchas beis hashoeva of Toldos Aharon, which takes place in the beis medrash located on the outskirts of the neighborhood.
In the wake of the many thousands who wish to participate in the great event, and in light of the crowdedness known in the old neighborhood, the chassidus creates two routes, one for men and the other for women.
Over the years the order has been kept in place as the number of persons attending increased, adding various restrictions to increase separation and maintain modesty, by deploying fabrics to cover the roads and hiring security guards to keep order.
In recent years, however, women’s organizations and persons committed to religious persecution have campaigned against the separation in the neighborhood and led to the intervention of legal bodies, but the chassidus continues to maintain the boundaries of tznius and separation between men and women.
On Tuesday night, a real drama took place on the streets leading to the Toldos Aharon Beis Medrash when police detectives arrested two security guards who maintained order, claiming they separated men and women, ostensibly against the law as per a High Court of Justice ruling banning the gender separation.
Attorney Itamar Ben-Givir was hired quickly to represent the two security guards.
Sources in Toldos Aharon are quoted telling Kikar Shabbos News that they view this as a personal persecution against the chassidus. “They do it just because it is us”, they explain, noting that if the persecution continues, they will protest and demonstrate against the detention of the security guards.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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17 Responses
very sad…
Picture is misleading.
Guards were arrested for enforcing gender separation in a public thoroughfare, which is against the law.
pathetic. That means the stupid tziyonim sent in detectives just to nail them for this, when 99.9% of the people there are either in favor or at least understanding of the need for separation. it is squishy like the light rail during rush hour.
So they are really trying hard to convince non-zionists that they would be better off under the Arabs???????
This has been for decades
makes for a campaign issue
Simple solution:
Some chasidishe men should go to the trendiest gym in the secular neighborhood and walk into the women’s changing room. Let’s see if they get arrested for breaking gender separation
This is a private event . They have every right to keep it separate , if you don’t agree DONT GO!
this is why I am forced to say ציונים אינם יהודים.
These people are disgusting pigs. Arrest someone for having a separate event? What’s next? It’s illegal to have a mechitza in shul? What is exactly is illegal about this? This is the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen.
This is a case of כתבו לכם על קרן השור. It’s no longer just a matter of obeying the specific halacha in question, but one of kiddush haShem or chilul haShem. Obeying the court is a chilul haShem, and defying it is kiddush haShem, for which one must be moser nefesh.
I’m not a big fan of imposing gender separation on public streets, but this sounds like a bit of overkill by the womens’ rights advocates and police. Focus on real discrimination and not these kinds of large crowd events where you are likely to trigger disruptions in trying to maintain the letter of the law.
now this is something to protest against
I believe the “issue” is that they were enforcing gender separation on a public street heading towards the simchas beis hasho’eivah. Not weighing in one way or the other, but let’s make this a bit more clear. The issue wasn’t that there were separate spaces, but that the separation extended into public spaces.
To a mamin: you are 100% right. But these women didn’t go to enjoy the occasion, they went to cause trouble. Agent provocateur.
@Shmilfke, very true. Let’s see what happens if they’d go into women’s gym!!
@ocho sinco, yes disgusting PIGS!!
This even has been for MANY MANY years and not problems till these LOSERS who know they live an empty false life disrupt.
Jdb is right. No one was arrested at the Toldos Aharon Simchas Beis Hashoeva. Two men were arrested on a public street for telling two women they were not allowed to walk where they wanted to. If you own the town like in Skver you can enforce your own rules. Toldos Aaron doesn’t own Meah Shearim.
likely a setup
goes on all the time
ocho sinco
Are you really stupid or just playing stupid ?,well let me explain to you the difference,a public street belongs to everyone ,and NO ONE has the right to tell anyone where he cannot walk, is that so hard to comprehend and understand ?