After being informed of yesterday’s protest in Meah Shearim by Chareidi Jews who refused to let an Egged bus pass through their streets since the bus does not provide separate areas for men and women, Maran Hagon Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv Shlita said that gender segregation is not an area that can be enforced in the public realm, Israel Hayom Daily is reporting.
“Reb Elyashiv feels that it is laudable for a private company to separate men and women, but it is impossible to obligate a public company to adopt this standard. You can attempt to persuade them, you can explain to them that it is a wise financial move, but you cannot force a public company to do something like this,” said Chaim Cohen, a long time aide to Reb Elyashiv.
The number one bus line which ran through Meah Shearim had been rerouted to avoid the area for eighteen months due to attacks by Chareidi protestors who wanted the bus to enforce separate areas for men and women. The bus resumed its run through Meah Shearim on December 1st and yesterday’s protest involving 100 chareidim who used their own bodies and baby carriages to block the bus marked the first demonstration against the bus line.
(Source: Israel Hayom Daily)
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13 Responses
I guess that we will now find out who is acting l’sheim shomayim and who is actng on their own ga’ava and instincts.
Good. That seems right to me.
I wonder if the Bnai Yisrael were segregated when they were wandering in the midbar.
Rav Elyashev shlit”a is the posek hador and has a very large following in Klal Yisroel. I’m sure all Yidden who follow his psak will follow this one, and all Yidden who follow other poskim in Klal Yisroel will follow their posek on this issue, including if their posek happens to disagree with Rav Elyashev shlit”a on this issue.
Shmoel, do you mean that they will try to impose their will on the public? What right do they have to do that? IMHO, any person or group who tries something like that should be subjected to the full range of riot-control methods.
#3:
Your use of the word “segregation,” shows that you completely misunderstand the issue.
In any event, I assume they did not walk together with each other’s wives.
Separation of the sexes is nothing new in Judaism. The gemara says that men who teach children are suspect, because they must deal with the mothers when they come to pick up their kids after school.
3. Am ha’oretz what you are! Take a look at Rashi on “Bocheh L’mishpichosov” in parshas Bahaloscha. Segregation is nothing new in klal Yisroel. Just the opposite, it used to be shtarker, which I am sure doesn’t appease you at all.
“You can attempt to persuade them, you can explain to them…but you cannot force…”
Sums up the religious/political problem in Eretz Yisroel to a “T” Today too many on the religious right think G-d sanctions the forceful imposition of religious observance on the unwilling, be it segregated buses or parking lots open on Shabbos.
#7 – Before you call other people Am Ha’aretz, check your facts. Until Matan Torah, what we call now incestual relationships were not necessarily Assur – Yaakov Avinu married 2 (4)sisters, some of the Shvatim married their own sisters (Midrashim), etc., and that’s what they were mourning.
Also see Sukka 51b about ‘Tikun Gadol’ for the Simchas Beis Hashoeva. It doesn’t seem from there that it was so ‘Shtark’ then.
#5 Avi K “Shmoel, do you mean that they will try to impose their will on the public?” No they will follow the psak of their Rabbonim. If their Rabbonim tell them to demonstrate to prevent the pritzus found on Egged buses, no doubt this is what they will do.
Rav Eliashiv says good. Please tell us what he says to do about them not allowing us to have private companies that will have separate buses.
Without being told how he holds about that, we have an issue that is not being completely dealt with.
So you could say protesting against Egged, is as much or more a protest about us not being allowed to run our own private bus lines.
Should we protest not being allowed to have our own lines, or not? I would assume he will agree we should be allowed to have our own lines, but what does he say about whether we should push for it, or protest for it, and if so how.
YWN WROTE: “Hagon Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv Shlita said that gender segregation is not an area that can be enforced in the public realm, ISRAEL HAYOM DAILY IS REPORTING”
I find it quite degrading that we need to quote a chiloni (non-religous) newspaper as the sole source of a psak of Daas Torah from the posek hador, especially since that newspaper obviously printed this news item as an anti Charedi plug!
UPDATE:
YWN is reporting today that Rav Elyashev shlita released a statement through his grandson shlita that the above story is completely false, and that Rav Elyashev never said that.
Rav Elyashev supports segregated buses.