The sign asking persons to dress modestly that was in the Machsanei HaShuk supermarket in Ashdod was removed after Israel’s Reform Movement filed a complaint. The sign, as is often seen, was at the entrance to a supermarket in a frum community. According to the Center for Religion and State, which is affiliated with the Reform, such a sign is illegal.
The campaign has also detected a sign elsewhere in Ashdod, in the Gimmel neighborhood, which is about half chareidi. That sign is on the street and once again, the Reform Movement has filed a request with the mayor to remove it. Mayor Dr. Yechiel Lasri was reminded the sign if illegal and the city is ultimately responsible for its removal.
The left-wing Meretz party has joined in, also sending a request to Mayor Lasri for the removal of the sign.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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8 Responses
Many years ago, a woman dressed far less than would be considered tzniusdik by any standard, walked into the bakery in Lakewood on a Friday, to buy some chalos. She paid with a check, and the non-observant Jewish cashier promptly called the police, claiming that the checkbook must have been stolen. The officers questioned the buyer, who was dressed as if for a pool party, while her check was in the name of Rabbi and Mrs. J…..
That inconsistency was what alerted the cashier, in the first place. It took some time for the “rebbetzin” to divulge the secret that her esteemed husband was a Reform rabbit, and that not only the laws of modesty, but neither the basic standards thereof, do not apply to his version of Judaism. She was let go, obviously, but even the cops weren’t thoroughly convinced. After all, Reform or not, her husband was a rabbi, and the wives of rabbis should dress differently….
It is stupid and ridiculous to remove the modesty sign.
“when in rome….”
When in Israel do as the Rabbis say: “Dress Modestly”
As long as a business engages with the public it may not legally post such signs directing members of the tzibur how to dress or otherwise discriminate based on religious practices. It would be equally illegal and offensive for a business in Tel Aviv to post signs discouraging customers in yeshivish or Chassidic lvush because it might “turn off” their hip young customers. People should use common sense as to how to dress in various venues but ultimately it is their own decision. Similar efforts to post signs telling women which side of the street to walk on were held illegal and several individual who kept re-posting such illegal signs were arrested and fined.
I don’t know the wording of the law, but maybe they should look into the possibility of rewording the sign, so that instead of declaring that entrance is permitted only to those properly dressed, the sign would just request that customers dress properly.
It’s understandable that a city can’t post such a sign, but not at all clear why a private business should be limited from doing so. Is that really illegal?
Also, rewording the sign to ask customers to respect the sensitivities of other customers might be more tactful and less problematic from a legal standpoint.
Like this roshe said:
“its or a jewish state or a democratic but not both”
judaism isnt your choice that kind of religion is called cristianity or reform
Sign is looked as offensive
It’s beyond tragic that in a Jewish state, it’s illegal for a private business to insist its customers don’t enter with immodest clothing.
I live in the UK and there’s an hotel where you may not enter without a tie! How terrible that a mehadrin supermarket in Israel may not apply much less strict standards.