Sexism in Israel
Sexism in Israel is mainly a byproduct of the traditional role of women in Judaism, especially Orthodox Judaism.[1]
In 2014, Orthodox Jewish feminist sociologist Elana Maryles Sztokman published a book called The War on Women in Israel describing her perception of the misogyny observed in Israel's public space.[1] According to Publishers Weekly, Sztokman chronicles how the demands of an ultra-Orthodox minority led to the removal of women’s imagery and presence from public venues on the pretext of modesty. Her book analyzes sexism in the Israeli army, legislature, and Orthodox rabbinical courts.[2]
According to an editor at Haaretz newspaper, girls and boys are treated differently from preschool. Attending a school party, she claimed that the boys were given Torahs to hold whereas girls were given rimonim ornaments <of Torah>: "...The girls stood up and followed the instructions: to form an outer circle of decorative objects, in the most literal way imaginable." [3]
At the Western Wall, women have been arrested for carrying a Torah scroll on the grounds that this practice violates the religious status quo of the site.[4]
See also
References
- 1 2 Elana Maryles Sztokman, The War on Women in Israel: How Religious Radicalism is Stifling the Voice of a Nation, 2014, ISBN 978-1-4926-0459-4
- ↑ "The War on Women in Israel: How Religious Radicalism Is Smothering the Voice of a Nation", book review by Publishers Weekly
- ↑ Shoshana Kordova, "In Israel, Sexism Starts Early"
- ↑ "Police Arrest Women of the Wall Leader for Praying With Torah Scroll"