Religious Coercion?

Dozens of businesses in an Israeli town have signed a modesty agreement with a haredi organization in which they guarantee that their female workers will dress "modestly." In response to a bookstore manager's question about what the group considered to be modest dress, a representative of the group responded that women's "shirt sleeves should cover the elbows." The agreement also asks store owners  – including booksellers – to promise not to display products the group considers obscene.

 

Haredi group 'asks' businesses in Israel's south to tell female employees to dress 'dignified'
Dozens of shops in town of Sderot sign agreement stating that employees will take care to dress modestly.
By Yanir Yagna • Ha’aretz

Dozens of Sderot businesses, include the retail SuperPharm and Optica Halperin retail chains, signed a modesty agreement over the past few months under which they guarantee that their workers will make sure to dress modestly. The agreement is the initiative of the Mimaamakim organization, which is supported by the Torah-oriented garin (core group ) there. A business owner who signs the agreement receives a modesty certificate asserting that the premises is "kosher."

So far some 20 stores and businesses in Sderot have signed the agreement, which states that employees will take care to dress modestly, as a form of identification with the "we are all in favor of dignified dress" campaign. The dress code applies also to ads and notices for the business and displaying obscenities. The Mimaamakim organization blesses the business owner "that he merits with God's help all blessings."

Mimaamakim representatives say they are not threatening to boycott businesses that refuse to sign the agreement. However, because considerable buying power is involved, some business owners fear losing customers and are accepting the agreement. An article on the issue appeared last week in the newspaper of Sapir College's media department.

A local clothing store owner who agreed to sign the modesty pact says, "they came to me and asked that the girls who work in the store dress modestly so that we would receive the certificate. You have to realize this organization is influential and I was afraid of losing customers."

According to him, "the girls who work for me have a problem with this; it's simply religious coercion."

Bat Ami Weiselberg has been the manager of the Steimatzky book store branch in Sderot for two years. She says that she recently refused to sign the agreement: "Three weeks ago, a respectable woman came in and told me that she is from Mimaamakim and they grant modesty certification to businesses if they are willing to sign an agreement in which they guarantee that women will come to work in modest dress."

In response to her question of what is modest dress, the woman said "the shirt sleeves should cover the elbows." The agreement she said also covered not displaying things considered obscene.

One Mimaamakim activist said yesterday that "our organization took upon itself the task of strengthening tradition in Sderot. We run a variety of activities in the city, including Torah classes. At one meeting, women approached us and related that there are businesses where they are afraid to send men and children because of the vulgar advertisements. We decided to talk to the owners in a pleasant manner and explain the problem to them."

He said there is no boycott or black list involved, and this was merely a request made of the storeowner.

Mimaamakim said in response that "the project is part of a campaign to spread Jewish spirit. The campaign referred to is a voluntarily effort based on understanding and full cooperation. The decision of business owners to refrain from joining is also welcomed. We hope to continue with all our efforts and benefit from them based on love for our fellows and respect for all, for the welfare of society and the individual in Sderot and the surrounding areas."

SuperPharm did not provide any comment.

Comments

[Max]

Is there something wrong with the religious only shopping in stores that adhere to their standards of religion?

The environmentalists and the animal rights crowd only shop in stores that adhere to their animal-rights religion.

Is THAT religious coercion?

Or hypocritical?

[ah-pee-chorus]

Max -

thats a faulty analogy. animal rights people generally choose to avoid stores which SELL animal products. this is likely because they do not want to chance that what they buy contains animal. i havent heard of any campaign by animal rights groups in which they seek to hurt a business because some of the employees WEAR fur.
these haredim wouldnt be expected to shop in a butcher which sells treif, lest they eat it. but what theyre doing here is drawing attention to choices made by employees as to how they dress, which has NO impact on whatever products or services the businesses offer.
also, one can demonstrate that pain is endured by animals who are skinned alive and tortured in traps for their fur. there is no experiment one can conduct which will show objectively that the length of sleeves has any impact on this earth whatsoever.

however i am completely against the terrorism in which blood is thrown on those who wear fur. that is a completely different animal(pun intended).

[ah-pee-chorus]

animal-rights religion.

Is THAT religious coercion?

the answer is unequivocally , NO. look up the definition of 'religion' so you dont misuse it in the future.

[John U. Tallerker]

They are definately putting pressure on shop owners, and that is never a good thing. Walking from shop to shop almost demanding protection money

[Jeff]

Mimaamakim representatives say they are not threatening to boycott businesses that refuse to sign the agreement.

Uh huh. Meanwhile, how many of them then go home and use the computers they aren't supposed to have to look at pornography on the internet for which they aren't supposed to have service?

[chief doofis]

Unless they use physical force, illegally prevent someone from entering an establishment that they consider "immodest", or damage the properties of those with whom they disagree, there is no reason for any complaint.
My family has minimized purchases of German manufactured products for three generations, we prefer to patronize businesses that are closed on Shabbat. Many Jews (in memory of Henry Ford), avoid Fords. Similarly, there are people who avoid French products, Norwegian products, etc.
As long as matters are handled in a peaceful and legal manner, who cares?

[seymour]

Posted by: ah-pee-chorus | December 12, 2011 at 12:18 AM

well said

[ah-pee-chorus]

thanks, seymour.

[NeverFrum]

they can do what they want but as a consumer, I will chose not to shop in establishments that support making women dress in medieval costumes (I don't live in Israel so my infrequent visits will not make a difference) and any sane person who lives in Israel should do the same to send a message. Or alternatively Haredi methodology can be used and people can throw a brick through the window of the stores and light the garbage cans on fire but I would prefer the former way.