19-Year-Old Female Blocked From Boarding Public Bus, Harassed By Haredim

A 19-year-old off-duty female soldier was extensively harassed by haredim as she tried to take a public bus from Shoham to Jerusalem on Friday.

File photo

19-Year-Old Female Blocked From Boarding Public Bus, Harassed By Haredim
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

A 19-year-old off-duty female soldier was extensively harassed by haredim as she tried to take a public bus from Shoham to Jerusalem on Friday.

A haredi man blocked the front door of the bus and refused to allow her to board. The soldier reportedly persisted and eventually got on the bus, only to be harassed by haredim on board who complained about her clothes and complained that she had boarded the bus. The haredim also tried to force her to go to the rear of the bus.

The soldier was not in uniform at the time of the incident.

As the harassment intensified the soldier reportedly began to cry. When the harassment still did not stop, she left the bus – which was operated by Egged Ta’avura, the subsidiary of the Egged bus company which was the operator of the gender segregated “mehadrin” public buses in Jerusalem that were ruled illegal by the High Court of Justice – to escape it.

Friday’s incident was first reported by Army Radio and then by The Times of Israel.

The girl’s mother told reporters that the bus driver saw what was happening to her daughter but did not try to stop the harassment.

Forced gender segregation by haredim has been a frequent problem in Israel, even though gender segregation on public buses and in public spaces is illegal there.

Last month, for the first time an Israeli court awarded compensation to a young girl after she was forced by haredim to sit at the back of a bus in Beit Shemesh. The judge ruled that it is the bus driver’s responsibility to prevent forced gender segregation from taking place.

Haredim in Beit Shemesh have repeatedly harassed and assaulted non-haredi women. Last month a mob of haredim there stoned a young woman and her infant, and similar attacks – along with spitting attacks on little pre-teen girls – has been common there.

An Egged spokesperson told Amry Radio that its director-general had spoken to the soldier and to her mother, and the incident, the spokesperson claimed, is being investigated.

Comments

[Abracadabra]

LAST CALL for anyone still interested in joining:

The First Unofficial Failed Messiah Get Together - TODAY - SUNDAY, August 12th

A bunch of us commenters on Failed Messiah are getting together today, Sunday, August 12th, for an evening of live, face-to-face conversation, discussions and just some good ol' shmoozing. Come and chat with some of the regulars and meet like minded people.

If you are interested in attending, send an email ASAP to either APC: ahpeechorus@gmail.com or to Abracadabra: zehtov2@yahoo.com

You MUST include in the email your Failed Messiah screenname and email address you use for posting comments. Once we verify that they match up, we will send you the time and place of our gathering which will be in the greater NY/NJ Metropolitan Area.

Trolls Be Warned: We will have a bouncer at the door who means business, as well as the 3rd Billy Goat Gruff, and trolls will not be tolerated.

The Small Print: This event is not endorsed or sponsored by Failed Messiah, and Shmarya, who regrets that he will not be able to attend, will remain in his mother's basement.

[Sarah]

This young soldier put on a uniform to protect scum like these.
Next time let her carry her weapon with her on the bus. Lets see how brave these pigs are then.

[David]

Too bad she was not armed AND dangerous.

How demoralizing of her to know she risks her life daily to protect these sorceror scum.

[Eli, what me messiah?]

I'm still reeling from seeing those hillbillies from Chelm abusing little girls in the middle of the day, while the girls' parents are out holding down a job and paying taxes to support them.

Someone explain to me again why the Israeli state subsidizes this "lifestyle"?

[Eli, what me messiah?]

Posted by: Sarah | August 12, 2012 at 05:22 AM

Sarah, you are soooo naive. It was clearly her fault. She's a woman. How much more at fault could she be?

[Riverdaleapikorus]

Re: the asifa- I look forward to it but want to know if Shmarya vouches for the kashrus of the place? I heard it's bishul akum...

[Brill]

The Small Print: This event is not endorsed or sponsored by Failed Messiah, and Shmarya, who regrets that he will not be able to attend, will remain in his mother's basement.

It's a shame no one stepped forward to pay for airfare for a seat ( or two) for Shmarya to attend.

[AztecQueen2000]

This woman puts her life on the line to defend these animals? I'll bet not one of them knows the meaning of military service. Draft them all! If they resist, cut off their funds and their right to vote.

[Ruthie]

They should have stood and offered her a seat

[Ruthie]

Today this young woman is defending Israel!! The people on the bus should have treated her like royalty.

[Hal]

I don't see the fuss here. Can't she ride on the top of the bus?

[jancsibacsi]

Ruthie-yOU CANNOT CONVINCE THEESE ANTHROPODS TO DO THE RIGHT THING.

[who knows]

Money talks, therefore 3 actions are necessary:

1) Fine Egged
2) Fire the Egged driver
3) Take any susidy from the abusers (if found)

The first 2 actions should be relatively easy to carry out.

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

Re the FM ASIFA

Kashrus - the teudah misspells "Rabbinical" so it must be hareidi. Oh, and it expired 2 days before Pesah (at least the one on the website).

@Brill Someone offered frequent flyer miles.

[God is not amused]

yikes, she started to cry??? tell me that is a mis-print. GRAB HIS NUTS AND SQUEEZE TILL HE STARTS TO CRY!!! Women it is sooooooooooo easy to bring an man down.....so why the helldo you not have a heap of Haredi lying around you whinning?
Here is what you do. You try to get past him. Left No? Right No? through him...now he is going to push you......ergo he has just assaulted you......now you legally have the right to defend yourself....GRAB AND SQUEEZE, till his eyes pop..
PS. some girls I know drove through KJ yesterday(shabbos) short sleeve tank tops, no hair covering. Drove sooooooooowly........with the attitude of "yeah, go ahead.......make our day."
Did it in solidarity with the BEAUTIFUL WOMEN OF ISRAEL.
99% of Kiryas Joel DOES NOT WORK!!! and they have the nerve to "dictate" on what can and can not be done. BEGGARS. say nothing but "thank-you."
ISRAEL KICK THE BUMS OFF THE DOLE. They have too much time on their hands and nothing better to do than harass others with their psycho babble dictates. GRAB & CRUSH...girls.

[Fleishike Kishke]

The thing to do is to SUSPEND all bus service to intensively Haredi areas. Check back in 60 days and see if the Rabbis have come up with a "legal fiction" that allows the Haredi to ride the bus without paying attention to the female riders.

[Sarah]

these buses should have cameras on them.....
this way the pigs who threaten or assault anyone
will be recorded.

[dh]

Yeah, and then what?

[WoolSilkCotton, rock star and sports superstar]

The Yankee Stadium catering service, which will be serving gourmet meals to all 48,000 confirmed guests at the Failed Messiah Asifa, is supervised by the Knot Kosher organization, under the strict rabbinical supervision of HaRav Bud Selig, shlita, the Baseballer Rov.

Failed Messiah is not affiliated with FailedMessiah.

[Pearl of Wisdom]

Don't women in Israel travel with cell phones? Why not call the police and video the harassment? What a terrible feeling for the women who must endure this treatment! These men should have been arrested. Maybe some jail time would set them straight.

[Eli, what me messiah?]

Couldn't make the FM Asifa (haredi sabotage, of course) but I'm watching the stadium event on TV right now and it looks incredible! Queen just played with Jesse J, and there are fireworks, dancing, and the crowd going wild. Eric Idle singing Always Look on the Bright Side of Life, and more!
Wait.. I might have the wrong channel for the Asifa... Is the FM official symbol a set of interlocking rings?

[Apostate]

A bit OT:

Why pay a bouncer when you can just hang a sign "Trolls will be rubbed with bacon."

This solution should cost about $2.89, and works better.

[Hal]

The First Unofficial Failed Messiah Get Together

How'd it go?

[Jack]

The First Unofficial Failed Messiah Get Together

How'd it go?

Posted by: Hal | August 12, 2012 at 08:59 PM

I unofficialy heard that very few people attended. Maybe next year in St Paul.

[Bob Guthrie]

Extremist misogynistic, uncouth draft dodging, social manners lacking Religious Charedim Zealots verbally abusing an IDF Female Soldier on a bus?.

First post I ever read and responded here on FA when I discovered the site a year ago (almost to the week), and here is the same situation once again, back full circle.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Oddly, there were lots of extremists Charedim excusing their fellow members on that post way back when. None so far here, wonder if it has become to much of a hot potato issue to try to defend?.

[rebeljew]

Don't worry. Israeli political leaders and Jewish religious leaders will show their prolific leadership abilities and condemn this act and the entire practice of allowing a backward segment of society to dictate public policy. (holding breath ... counting ... years passing)

[No Light]

I hope the asifa went well, and that the delegates went away with an increased sense of emunah!

[Rachel]

For years I was a Bal Teshuva and at one point studied in a seminary in Jerusalem. I am susceptible to motion sickness so I like to sit in the first row of buses so I can watch the road in front of me. I was yelled off the bus by men screaming at me to get to the back of the bus. At first I ignored them but after a while the bullying became intense, even from young boys. I finally got off the bus in tears.

I had far more sexual comments, even public masturbation from men, while living in Israel among the haredi and dressing modestly than growing up in Los Angeles and dressing provocatively.

[dh]

They are provided with so little to occupy their brains that they are a de minimis amount Torah and mostly vacuous punitive vengeance.