Queen Esther Banned

After being criticized in previous years for blurring out the faces of little girls in toy store Purim costume ads for "modesty reasons” normative halakha would seem to reject, this year some toy stores owned by or catering to haredim decided to completely remove all girls and women from their ads.

 

Haredim ‘Ban' Queen Esther
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

After being criticized in previous years for blurring out the faces of little girls in toy store Purim costume ads for "modesty reasons” normative halakha would seem to reject, this year some toy stores owned by or catering to haredim decided to completely remove all girls and women from their ads, Ynet reported.

Ads showed plenty of costumes modeled by little boys, but there were no costumes shown for little girls – no costumes of the biblical matriarch Rachel or even of the Purim holiday’s hero, Queen Esther. The girls’ costumes were still on sale in the stores, but they were not advertised in order to comport with ever-tightening haredi modesty regulations.

Here a pictures of an ad for haredi Purim costumes from a previous year followed by its male-only version this year:

Zionist Orthodox rabbis associated with the Ne'emanei Torah Va'Avodah movement reportedly tried to take a middle road, criticizing the extreme interpretation of Orthodox modesty laws on one hand and the racy girls' costumes found in some secular areas of Israel.

"It appears that there are those who prefer to read only the parts related to Ahasuerus' feasts in the Book of Esther, while on the other hand there are those who completely hide Esther. The despicable treatment of women, on both sides, strengthens extremism and creates a public domain which ranges between over-conservatism and over-permissiveness. The public is responsible for designing a road in the middle, which respects human beings and does not see them as an object," the movement reportedly said in a statement.

Related Post: Modesty? Haredi Ad For Kids Purim Costumes Blots Out Faces Of Little Girls.

Comments

[Garnel Ironheart]

I'm surprised they haven't renamed "Megillas Ester" to "the Purim scroll". After all hearing a female name like Esther is such a turn on it might lead to mixed dancing.

[Sarek]

Everyone knows that good little girls should learn from their mommies and stay in the kitchen and not play dress-up like their more deserving brothers. Besides, the girls' costumes didn't include a sheitel.

/end sarcasm

[MosheCohen]

Shmarya, I may be a Haredi but I can outdo you on this one.

On Purim in Shul I noticed a flyer advertising a video on life of one of the most famous Haredi Gedolim. There were various photos of the man in action, one of them with him learning at his Stender, and next to him some little girls... with their faces blotted out! I couldn't understand why this Godol was allowed to have them next to him, in person, in his room while we, the Haredi public, had to make do with pixellated smudges. It's censorship gone mad.

[Rebitzman]

They are marketing to a target audience. From a business perspective it makes all the sense in the world.

I'm guessing targeted Tel Aviv ads had girls.......

Been kind of amused by all the anti-Purim posts of the past couple of days. The simple solution is to simply not observe the holiday - and let those who choose (responsibly) to do so. Conceding that it becomes a public issue when underage drinking or fireworks enter the mix, it is basically a private issue beyond that that has no impact on anyone beyond the celebrants - or the Purim Scrooges!

[Jeff]

It reminds me of the stories about Chelm - but instead of a village of fools, the entire community is comprised of lunatics.

[jj]

The words girls,ladies and women are banned in lakewood. The following ad read as followes.
The following hours for the reading of megilla for nashim(in hebrew) will be as follows. Apparently writing the words in english is a turn on. I wonder if in israel they use english instead so it wont be a tuurn on

[YTHM]

Is that how Esther looked like?

[Feminista]

"...I couldn't understand why this Godol was allowed to have [little girls]next to him, in person, in his room while we, the Haredi public, had to make do with pixellated smudges. It's censorship gone mad."

Posted by: MosheCohen | February 25, 2013 at 09:52 AM

You didn't notice the 4 locks on the door of his office?

[smile!]

There is a major story today about the Iranian news agencies censoring Michelle Obama's Oscar night gown so that her tank topped outfit now has (short) sleeves and a high neckline. This is the true V'Nahafoch Hu this year: The censors in Iran are more than more LIBERAL than those in Beni Brak! Do the Iranians even know that sleeve length is an issue?? (OBVIOUSLY the inserted sleeves are too short, any kid in Binei Brak or even Lakewood could tell you that!) DO they even know that pictures of women altogether are an issue?????!

[Ozziel]

The girls’ costumes were still on sale in the stores

That is all that matters!

As to the ads, damned if they do and now damned if they don't.

[Ben]

With the rapid advance of genetic engineering created by G-d, we will not need any girls or women soon.
This is the hidden reason why haredi gadolim, who are the most advanced and refined human beings ever existed, trying to prepare their members to the eventual demise and disappearence of females.

[Rueven Aharon]

With the rapid advance of genetic engineering created by G-d, we will not need any girls or women soon.

Ah, but with genetic engineering, I suspect some of us will favor girl babies over boy babies! (While many patriarchal societies favor baby boys, let's face it, little girls might be nicer, and nicer-looking, than little boys.)