Haredim Illegally Ban Women And Girls From "Male Only" Bomb Shelter, Leave Women Unprotected

"As rockets flew over Ashdod and red alerts sent people running for shelter, the Ashdod rabbanut had other plans for women. Men went to the [bomb] shelter and were allowed in. Women, on the other hand, were not allowed in. There is actually a sign on the shelter that says "For men only". …"

Above: "In accordance with our rabbis, shelter is for men and boys only" Ashdod bomb shelter sign, November 2012

Elana Sztokman writes:

This really happened: As rockets flew over Ashdod and red alerts sent people running for shelter, the Ashdod rabbanut had other plans for women. Men went to the [bomb] shelter and were allowed in. Women, on the other hand, were not allowed in. There is actually a sign on the shelter that says "For men only". Women were sent to sit in a [rabbinic] courtroom. I kid you not. This was discovered by one of MK Stav Shafir's staffers, who reported it to Yediot and sent an urgent query to the Minister of Religion asking to rectify the situation. Thus far that rabbinic administration claims not to know about it, that it was the initiative of a staffer, and has said that they view this attempt at gender segregation negatively......

This is very wrong but it isn't surprising. 

In fact, FailedMessiah.com reported on the illegally gender-segregated Ashdod bomb shelters in November 2012.

It was publicized in Israel at that time, as well.

But no one really seems to be willing to force haredim to obey the law – even if this governmental inaction risks the lives of women and girls.

Comments

[Jeff]

Shmarya, the link to that Facebook post is now returning a "Page Not Found" message. She obviously took it down. If you know her, you may want to inquire.

[Garnel Ironheart]

Shouldn't you be in favour of this? If their women are killed off they can't reproduce and will then disappear.

[Account Deleted]

Garnel, consider that if indeed you are a loyalist of the traditional faith, your nastiness does not produce good public relations for that approach.

I understand why the Haredim would want segregated bomb shelters. It is consistent with their prime directive in this universe, which is to obsess over keeping men and women segregated. To each their own.

In this case, unless there was a men's and women's shelter right next to each other, the effort to segregate would obviously need to be suspended.

The issue here is that the danger in which the women were placed is not nearly as scandalous to the avergae Haredi ands would be having a smartphone with unfiltered internet.

That perverse value system is why Haredism is arguably really no longer related to traditional Judaism, but some form of modern day cult like Jews for Jesus, or the like.

I wonder if Abraham or Moses would kick a women out of his bomb shelter? If the answer is no, then Haredism is indeed a new cult. I bet Moses and Abraham would have iphones and use them to do good, like everything else that can be used for good or bad.

[yehudis]

Ironheart-the name is fitting. In most societies the safety of the women and children would come first and the men last.

[RedLeg]

The shelter should be integrated at gun point.

[Garnel Ironheart]

Pard and Yehudis, I sometimes forget that people miss my sarcasm.
You're right, civilize societies put women and children first. And Judaism, as opposed to hareidism, puts preservation of life above concerns with mixed seating in a bomb shelter.

[seymour]

this sounds nuts maybe so0mebody just put up a sign for a photo shoot

[Mordy from monsey]

pard-

You are right on the money!! Perfect post

[Allan]

@Yehudis – “In most societies the safety of the women and children would come first and the men last. “

Men last, eh? Is that the definition of gender equality these days? Sorry, but I have a radical idea that men’s and women’s lives are equally valuable. And I don’t see anywhere in the Torah or secular law that says otherwise. That haredi men’s only shelter is ridiculous but a women’s only shelter would be equally offensive and unacceptable.

[Alter Kocker]

And what would have happened had a bomb found those women left to sit in that court room? This would have left a permanent stain on orthodox judaism. The Haredim operate living off the ignorance of the rest of humanity. This would have gotten into the world press and the condemnation would have been inescapable. Israel's hands would be tied and the world would demand that Haredi leadership and more than likely the entire orthodox world be held accountable for this. They can cry "GOYIM" all they want, but this is a bullet that they dodged this time.

[MarkfromShortHills]

The Jerusalem Post reports that this sign has been removed. Allegedly, the rabbis never approved it .....:

http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/Gender-separation-sign-found-in-Ashdod-rabbinical-court-bomb-shelter-swiftly-removed-363070

[Shmarya]

MarkfromShortHills –

Please.

The "swift action" was only taken AFTER the illegal segregation was reported in the media and AFTER it was referred to the proper authorities.

Do you really believe none of the rabbinical court rabbis who used that shelter over the past couple weeks didn't notice that LARGE sign on its door?

They could have removed it at any time. But they did not.

[A. Nuran]

redleg: Yes. Yes. Yes.

I disagree about a lot of things that Heinlein said, but at least one of them is absolutely true. The most important, in the final analysis the ONLY important duty of any society is protecting and providing for children and pregnant women. Forcing them out of a bomb shelter because you're afraid your shmekele might burst out to its full 4cm glory is the worst sort of perversion

[Sarek]

This necessitates a change to the "barefoot and pregnant" ideology. "Chained to the kitchen with a chain just long enough to reach the bedroom" now requires a corollary: the chain shouldn't be long enough to reach the bomb shelter.

[jewish patriot]

There are is a shelter in every apartment in Israel there could be separate shelters for men and women with enough time to get in when the siren sounds they don't have to cramp together . Maybe men aren't allowed in female shelters , the point is that there's no story here .

[Yosef ben Matitya]

wow!

[S M L]

"...afraid your shmekele might burst out to its full 4cm glory..."

...trying to get that image out of my head....oy!

[Shari]

Apparently the mitzvah the peku'ach nefesh applies only to humans with penises, no matter how teeny tiny those organs may be.

[Sol Goldstein]

What happens if a rocket hits a target and women are outside of a shelter? Suppose those women are the wives, mothers, sisters of those who deny the right to go into a shelter?

[yehuda fulda]

who needs women anyway...everyone knows these crazy people eould rather diddle little boys anyway.... they should ask dome of these rabbis what they would bring yo a desert island im sure they eould say a boy or two of course tovteach toyra among other things to do to them

[Josh]

Easy enough to solve. Let the women have the shelter and the men the other room. Their Torah learning will protect them anyway so I can't see why they would even need a shelter at all.

[yehuda fulda]

these people think like this ..of course our tora learning will protect us but u dont put yourself in a mokom sakana...so just in case we will go to the shelter snd the women and girls will watch the missles..in any case our learning will protect them...but if the missles kill them in the merit of our toyra learning they willl get olam haba....but as for me i will get olam haba a little l8r