After a chase, Israel Police reportedly arrested two young haredi men
they saw defacing the signs. One reportedly denied defacing them. The other allegedly justified the defacement by insisting
that the ads depicting women actresses offend haredim.
Defaced Khan Theater sign, Jerusalem, 5-19-2013
2 Haredim Busted For Defacing Woman's Picture On Theater Billboards In Jerusalem
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
The Khan Theater's new season is promoted in part with billboards, bus stop ads and posters, some of which have photos of what the theater describes a “modestly clothed” actress.
But Ynet reports that did not stop some haredim from defacing the theater’s signs at the entrance to Jerusalem by covering the actress’s photo with turquoise and beige paint.
After a chase, Israel Police reportedly arrested two young haredi men they saw defacing the signs. One reportedly denied defacing them. The other allegedly justified the defacement by insisting that the ads depicting women actresses offend haredim.
The two haredim were reportedly released under strict conditions after an appearance at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court. Police reportedly will recommend that they be prosecuted.
"The fact that this is the third [year] in a row that Khan Theater ads are destroyed because of the presence of a woman in them is infuriating. We call on the Jerusalem Municipality to act firmly against this phenomenon, which causes great damage to the city's image,” Danny Weiss, the theater's executive director, told Ynet, adding that beyond the issues of excluding women and basic vandalism, there was the issue of how anyone could destroy billboards located “so far off the ground in such a public place.
He also said that the Khan Theater will continue to depict its actors and actresses in all its publications and ads, “including on billboards in Jerusalem."
The theater also wrote to the city, asking it to repost undamaged theater billboards, noting that the city had approved the original billboards before they were posted and noting that this haredi vandalism has gone on for years unchecked.
In response, the city reportedly wrote that it "condemns any phenomenon of vandalism and destruction of ads carrying women's pictures. The Municipality has already turned to the police following similar cases in a bid to increase enforcement against vandalism.…[however]the ads are private and the Municipality is not responsible for their content.…It should be noted that in the current term there has been a feminine revolution in Jerusalem, and that beyond returning to important key positions in the city's management, women's pictures have appeared in the Municipality's official publications on billboards throughout the term."