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Ultra-Orthodox men sitting in front of a segregated bus while women sit in the back. (Archives)
Last update - 07:07 14/01/2008
Court to hear petition against segregation of sexes on buses
By Yuval Yoaz
Tags: Israel, Judaism 

The High Court of Justice will hear a petition Monday against sex-segregated public buses known as mehadrin lines, which are meant to serve the ultra-Orthodox community.

Orthodox American-Israeli novelist Naomi Ragen and the Israel Religious Action Center, the advocacy arm of Israel's Reform movement, brought the petition a year ago in a bid to sharply reduce the operation of sex-segregated buses and prevent men and women from being forced to sit separately.

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he state argues that the segregation - with men sitting in front and women in back - is voluntary and that the companies operating the mehadrin lines "are prohibited from forcing the voluntary arrangement on the rest of the passengers who are not interested in it.

"There is no reason for the Transportation Ministry to get involved, as long as each person maintains a right to use those lines without being coerced by these arrangements," the state said. "A suitable arrangement is based on the assumption that there should not be a coerced segregation arrangement in public transit, but there is no obstacle to allowing the passengers to have voluntary separation between the sexes."

In practice, however, passengers have complained that they feel coerced - sometimes by physical violence - into sitting in the designated section of the bus.

Ragen decided to file suit after unintentionally boarding a mehadrin line, Egged's No. 40 bus, toward her home in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot in July 2004. "I found myself insulted, humiliated and physically threatened because I refused to be bullied into giving up my seat and moving to the back of the bus," Ragen wrote.

In addition, Miriam Shear, an Israeli-American woman on vacation from Canada, says she was slapped, kicked, punched and pushed by a group of ultra-Orthodox men in November 2006 when she refused to move to the back of Egged bus No. 2 on its way to the Western Wall.

"This phenomenon [of sex segregation] impinges upon equality and causes degradation and damage to human dignity," said IRAC attorney Einat Hurvitz. "Since the government is not prepared to settle the matter, the court must intervene."

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      1.   segregation of sexes on buses !!!! 07:00  |  Ana 14/01/08
      2.   Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ruled that it`s not a problem 07:55  |  Frum Jew 14/01/08
      3.   simple solution ban orthodox men from riding these buses 08:32  |  v hardman 14/01/08
      4.   What year is this? 08:43  |  Gershon Reed 14/01/08
      5.   So it is voluntary segregation ! 08:59  |  Steve the Pals. 14/01/08
      6.   Judaeo-Facists thrive in the Holy Land 09:15  |  B`Galil 14/01/08
      7.   Much ado about nothing 09:27  |  Shulamit Batel 14/01/08
      8.   welcome to Shas- istan 09:28  |  SJ 14/01/08
      9.   Religious coercion OUT 09:40  |  Iz Ray Leigh 14/01/08
      10.   Mehadrin Buses Boycott Bar Ilan University 10:55  |  Chaim 14/01/08
      11.   segregation on buses 11:23  |  HM 14/01/08
      12.   If you don`t like Jews 12:01  |  Efox 14/01/08
      13.   Religious people are always right 12:46  |  Ryan 14/01/08
      14.   What about a President and, a Vise PM and a Defense Minister????? 13:07  |  AVI 14/01/08
      15.   The religious don`t want these Egged lines too!!!! 13:09  |  AVI 14/01/08
      16.   Not surprising... 13:37  |  Dave 14/01/08
      17.   Is there any State 13:49  |  Joe 14/01/08
      18.   Business Woman 13:58  |  Roslyn 14/01/08
      19.   # 12 Efox...for heaven`s sake 14:01  |  Lynn 14/01/08
      20.   ROSA PARKS IN ISRAEL? 14:14  |  Petra 14/01/08
      21.   Let them have it... 14:21  |  Yoel 14/01/08
      22.   # 13 Efox, I usually agree with you, not this time. 14:21  |  Petra 14/01/08
      23.   Bus Segregation and the degredation of women in israel 14:22  |  Millie 14/01/08
      24.   Why do the have to sit 14:26  |  Paul Wood 14/01/08
      25.   # 11 Agreed! 14:28  |  Petra 14/01/08
      26.   #11 HM 14:33  |  Paul Wood 14/01/08
      27.   Goes to show... 14:36  |  Yonatan 14/01/08
      28.   # 23 AMEN MILLIE, AMEN 14:46  |  Petra 14/01/08
      29.   Maybe these "Rabbis" need their asses kicked by a good 14:55  |  Petra 14/01/08
      30.   # 26 Paul Wood,,,not the environment 14:56  |  Lynn 14/01/08
      31.   PAUL WOOD, SO YOU BLAME ALL WOMEN BECAUSE OF EVE? 15:04  |  Petra 14/01/08
      32.   Paul Wood 15:05  |  Iz Ray Leigh 14/01/08
      33.   # 23 Millie...women have always had 15:11  |  Lynn 14/01/08
      34.   # 17 JOE YES, 15:11  |  Petra 14/01/08
      35.   PETRA SO WELL-STATED Todah Raba 15:14  |  B`Galil 14/01/08
      36.   # 35 B`gail thanks 15:32  |  Petra 14/01/08
      37.   segregation of sexes in public transport 15:34  |  mrs equal rights 14/01/08
      38.   # 33 Lynn and Millie YES! by all means 15:38  |  Petra 14/01/08
      39.   To All You Equal Rights Secularists 16:15  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/01/08
      40.   # 2 Frum Jew 16:23  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/01/08
      41.   Re: ROSA PARKS IN ISRAEL 16:37  |  Jerry 14/01/08
      42.   Naomi Regan 17:06  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/01/08
      43.   # 41 Jerry perhaps Israel will see the error of their ways 17:25  |  Petra 14/01/08
      44.   #20 Petra, great comments 17:29  |  Benjamina 14/01/08
      45.   # 39 Avi when did the Rabbinate get limos for exclusive use? 17:37  |  Petra 14/01/08
      46.   Avi, go read the Torah again 18:28  |  Yonatan 14/01/08
      47.   Avi, try paying taxes first 18:36  |  David 14/01/08
      48.   Petra #45 18:40  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/01/08
      49.   David, #47 18:48  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/01/08
      50.   Segregation 19:19  |  Stella 14/01/08
      51.   # 46 Yonathan, LOL Funny guy! 19:58  |  Petra 14/01/08
      52.   Avi, that makes no sense 20:28  |  David 14/01/08
      53.   David #52 20:53  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/01/08
      54.   Blind hatred? 21:10  |  David 14/01/08
      55.   A Compromise? 21:21  |  eli 14/01/08
      56.   Avi, where are the gay buses? 21:28  |  Yonatan 14/01/08
      57.   # 41 Rosa Parks In Israel YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 21:37  |  Petra 14/01/08
      58.   avi yerushalmi 39 21:38  |  realism 14/01/08
      59.   # 52 David, Wonderful!! Every word you say is true!! 21:42  |  Petra 14/01/08
      60.   Yonathan and David, TOUCHE` FAB! DON`T STOP NOW 21:46  |  Petra 14/01/08
      61.   ELI A COMPROMISE? 21:49  |  Petra 14/01/08
      62.   Haredim versus the Tanach 22:04  |  Yoel 14/01/08
      63.   Yonatan #56 22:08  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/01/08
      64.   Realism #58 22:13  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/01/08
      65.   London and New York 22:23  |  Joseph 14/01/08
      66.   Women in Judaism 23:07  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/01/08
      67.   Joseph #65 23:14  |  Avi Yerushalmi 14/01/08
      68.   I don`t care about the talmud 01:56  |  Yoel 15/01/08
      69.   Rashi was a moron 02:00  |  David 15/01/08
      70.   avi yerushalmi 64 03:55  |  realism 15/01/08
      71.   No kidding 06:04  |  Gordon 15/01/08
      72.   How ridiculous! 06:19  |  sweis Melbourne