On the night of Aug. 14, by time the Israeli Supreme Court cited purely procedural grounds in overturning a district court ruling that allowed the separation of men and women at a musical event in Afula, the star of the evening, the popular Hasidic singer Motti Steinmetz, had already won over his audience and sung his last song. The men in attendance had sat in the center aisles and even danced, while the women sat quietly off to the side. It was just as everyone there had wanted it.
Apart from enjoying the singer’s voice, the concert-goers had also felt an air of victory. Interior Minister Aryeh Deri expressed this best when he took to the stage and announced, “I allow myself to recite the blessing, ‘Who has kept us alive and sustained us and caused us to reach this time.’ Common sense won out. The ones who tried to force their concepts on us have lost today.”
