Israeli society, ultra-Orthodox torn over gender separation

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.”

At the same time, it was obvious to everyone that the fight over gender segregation — not only at music events, but also on buses, at the post office, on campuses and on the street — is far from over. The evidence can be found in part in an opinion by Attorney General Avichai Mandelblitt asserting that voluntary gender separation is permissible and that there may even be certain circumstances in which local authorities can host an event for the ultra-Orthodox community and allow gender separation.

The debate over gender segregation itself is more than a disagreement between the ultra-Orthodox and secular society in Israel. It also rages within ultra-Orthodox society itself. The question is whether government intervention in issues that the ultra-Orthodox consider to be an internal matter will create a new reality or whether it will lead those advocating gender segregation to adopt even more extreme positions.