Today's NYT has an article that is a must read for anyone interested in Israel and its future. First, I want to acknowledge the important writing being done on these topics here and elsewhere on dkos.
The article begins with the experience of Channa Mayaan, who received an award from the Israeli Health Ministry for her research on hereditary diseases. Dr. Mayaan sought to be sensitive to the fact that the acting Minister is ultra-Orthodox, as are others who would be at the award ceremonies, and thus wore long sleeves and a long skirt to cover her arms and legs. However, she was surprised to learn that a) men and women would be seated separately for the ceremony, meaning she could not sit with her husband, and b) she could not even accept the award herself (a man had to accept it on her behalf), because a woman could not be on the stage.
This outrage, among others (the link is to an article about an 8 year old girl who had epithets ("whore") screamed at her and was spat upon by ultra-Orthodox men "because her modest dress did not adhere exactly to their more rigorous dress code") has sparked a strong response by those in Israel who believe in equality for women and who believe, more broadly, that the ultra-Orthodox have come to wield far too much power in a democratic society.
From the article:
Public discourse in Israel is suddenly dominated by a new, high-toned Hebrew phrase, “hadarat nashim,” or the exclusion of women. The term is everywhere in recent weeks, rather like the way the phrase “male chauvinism” emerged decades ago in the United States.
This is a serious crisis in Israel, one that the President of the Israel Democracy Institute, Arye Carmon, called "an extreme danger."
Mr. Carmon compared the strictly religious Jews of Israel to the Islamists in the Arab world, saying that there was a similar dynamic at play in Egypt, with tensions growing between the secular forces that led the revolution and the Islamic parties now rising to prominence.
The article also mentions a group, the New Israel Fund, whose website is here, that is pushing back hard against this exclusion under the banner of the slogan "Women Should Be Seen And Heard."
Clearly, the forces of equality are not going to go quietly. However, neither is the other side. Please go to the original NYT article in today's paper and read the whole thing to get the full picture. Take a look at the New Israel Fund's website and see if it appeals to you. They are not only involved in gender issues. From their website:
The New Israel Fund is the leading organization committed to equality and democracy for all Israelis.
We are a partnership of Israelis and supporters of Israel worldwide, dedicated to a vision of Israel as both the Jewish homeland and a shared society at peace with itself and its neighbors. NIF strengthens organizations and leaders that work to achieve equality for all the citizens of the state; realize the civil and human rights of all, including Palestinian citizens of Israel; recognize and reinforce the essential pluralism of Israeli society; and empower groups on the economic margins of Israeli society.
Building a viable and free society committed to social justice is the medium through which the New Israel Fund has contributed to the strengthening of Israeli democracy.
Be informed and, if you are so inclined, get involved.
8:06 AM PT: Recommended?: Wow, that's great. Thanks for the recommends, folks! This is important stuff and we can get involved.