Religious pluralism and tolerance
A courageous woman refuses to sit at the back of the bus In a simple move that made headlines
11.7.11 :19 12Photo
around the world, a courageous woman refused to sit at the back of the bus. In
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Beit Shemesh, an 8-year-old girl was spat upon for her “immodest” attire — her school uniform. And a prominent settler rabbi told religious soldiers it was better to die than to be subjected to the sounds of women soldiers singing at an IDF event. Defaced poster of Roni Hazon-Weiss, an activist with NIF grantee Yerushalmim.
Freedom of — and from — religion has always been at the core of NIF’s mission. And with extremists in the ultraOrthodox community becoming increasingly brazen in acts of religious coercion, NIF has been busier than ever. In January, NIF grantee Israel Religious Action Center won a prolonged legal battle, which ruled that public buses could not compel gender segregation. Despite the ruling, the practice has continued and throughout the year men and women — including senior Likud politicians — have ridden the buses in protest “freedom rides.” It’s hard to say exactly when it started, but with the governing coalition dependent on ultra-Orthodox support, there is no end in sight.
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Moments of Change | New Israel Fund