Judge Threatens Jail over Beit Shemesh Modesty Signs

Update December 4, 2017 from the Chochmat Nashim Facebook page:  Supreme Court Judge Hanan Meltzer said, "There is no such thing in the State of Israel as a road that is closed to women, nor will there be. As far as we are concerned, there should be a police presence day and night and any woman … [Read more...]

Halberstam Defends Her Pro-Makeup Stance

I reread the Halberstam article about whether marriageable girls wear enough makeup, after reading a claim that it was satire. The parts about the greatness of her son including the Ph.D. he is aspiring to, and Ollie's hair straightening salon, were indeed over the top. Her hyper-sensitivity about … [Read more...]

A Tale of Two Purim Costume Ads

It's only Tu Beshevat, but the marketing for Purim is ratcheting up with advertisements for Purim costumes everywhere. A week or two ago, Hadassah Margolese, mother of 8-year-old Naama of Beit Shemesh fame, opened a haredi weekly distributed for free in her building's mailboxes. She was shocked … [Read more...]

Sderot Businesses Asked to Sign “Modesty” Contracts

I've written a lot about extreme modesty in women's dress and we always have this discussion about whether or not it is any of our business. At what point do we say "live and let live," and when do we begin to worry that these trends will affect us in our daily lives. Well, the time to worry is … [Read more...]

Yediot Gives Platform to Shal-Wearers

Today's Yediot Aharonit "24 Hours" magazine has an "exclusive" letter from a 42-year-old cult member. The anonymous author sent it to a neighbor, whose husband delivered it to Yediot with the author's knowledge. The letter may be original and unpublished, but plenty of similar material is widely … [Read more...]

Court to Rule on "Taliban" (Hyper-Modest) Sect

Haaretz reports this morning about a court case involving two young veiled girls from Beit Shemesh. The article contains many details about the group they belong to, which is known internally as "Lev Tahor" (pure heart). Maybe the press will finally stop calling them Taliban women. The two girls … [Read more...]

Is Hyper-Modesty about Female Empowerment?

NRG published a story about a pamphlet distributed to homes in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh, urging women to wear shalim, or cloaks. If you have a copy of the pamphlet, please let me know. According to the pamphlet, the purpose of wearing a shal is "to cover the outline and shape of the body and … [Read more...]

Veiled Women Called Apikorsim, Told to Wash Dishes

Rafi recently posted about a pashkevil (wall poster-reproduced and translated below) against the sect, or cult, of veiled women. The pashkevil is signed by the "War Council against the Cult of Cruel Women." Ynet published the picture above, taken in Jerusalem, of young girls in capes and … [Read more...]

Beit Shemesh School Battle

School conflicts and strikes are a normal part of Israeli life at this time of year. Today we take you to Beit Shemesh (again). Several years ago the education ministry and the municipality of Beit Shemesh built a new building for  the girls of Orot, a state-religious elementary school. The new … [Read more...]

Is the “Breastfeeding Doll” Tznius?

The breastfeeding doll has arrived in the US. First produced in Spain, it has become quite popular in Europe.   The doll is made by Berjuan Toys, a company out of Spain. It comes with a special halter top that has two flowers where nipples would be. When a little girl puts on the top and … [Read more...]