Nice To Meet You
Those who are dedicated to maintaining Jerusalem as a pluralistic capital of all of Israel won a small but important victory in July: The Ministry of Transportation ordered Cnaan, the agency that handles advertising on Egged buses, to include images of women. The ruling was in response to a petition by Yerushalmim, a group that advocates pluralism and equal rights in Jerusalem, which tried to launch an advertising campaign last year, a part of which is pictured below. Afraid of Haredi reaction, Cnaan initially refused. Now the government has declared that the ads must be displayed.
In a city where images of women have been torn from outdoor spaces and erased from public life, this small step is to be celebrated. In its clear statement against discrimination of any kind, the ministry upheld the Jewish values of equality and fairness. ?Women of Jerusalem, Nice To Meet You,? the ads declare. Yes, nice to meet you.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
