Jerusalem Women Declare Victory in Billboard Battle — For Now
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
Some 18 months after a group of activists began fighting the exclusion of women from billboards in Jerusalem, the fighters have declared victory.
One of the centerpieces of Wednesday’s Jerusalem Day holiday has always been the Jerusalem March.
When the city advertised it two years ago, it did so with an illustration rather than pictures of actual people, just as it did with many other advertisements at that time.
Last year, a woman did appear in ads for the Jerusalem marathon, but only behind a man, and in some of the ads she was cut off entirely. Yet in ads for this year’s Jerusalem marathon, which took place in March, a woman in running clothes was front and center.
Model Bar Refaeli has also begun appearing on billboards in the capital, after years of absence. Women have similarly shown up in ads for health clubs, clothing and theater performances. A few of these ads have been vandalized, but so far, it looks as if the women are here to stay.
Nevertheless, several activists said, the feminist battle in the city still has a ways to go.
“The issue of excluding women is a result of growing religious extremism,” said city councilwoman Rachel Azaria.
For more, go to Haaretz
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