Orthodox Men Vandalize Poster Of Woman Running For Jerusalem Mayor
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Several haredi Orthodox men were captured on video vandalizing the campaign posters of Rachel Azaria, the only female candidate for the mayor of Jerusalem.
The incident took place on Sunday night, hours after the posters were affixed on 300 Jerusalem city buses. The half-dozen vandals, clad in long black suit jackets and black hats, removed the photo of Azaria, which showed her from the shoulders and up.
Azaria, a member of Knesset for the Kulanu party, announced her candidacy two weeks ago for the October municipal election.
The campaign, which had been scheduled to launch on Monday morning, is being run under the slogan: “Believe it. We can live together.”
Akaria said in a tweet that she received information from haredi Orthodox supporters who made it clear that the vandals are a “small and fanatic group that does not represent the haredi Orthodox community in Jerusalem.” She vowed to rehang the ads and continue her campaign “because we know it is possible to live here together.” The tweet also included video footage of the vandalism.
Extreme haredi Orthodox sects object to seeing images of women, calling it a lack of modesty, and have vandalized posters and billboards over the years. Bus companies have in the past refused to hang such ads out of fear of vandalism.
את המידע על תלישת שלטי הבחירות קיבלתי מתומכים חרדים שהבהירו לי שוב שהתולשים הם קבוצה קטנה וקנאית שלא מייצגת את הציבור החרדי בירושלים.
הרוב המוחלט של הירושלמים: חילונים, חרדים ודתיים מתנגדים להם.
אנחנו נדביק שוב את המודעות ונמשיך את הקמפיין כי אנחנו יודעים שזה אפשרי לחיות פה יחד. pic.twitter.com/Rldqynd4hR— רחל עזריה (@azariarachel) July 23, 2018
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at [email protected], or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news. All donations are still being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000 until April 24.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
