Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Protesters Flee After Counter-Protesters Strip Down To Bras
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Jews clashed with police in Jerusalem over the weekend in protest of the Eurovision Song Contest final, which was held on Shabbat.
The impassioned crowd blocked Haneviim Street and stopped traffic on Saturday, The Times of Israel reported. Protestors attacked officers responding to the demonstration, and one was arrested.
The protestors, shouting “Shabbes” in Yiddish, claimed the scheduling of the international contest was a “desecration” of the Jewish day of rest, the BBC reported. A small group of women held a counter-protest by taking off their shirts, revealing their bras and causing the protesters to go elsewhere. Orthodox Jews live by strict modesty codes and are forbidden from looking on immodestly-dressed women.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews protested and blocked roads in Jerusalem against what they see as violations of Sabbath.
Women responded by taking off their shirts, which promptly scared the religious protesters off. Story by neighbourhood correspondent @tombateman https://t.co/wv3XoVgBR1 pic.twitter.com/AHtnfSxsXP
— Raf Sanchez (@rafsanchez) May 20, 2019
Eurovision was held in Tel Aviv this year. The final began after Shabbat ended at sundown, but preparation took place throughout the day.
Alyssa Fisher is a writer at the Forward. Email her at fisher@forward.com, or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
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 during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
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 the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.