Israel Roundup: ‘Mothers Need Not Apply’
By Elana Maryles Sztokman August 10, 2010
Sisterhood News Roundup: Israel Edition:
“The job is not for mothers”: A woman from the religious town of Elad received the equivalent of an $8,000 payout for gender discrimination in job hiring. The woman had applied to work as a security guard in the town, but instead of being properly interviewed, she was ridiculed by her potential employers. “This is not a job for a young mother,” they reportedly told her. “And anyway, you cannot do the job wearing the skirt.” She thought she could, and thankfully the courts agreed. She may wear a skirt and push a stroller, but she is tough and knows how to stand up for her rights.
Protesters in tank-tops are not welcome: Apparently pro-Palestinian activists and ultra-Orthodox Jews have something in common: women’s bodies. Last week’s protest in solidarity with residents of Sheik Jarrah included some unusual instructions. Protestors were told that women wearing tank tops would not be allowed to participate.
Sex charges in Komemiyut? A resident of the religious moshav Komemiyut, Shimshon Walzer, has allegedly been sexually molesting children and teens on the moshav for two decades . Some of his alleged victims apparently went on to be sexual predators themselves, a phenomenon not uncommon in cases of childhood sexual assault, and the arrest of one of these victims-turned-assailants spurred on an elaborate police undercover operation that brought about the charges against Walzer. A teacher and principal of the moshav elementary school, Walzer has been in the United States raising money for the moshav, and has not returned – not even for his own son’s wedding. Meanwhile, there are 40 suspected victims and the police continue to collect evidence.
Suffering for the sins of the husband? Two men, Zur Bachurshvili, 58, and Vadim Giasov, 32, of Haifa were arrested on Monday on charges of beating, robbing and brutally raping a 33-year old woman from the Haifa area because they wanted to get back at her husband. The husband is in prison, so it’s not clear how exactly he was hurt by all this, but we know that the woman was. She is currently recovering in Haifa hospital, with broken ribs, multiple bruises, burn marks and internal bleeding.
No women drivers allowed — not even go-cart drivers: In case Emmanuel’s social ideology has not been in the news enough lately, there’s more. A rabbi from Emmanuel was so upset at the prospect of girls driving go-carts at the settlement go-cart facility, that he reportedly went on a rampage at the establishment and destroyed the equipment. According to the go-cart owner, Amram Gutman, residents all know that girls are not allowed to drive, but someone brought in female relatives from out of town who were unaware of these restrictions, and that’s when all hell broke loose. Rabbi Yehoida Gadasi apparently found out about the female go-cart drivers and came running over — forcing the girls out of the carts and then overturned the carts, destroying them.
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