Gender-Segregating Signs in Kiryas Joel Cause Controversy
Signs that appear to call for gender segregation on streets in the Hasidic village of Kiryas Joel have raised some hackles.
The color-coded signs posted along Forest Road — blue for men and red for women — designate separate sides of the street for men and women. The signs were made by a private individual and are not endorsed by the village in New York State’s Orange County, according to News 12.
Similar signs are posted in New Square, home to a Hasidic community in Rockland County in suburban New York City.
Proponents of the signs claim they offer suggestions for times when there is heavy foot traffic, while critics such as the New York Civil Liberties Union contend that it could develop into a violation of civil rights.
In 2012, the village of Kiryas Joel built publicly financed gender-segregated blue and pink playgrounds for children. The village agreed to halt segregation at the parks following a court order in March.
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.