Rabbi Moshe Sebbag is no stranger to the world of politics. As chief rabbi of France’s historic and prestigious Grande Synagogue de Paris, the Israeli-born cleric is invited regularly to political functions, including events with senior ministers. But for all this, Sebbag appeared shaken at the furor that followed his embrace of the bans on…
In Israel, where it is fair to say Muslims and Jews do not always agree, there is shared confusion and surprise at events across the Mediterranean: the push by French mayors to ban full-body swimsuits, or “burkinis,” on beaches. France’s highest administrative court ruled against the ban on Friday, but mayors in several beachfront towns…
Hot on the heels of France’s burkini ban mania, Israel seems to be coming up with its own version. An Israeli singer claims that her set at a Culture Ministry festival on Friday was cut short when she was asked to cover up. Hanna Goor, who was wearing shorts and a bikini top, says she…
When Israeli musician Hanna Goor was booted offstage at a concert in Ashdod for wearing a bikini top, the incident was instantly framed in the international press — including in the Forward — as Israel’s “burkini moment.” The comparison was obvious: in France, Muslim women are being forced by to take off their conservative swimwear…
A top French court on Friday suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits that has angered Muslims, feminists and civil liberties campaigners. The ruling by the Council of State relates to the Mediterranean resort of Villeneuve-Loubet, one of more than a dozen French towns that have imposed such bans. The burkini ban has shone a…
For the sake of tznius – religious modesty – Orthodox women cover their hair, their arms and legs below the shoulders and knees, and, in some cases, their collarbones. In some ultra-Orthodox communities the requirements of modesty even extend to men, who won’t wear shorts or short sleeved shirts in public. And for Orthodox women…
The Australian designer of the burkini said she has enjoyed increased sales of the body-covering swimwear for Muslim women since three French cities banned it. The mayors of Cannes, Villeneuve-Loubet and the Corsican seaside resort of Sisco imposed the ban last week, arguing the burkini, which leaves only the face, hands and feet exposed, defies French…
Over the past week, enough ink has been spilled about swimwear in France to make you think it’s fashion week. For a country fixated on the female body, this is not particularly surprising. France has a long history of commodifying, objectifying, and editorializing women’s bodies, almost always for the sake of fashion and (usually impossible)…
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