Word: haredi
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Dates: during 1998-1998
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Secular women are riled by Orthodoxy's chauvinism. Last June in Jerusalem rioting haredim pelted men and women with excrement for praying at the Western Wall in a mixed group. In 1996 haredi "modesty patrols" began attacking women on Jerusalem's streets for exposing their arms or legs. Secular women were offended last year when Rabbi Yosef pronounced that men should not walk between two women, just as they should not walk between two donkeys, lest they take on the attributes of these lesser beasts...
While a number of activists on both sides are working to find a new accommodation between the communities, most Israelis expect relations to deteriorate further. A survey showed that 47% think the situation could lead to civil war. Haim Miller, the haredi deputy mayor of Jerusalem, believes the answer is segregation. "To prevent this conflict, the only way really at this point is some sort of separation," he says. "It's sad, but it's sadder yet if two Jewish people come to blows...
Boublil's followers, however, are not prepared to give up on the haredi presence in Neve Rotem. "This war will continue," says El-Harar, "until it is understood that we are in fact brothers, and we have to receive each other well." Until such a day arrives, the croaking of the frogs at dusk will continue to be only one of the sounds disturbing the quiet at Neve Rotem...