Title: Tel Aviv Municipality Revokes Permits for Religious Group After Gender Divider Sparks Controversy
Subtitle: Orthodox Group’s Attempted Public Yom Kippur Prayer Service Leads to Permit Cancellation for Sukkot Events
Date: [Insert Date]
Tel Aviv – The Tel Aviv municipality has canceled permits granted to the Orthodox religious group, Rosh Yehudi, for organizing public events during the upcoming Sukkot holiday. The decision comes after the organization sparked bitter confrontations by attempting to hold a public Yom Kippur prayer service with an improvised gender divider. The city claims that Rosh Yehudi violated the conditions of its license by erecting a makeshift bamboo barrier with Israeli flags at Dizengoff Square, which the city had previously banned.
The heated arguments unfolded on Sunday and Monday, with angry protesters objecting to the tradition of sex segregation during Orthodox Jewish prayers. Worshippers were even forced to relocate due to the confrontations.
Rosh Yehudi had received a permit last month to set up a Sukkah, a traditional makeshift hut, on Zamenhof Street for the Sukkot holiday on October 1. They were also given permission to hold the Second Hakafot event on October 7 at Dizengoff Square. The Second Hakafot is a traditional celebration that immediately follows Simchat Torah and shows solidarity with Diaspora Jews.
However, in a decision announced on Thursday, the permits for both events were canceled by the municipality due to the severe violation of license terms and the significant public disturbance caused by the improvised gender-divider.
The municipality stated in a letter addressed to Rosh Yehudi, “Rosh Yehudi’s event on Yom Kippur at Dizengoff Square turned from a prayer service to a humiliating event… that almost developed into a mass brawl.” The letter also criticized Rosh Yehudi for claiming that their divider was not a physical barrier. It warned that allowing the group to continue holding events could lead to further public disorders in the city.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai expressed his dismay over the decision, stating, “Everyone is invited to operate in our public space, and there are also places for public prayers, as long as they are held in accordance with the law and without gender segregation.”
Rosh Yehudi, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting a religious lifestyle, has been organizing public prayers at the end of Yom Kippur since 2020. This year, however, was the first time the city banned the use of a gender divider.
In response to the recent clashes, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir announced on Wednesday the cancellation of his plan to hold a gender-segregated prayer service in Tel Aviv. Instead, several hundred people attended a prayer service at Habima Square on Thursday night, organized as a response to Ben Gvir’s plans.
The event at Habima Square aimed to promote democracy and the State of Israel. Reform rabbi Galia Sadan from Tel Aviv’s Beit Daniel congregation called for an inclusive and tolerant form of Judaism during the prayer. Yaya Fink, the head of the left-leaning Darkenu lobby group, referred to the protest movement against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, stating, “We have reclaimed the Israeli flag and the Declaration of Independence.”
These recent events have been seen by some as a manifestation of the societal conflict triggered by the government’s judicial overhaul, which has led to divisions and differing visions for the future of the country.
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