Title: Tel Aviv Municipality Considers Legal Action Against “Jewish Head” Organization Over Gender-Segregated Prayer Incident
Date:
The Tel Aviv Municipality is contemplating filing a request with the court regarding the “Jewish Head” organization, following their alleged attempt to conduct gender-segregated prayer at Dizengoff Square, despite the Supreme Court’s prohibition. Israel Zaira, the CEO of the organization, addressed the matter in an interview with Yanon Magal and Yariv Oppenheimer earlier today.
Zaira expressed his disappointment and maintained his composure in the face of the incident. He stated, “It certainly hurts, but I imposed restraint and restraint on myself, not to argue, not to reply. This is just before any vows, I came in an atmosphere of prayer. When suddenly such feelings of hatred come, then all that remains is simply not to reply in their language and violence, but calmly.” He also highlighted his attempts to engage in dialogue with individuals involved, but found it to be impossible due to their agitated state.
In response to allegations of promoting segregation, Zaira argued that similar accusations should be made towards Muslims. He claimed that both the municipality and the court sanctioned segregation in the public area as long as a physical partition was absent, allowing for the transition between men’s and women’s sections. Zaira criticized the protesters, referring to them as anarchists who intended to disrupt the prayer without restrictions or partitions.
Zaira cited previous occasions where a partition was present and did not cause any issues. He mentioned instances from the past two years, where a considerable number of people, both men and women, gathered around the partition while an additional 2,000 stood in the surrounding crowd without objections. Zaira reiterated that they acted in accordance with legal advice and complied with the police’s orders, serving approximately 2,500 secular individuals.
In conclusion, Zaira emphasized the absence of coercion and the voluntary nature of attendees’ participation. He claimed that people had willingly respected the separation without any enforcement. Zaira also made note of a prayer gathering of a thousand people in Atarim Square, where a significant secular audience demonstrated respect for the event. He posited that if the prayer hadn’t faced opposition, it would have unfolded similarly to previous years.
The Tel Aviv Municipality is now considering taking legal action against the “Jewish Head” organization to address the incident. More details are likely to emerge as the case progresses.
Assisted in the preparation of the article: Michal Kadosh, 103fm.