Tensions in Tel Aviv over Yom Kippur prayer: municipality challenges court
The Rosh Yehudi movement aims to hold a traditional prayer with gender separation in a public space, facing opposition from the municipality
The Israeli Supreme Court is embroiled in a heated debate regarding a planned Yom Kippur prayer in Tel Aviv.
The Rosh Yehudi movement aims to hold a traditional prayer with gender separation in a public space, facing opposition from the municipality.
Judges expressed frustration over the city's stance, highlighting potential discrimination, as non-Orthodox mixed prayers are permitted in the same areas. Judge Yechiel Kasher noted the inconsistency in the municipality's policy, while Judge Ofer Grosskopf questioned why gender separation is acceptable indoors but not outdoors.
This controversy follows a previous incident where a similar gender-segregated prayer by Rosh Yehudi sparked public outrage, igniting a national debate. The current case reached the Supreme Court after Rosh Yehudi appealed a Tel Aviv district court ruling upholding the municipal ban.
During the hearing, justices proposed a compromise, suggesting the prayer be held in Meir Park instead of the original location, Dizengoff Square. However, the Tel Aviv municipality firmly rejected this offer, maintaining its opposition to gender separation in public spaces, underscoring the ongoing tension between traditional religious practices and liberal values in Israeli society, particularly in secular and progressive Tel Aviv.