{"id":117587,"date":"2024-12-09T17:05:30","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T15:05:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=117587"},"modified":"2024-12-08T11:23:39","modified_gmt":"2024-12-08T09:23:39","slug":"09-05-111","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/?p=117587","title":{"rendered":"Hypocrisy and deception: The gender segregation bill – opinion"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>Hypocrisy and deception: The gender segregation bill – opinion<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/h5>\n

URI REGEV<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Legislation that is so deeply rooted in hypocrisy and deception should not be considered by the legislative bodies of Israel.<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n

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\nMK LIMOR SON HAR-MELECH attends a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, earlier this year. She has presented a bill which seeks to expand and legitimize gender segregation in Israel\u2019s institutions of higher education, beyond what the High Court has permitted.<\/em><\/span>
\n(photo credit: Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

This past week, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved its support for a controversial private member\u2019s bill initiated by MK\u00a0Limor Son Har-Melech<\/a>\u00a0(Otzma Yehudit). The bill seeks\u00a0to expand and legitimize gender segregation in Israel\u2019s institutions of higher education<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 beyond what the\u00a0High Court<\/a>\u00a0has permitted and in clear contradiction to the principles of gender equality. Numerous substantive arguments against the bill have been raised in the media and the courts, that we have joined in voicing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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I wish to highlight another reason why this proposal should have been rejected outright: It reeks of hypocrisy and deception, and it is time to set a moral barrier against such dishonest legislation.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The issue at hand is not new but is particularly glaring in this instance. The bill\u2019s explanatory notes claim that it is \u201cbased on the recognition of freedom of religion and conscience… as a broad fundamental right.\u201d On the surface, this language appears commendable and worthy of support, especially during these turbulent times when we look to the \u201cday after\u201d and the reimagining of Israel as a truly Jewish and democratic state. After all, Israel\u2019s Declaration of Independence, promises \u201cfreedom of religion and conscience\u201d alongside \u201cequality of rights… regardless of religion, race, or gender.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the hypocrisy of MK Son Har-Melech and her party could not be more blatant. While claiming to champion freedom of religion, they actively oppose the very principles of freedom of religion and conscience guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence. Her insistence that the bill reflects \u201cthe recognition of freedom of religion and conscience as a broad fundamental right\u201d is the most grotesque form of hypocrisy and deception.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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It recalls the Talmudic adage attributed to Alexander Yannai: \u201cFear not the Pharisees, nor the non-Pharisees, but the hypocrites who appear to be Pharisees; their deeds are like those of Zimri, yet they demand the reward of Phineas.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

MK LIMOR Son Har-Melech speaks during a protest outside the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, earlier this year. She has proposed an amendment to the Negev Development Law that would enable Kiryat Arba to receive the same benefits as the Gaza border communities. (credit: Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“Freedom of religion”<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The \u201cfreedom of religion\u201d invoked by MK Son Har-Melech is not the universal principle recognized by enlightened democracies. Instead, it is a narrowly defined freedom for a specific brand of religious Jews to enforce gender-segregated university programs at the expense of gender equality while subverting \u00a0Supreme Court rulings. This is not freedom of religion as a \u201cbroad fundamental right\u201d; it is a blemish on Israeli academia, a discriminatory policy benefiting Son Har-Melech\u2019s religious and ideological allies while denying religious freedom and freedom from religion to others \u2013 Jews and non-Jews alike.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In other areas, MK Son Har-Melech and her party actively perpetuate religious coercion, discrimination, and assaults on individual liberties and human dignity, all while trampling the very principle of freedom of religion they claim to uphold.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Well-known examples include their opposition to freedom of marriage in Israel, which denies hundreds of thousands of citizens the right to marry. They impose the authority of the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate on all Jewish citizens, despite its extreme \u00a0Orthodox interpretation of Jewish law, which is rejected by an overwhelming majority of Israeli and world Jews. Similarly, they oppose public transportation on Shabbat, infringing on the freedom of the majority who support such services and hurting segments of the population who do not have private cars or are unable to drive.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Consistent polling, including the annual Religion and State Index published by Hiddush, reveals that 65\u201375% of Israelis support marriage freedom and public transportation on Shabbat. These majorities also endorse all other aspects of religious freedom and conscience, all of which are systematically undermined by MK Son Har-Melech and her allies. They cynically claim to base their legislation on \u201cbroad fundamental rights of freedom of religion and conscience,\u201d while promoting gender segregation in higher education in direct contradiction to democratic and egalitarian values.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This is not about religious freedom but about expanding the exclusion of women and eroding the fundamental principles of a democratic and egalitarian society. In addition to all other justified objections to this bill, it is time to introduce an ethical threshold that blocks such proposals at the outset.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The writer, a rabbi and attorney, heads Hiddush \u2013 for Religious Freedom and Equality.<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Hypocrisy and deception: The gender segregation bill – opinion URI REGEV Legislation that is so deeply rooted in hypocrisy and deception should not be considered by the legislative bodies of Israel. . MK LIMOR SON HAR-MELECH attends a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, earlier this year. She has presented a bill […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[6],"tags":[26,24],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117587"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=117587"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":117600,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117587\/revisions\/117600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=117587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=117587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.reunion68.se\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=117587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}