Posted on 01/26/2007 8:10:48 AM PST by US admirer
Haredi extremists in Jerusalem discover reason for troubles befalling Israeli people: Immodest clothes worn by women. For months, activists go door to door collecting clothes that don't hold up to rabbis' modesty standards. Thursday confiscated clothes set ablaze, pamphlets with list of forbidden clothes distributed
The war against immodesty waged by haredi extremists escalated Thursday night as clothes deemed "immodest" were set ablaze in Shabbat Square.
The "clothes of impurity" were burned in a barrel in the center of the stage. Rabbis who spoke at the rally stood nearby admonished the crowd that congregated around the site.
Burning clothes to fix troubles of people of Israel (Photo: Dudi Vaaknin)
"We will get rid of the tight clothes and the Holy One, Blessed be He, will place his mercy on us," it was written on one of the signs held by the protestors. "Modesty is the only thing that needs to be corrected in our generation," the rabbis clarified, saying this would solve the troubles of today. "We must overcome this hurdle," they pleaded.
The clothes that were set on fire during the demonstration were collected by a haredi organization in the past few months in a door-to-door campaign held in haredi neighborhoods in Jerusalem. During the campaign, clothes deemed "immodest" were collected. Women rose to the challenge. The organization handed out coupons for "authorized shops" to those who handed over "forbidden clothing" so that they can buy new clothes.
In an announcement published by the rabbis, they clearly define what is forbidden to wear:
Tricot shirts Lycra shirts and skirts Open-collared shirts Short and tight skirts Skirts with a slit Skirts with a straight cut Long or bulky earrings Clothes and bags in loud, flashy colors Wigs that are too exclusive Transparent or colorful stockings Clunky shoes
The result: Violence
The war against immodesty has recently descended into violence. Extremists attacked women with various sprays who were wearing clothes that didn't fit their criteria. Clothing stores in Jerusalem have also been hurt. One of the stores near the center of the city sustained an attack of bleach bottles. Tens of thousands of shekels of damage was caused to the merchandise.
Fear of the modesty guards is great in haredi neighborhoods. Yehudit, a haredi woman who works as a saleswoman in a clothing store in Geula said: "It is very scary, stressful, and unpleasant. A woman is wearing a skirt that cost NIS 200 (USD 50), and someone comes along and destroys it."
Yehudit defines herself as a "modern haredi," and claims that she and other women must not let "all of these protests affect us. It doesn't bother me at all." She also claims, "I haven't changed the clothes I wear. I haven't met one modern haredi woman who has purchased a new wardrobe or shorter wig because of the demonstrations."
You'll have to pry my wife's thong out of my cold dead hands....
LOL
No religion has a monopoly on stupidity.
Can I ask why very orthodox women wear wigs? I understand covering the head with a scarf or a veil, covering the hair for anybody but the husband, but why cover your hair with fake hair? Couldn't that excite male interest, perhaps more than the natural hair?
What is an exclusive wig?
You'll have to pry my wife's thong out of my cold dead hands....
I'm with you on that!
...
Wait...
I think these people are on the worng side of the wall (the Palstinian one).
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction. - Blaise Pascal
The Israelis seem to be a bunch of wimps.
If this happened in the US, someone would lose his temper and the police would be putting dropcloth over the bodies.
Snarky!
I've gotta preserve my image, ya know...
I think this may be a more reasonable way to combat the immodesty issue:
www.purefashion.org
But that's just me!
burnt candy apple smell
Me too, somebody has to be the comedian around here.....it's Friday and I'm happy to have the backup!
At least two-thirds of our miseries spring from human stupidity, human malice and those great motivators and justifiers of malice and stupidity: idealism, dogmatism and proselytizing zeal on behalf of religous or political ideas. - Aldous Huxley
As a Conservative (not Orthodox) Jew who has actually studied this question slightly (I don't pretend to be an expert) I think this is all a bit of garbage. There are some die hard Orthodox Jews who believe that wigs are forbidden. There are others who believe that wigs are ok, as long as they don't look natural. And there are others (a majority) who really don't care, because the supposed prohibition in Jewish law is against displaying "nakedness" -- it's an inward focussed question of modesty rather than an outward-focussed question of generating desire. I don't want to start a Talmudic debate on FR, but I think there's little compelling reason for married women to cover their heads at all.
"Long or bulky earrings ... Clunky shoes"
Yeah, those promote lust.
makes you wonder about the fraternizing that could be going on...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.