From Israel, a terrific flash mob of women dancing in Jerusalem’s Beit Shemesh neighborhood. Beit Shemesh has been in the public eye recently after the press picked up the story of girls at an Orthodox religious school being harassed, spat on, and called “prostitutes” by neighborhood men from the radical ultra-Orthodox Sikari community who thought their long-sleeved, long-skirted uniforms were immodest. The Sikarim—their name means “knife men”—are so fanatical that they have been labeled the “Jewish Taliban.” Recently thousands of people protested in Beit Shemesh in what’s come to be called the “modesty wars” over the Sikarim’s continuing harassment of women and efforts to outlaw them singing or dancing in public and walking on certain public streets.
In response, a group of women danced in the public square of Beit Shemesh. The organizer wrote:
On Friday, Jan 6th, 2012, a group of 250 women from Bet Shemesh decided to raise their voices against the exclusion of women from the public domain by holding a mass public dance in the city square. The women, residents of the city from all ages and sectors, religious, traditional and secular, gathered together in a flashmob dance, in the city square and started dancing towards a change.
If you look closely, you can see quite a few of the dancing women are in traditional Orthodox dress (long skirts and sleeves with black tights and head coverings). I particularly like the comment on the YouTube page that “each of these women has more beauty and holiness than the entire Sikarii community.” I bet that Freddie Mercury, of blessed memory, would be thrilled they’re dancing to his music.
Thanks so much for sharing this! I’ve been trying to follow the reactions in Israel as closely as possible the last week. This gave me goosebumps! Freddie Mercury+Feminism=AWESOME SAUCE! I hope these women keep up the work and make sure they get the needed attention to create change.
this is just awesome!
LOVE this!
Orthodox women dancing and singing in public to the music of a gay Jewish man-that makes me SO happy!
I heard the story about the girls on the way to school on NPR. These dancing women are an AWESOME response!!
@MM: Sadly, we cannot claim Freddie for our tribe. He was Parsi, and practiced Zoroastrianism.
Of course, now that Sacha Baron Cohen is going to play him in a biopic, everyone will be sure he was Jewish!
This made my day…love that they chose a Queen song.
The Jewish Taliban now will slink bank into their shools, and bury their noses in their Torahs and Talmuds, and pretend they actually are accomplishing something, while they are supported and protected by their neighbors and wives, and by the sane Jewish community.
They create nothing, but they do have one value. Without religious extremists, who would teach the world intolerance?
I liked the older woman all the way on the right. I don’t know if she was a part of it and it was just a bit confusing, or if she just got caught up in it all and joined in. Either way, she was just brilliant! They all were.
You’re absolutely right, Rodger. The Sikarim are to Judaism as The Westboro Baptist Church is to Christianity.
[...] do you threaten them? A girl, alone? By being able, strong, confident and yes, shameless. You may not “naturally” be interested in domesticity, piety, purity [...]
[...] do you threaten them? A girl, alone? By being able, strong, confident and yes, shameless. You may not “naturally” be interested in domesticity, piety, purity [...]
[...] http://www.harpyness.com/2012/01/09/fighting-religious-fanaticism-with-dance/ [...]
[...] do you threaten them? A girl, alone? By being able, strong, confident and yes, shameless. You may not “naturally” be interested in domesticity, piety, [...]