Reformists against the Beit Shemesh municipality and the modesty signs: The Reform Center filed a lawsuit with the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court, on behalf of four women from the National Religious sector, to remove what they call "modesty signs" hanging in the ultra-Orthodox areas of Beit Shemesh.
In the lawsuit, the petitioners demanded an immediate order to remove the signs, as well as financial compensation in the amount of 100,000 NIS, as compensation for the emotional distress caused to the petitioners due to the signs.
In a hearing held a few months ago, in which the municipality was represented by Attorney Matti Berkowitz from the Legal Department of the Beit Shemesh Municipality, Berkowitz asked the court for an extension of time, in order to try and continue working on negotiations to remove the signs.
Judge David Gideoni, before whom the case was heard, granted the request and granted the municipality an extension of time.
Another hearing was held in court yesterday, during which the four women on whose behalf the petition was filed testified. The municipality was represented by CEO Matti Hota and municipal spokesman Matti Rosenzweig.
Hota reviewed the activities undertaken by the municipality to remove the signs, and said that in the past the signs had been removed several times, but were hung up again, with each such removal activity sparking riots and increasing tension between the populations in the city.
Hota added that the municipal supervision is unable to deal with such an operation, which he defined as a "military operation," and that the municipality has turned to the police so that they can use their tools to enforce the law in the city.
Rosenzweig spoke about the activities of Mayor Moshe Aboutubol, who invested hundreds of hours in talks with all parties involved in the issue, in order to resolve the problem through dialogue and to reduce the flames. Rosenzweig also spoke about the activities of the city's Round Table, a project that brings together representatives from all populations, and works to resolve the problems quietly and peacefully.
Judge Gideoni did not give his decision on the matter, but approached the petitioners with a proposal to withdraw their demand for compensation, which was met with a refusal by the petitioners.
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
