...may the 2Iav -Year be one of
joy, happiness & prosperity
for all mankind
The Battle Over
Immodest Dress.
In recent months there has been con-
troversy in Israel on the subject of
female dress. A large supermarket,
located in a predominantly haredi
neighborhood, barred the entrance of
women dressed "immodestly", this
apparently at the insistence of leaders of
the Jewish community
In a number of instances women
crossing by a corner of Meah Shearim
in Jerusalem were subjected to vilifica-
tion and alleged physical abuse because
of their short skirts of bared arms.
The religious campaign against pub-
lic posters and billboards depicting
women in scanty dress has continued,
with the ripping off or defacement of
such posters.
Vigorous protests have been voiced,
particularly by opponents of "religious
coercion" and by feminist groups, chief
among them the Women's Lobby,
headed by Alice Shalevi. Yet a recent
issue of the official bulletin of the
Lobby carried a dissenting note from
one of the readers.
Identifying herself as not religious,
and as a confirmed feminist since child-
hood, who had deliberately chosen
what had been considered a male pro-
fession (electronic engineering), to
show that women had no less capability
than men, Dr. Chanah Gafni of Haifa
holds to a different line on the subject
of dress. In the first place, she writes,
why all the fuss? Why should women
fight for the right to bare their limbs?
To the contrary, why should the insist
on a covering which in summer pro-
tects them from the baneful influence
of the sun on the skin, and in winter
keeps them warm.
But she goes beyond the physically
practical and makes out a case for mod-
est dress on the other grounds as well.
She writes:
"I know that the sexual urge in men
is greater than in women, and that men
are more easily sexually stimulated than
7
This is a fact of nature which
we must accept, she continues, and
cites modern socio-biological theories
which justify this apparent imbalance.
Women are well aware that the
nature of their dress dictates the
degree of attention which they receive
from men. But, she goes on, "we femi-
nists should strive to be conspicuous
not just because we are women, but as
human beings with their own person-
alities and talents. We want to merit
the appreciation of our fellow human
beings.
"TN
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