You will notice a slight difference between the famous photos from the situation room of the White House during the Osama Bin Laden operation: Hillary Clinton has been removed from one of the shots. The altered picture ran in the Ultra-Orthodox daily Der Tzitung, which does not allow pictures of women to appease Orthodox sensitivities. Once again, the striking similarities with Islamic extremists is inescapable.
Pictures of women are reportedly viewed as sexually suggestive. It appears that even Hillary Clinton in a pants suit is just too much for the readers of the Orthodox daily. It is a position reminiscent of our earlier story how Hasidic leaders prevailed on the New York City authorities to get rid of bicycle lanes to avoid having to see women on bicycles.
Last week we saw the conviction of a leading Orthodox Rabbi who appeared unable to sit next to a woman on an international flight for more than 90 minutes without committing assault.
The Jewish Week blog notes that the original photo was released with the following disclaimer:
“This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.”
It is obviously not only an offensive treatment of women but a fundamental violation of journalistic principles — neither concern is likely, however, to move the writers of this Orthodox daily.
Jonathan Turley
Gyges,
only if their minister hasn’t had them surgically removed.
And here I thought being sexually overstimulated and losing control of myself was all part of the fun of being alive in the first place.
Bunch of killjoys and buzz killers.
Elaine et al,
Wait, women have knees?
Those are the rules they choose to live by.
Swarthmore mom,
“Hasidic men don’t show their knees either.”
That’s their choice. Women aren’t demanding that they not expose their knees in public.
Elaine,
Amen sister Elaine! Truer words have not been spoken.
rafflaw,
Didn’t you know that it’s always a woman’s fault when a man acts like a sexist pig–after all a woman is a female and of the opposite gender. Men shouldn’t have to look at pictures of women or see us in public places or sit next to us on planes and trains and buses lest they become oversimulated sexually and lose control of themselves.
Swarthmore,
Now that I can understand, because the knee is so erotic!?????
Hasidic men don’t show their knees either.
Elaine,
Be careful, now. Do not mention naked knees in any written document because the Orthodoxians will have a stroke. The Religious crazies are not only obsessed with women, they treat women as chattel and that is another reason whey we must maintain the separation of church and state. Without it, the war on women will widen even more.
Speaking for myself–I find that pictures of Hasidic men are definitely not sexually suggestive. Quite the opposite!
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Frank,
“The history of religiously dominated governments across the world have some clear tendencies.”
I think one will find a great many religions to be sexist. Of course, some religions are way more sexist than others.
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Swarthmore mom,
Maybe they can’t be compared to the Taliban–but I’d say their view of women is definitely warped. I’d add that there is likely something wrong with men who lose control of their sexual inhibitions when they see pictures of sixty-something women like Hillary Clinton in the newspaper or women riding bikes with their knees exposed.
Interesting. In the many blogs that discuss this photo-doctoring, no one mentions the other woman whose image was deleted…just saying.
Last week we saw the conviction of a leading Orthodox Rabbi who appeared unable to sit next to a woman on an international flight for more than 90 minutes without committing assault.
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Its cooties…..you cannot let them take hold!
Would they have more respect for a mad wearing a cod piece and a kilt…….some things reasoning escapes me…
frank, I don’t think you can compare them to the taliban.
Not as long as they are not the majority of the population or control the levers of power. But given the ability these types of people all pretty much come to the same conclusion. The history of religiously dominated governments across the world have some clear tendencies.
Frank, I don’t think that will happen in Israel, Canada or the US where the majority of the ultra orthodox reside.
yet
One major difference is that the ultra orthodox are not into stoning and caning women.
How impolite of you to note that the religiously insane are all insane in the same way no matter which invisible sky wizard they bow to.