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Women Barred From Speaking At Gynecological Conference in Israel Due Pressure From Orthodox Jewish Groups

A conference on “Innovations in Gynecology/Obstetrics and Halacha [Jewish law]” will be held this week to discuss such things as “how to choose a suitable contraceptive pill” but women will be barred as speakers. Bowing to ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders in Israel, the Puah Institute has barred female speakers and ordered that women are to be segregated in female-only areas. With the ongoing protests over the mistreatment of women and girls by Orthodox Jews in some areas, the conference only magnifies the tensions in the country.


Despite objections from various groups and the decision of some doctors to decline to speak, the Puah Institute has remained firm in its discriminatory treatment.

The United Torah Judaism party was given the position of Deputy Health Minister because it cannot formally join the coalition of Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, due to its religious objections to accepting the concept of a Zionist state. Netanyahu is technically the minister to allow the ultra-Orthodox to control the health ministry.

Again, Israel faces these difficulties due to a lack of separation of temple and state, in my view. These religious parties have inflated importance due to the constitutional system where coalitions control governments. The result is not just political instability but investing extreme groups with unwarranted power.

Source: Globe and Mail

71 thoughts on “Women Barred From Speaking At Gynecological Conference in Israel Due Pressure From Orthodox Jewish Groups”

  2. Carol O.,

    Do you find it acceptable for grown men to harass little girls? Is that practicing their religion as they see fit?

    Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jews ‘harass’ 8-year-old girl over dress

  4. Blouise,

    Thanks for bolstering my failing memory. I’m again grateful for her pointing this valuable book out

  5. “How sad that the sincerely religious Orthodox Jews cannot practice as they see fit even in Israel.”

    Carol Osterman,

    You’ve got it wrong. This is about Ultra-Orthodox Jews not allowing other Jews to practice what they believe. It isn’t prohibitive, it is their being intrusive and bullying. Trying reading this:

    http://jonathanturley.org/2011/12/27/orthodox-jews-clashes-with-police-over-segregation-of-women/

    and this:

    http://jonathanturley.org/2011/12/19/israelis-confront-demands-of-orthodox-jews-for-segregation-of-buses-and-public-spaces/

    And then get back to us.

  7. Gene/AMS,

    I am currently reading a fascinating book by the social psychologist Bob Altemeyer, that explains much of the behavior of these personality types. It is available for free in a PDF download and I’m thinking of writing a blog on its conclusions. It’s written in a wonderfully accessible way and makes a lot of sense try it you’ll love it.

    http://members.shaw.ca/jeanaltemeyer/drbob/TheAuthoritarians.pdf

    Now the way I heard about it here was in a comment left “I think” by Anon Nurse. If it was her I am most grateful. If it wasn’t her then I’d like to know who, so I can express my gratitude to them.

  8. This is not a sexism issue. It is very clearly the right to practice Orthodox Judaism. Sincerely religious people are under attack everywhere. How sad that the sincerely religious Orthodox Jews cannot practice as they see fit even in Israel.

  9. AMS,

    Ask yourself what do “Orthodox”, “Fundamentalist” and “Fascism” have in common?

    The answer is top down rule; a preference for abdicating freedom of choice in favor of being told what to think (as opposed to the skill of learning how to think). They are all enablers of those prone to follow by benefit of their reason being weak.

  10. Don’t forget those Orthodox Republicans.

    When did Orthodox become a synonym for whacko?

    Or when did Fundamentalist become a synonym for Orthodox?

    Or for Republican.

    And when did they all become allied in Fascism?

    Much of this seems counter-intuitive to me.

    Now if all the women would just move over to the thread about making greeting cards out of dried leaves and peanut butter we men will ………..

  13. “They have something in common with orthodox Muslims it would seem.”

    Dredd/OS,

    They have everything in common with wacky fundamentalists everywhere. I think from my reading of Jewish media that they have wildly overplayed their hand. Most Israeli’s are secular in outlook, though they respect the religion to the extent that they go to Synagogue on holidays and respect the Kosher laws. The Ultra-Orthodox parties have used their minority status well in maintaining power via coalition. Their actions lately have been outrageous to even many Orthodox Netanyahu supporters, since it calls into question their own faith. Bibi will either have to denounce this nonsense, or watch his government coalition disappear.

  14. As I understand it, Israel has what some consider very strong laws against sexual discrimination. Is this institute immune from these laws for some reason?

    It seems the only way to stop this nonsense will be to make it prohibitively costly for organizations like this to bow to ravening bigots.

  16. Middle-East, Middle-Beast,
    Tweddle Dee, Tweddle Dum,
    Dont Know Nuttin, Bout Birthin Babies,
    Netuanyahoo, Is a Yahoo,
    Learn It All, Only When Ya Fall.
    Gynecology, And Mythology.
    Got Knocked Up, Blame King Tut
    Got Religion, No Decisions.

    So says the Cult of the 5thGrade
    Wednesday before class.
    Tune In At Noon, For More Gloom
    Beat By Momma, Beat By Pa
    Moved My Butt, To Arkansas

    Whoops the bell rang….

  18. And to think that when we split from the United Kingdom….the Anglican (Christian-Non Catholic) Church was the prevailing one…So we started the Episcopal.one….so we would not have a State (Country) stated religion….fast forward about 200 years….Or do we?

    The topic of this thread is about as bat-shit crazy as all of the GOP candidates currently running for office…..

  19. It is amazing how sexual repression makes people nutty. The more repression, the more obsessed males seem to be with the forbidden fruit.

    I never understood why a guy had to wait until he is dead to get some nookie. The 70 virgins and all that.

  20. Thank Yahweh, what would a mere woman know about gynecology? Best leave this stuff to the men sweetie.

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