The Bnei Brak Municipality is advancing a controversial plan to introduce full physical gender separation on public sidewalks along the city's Ezra Street and Shlomo Hamelech Street.
According to Channel 13 reporter Yoeli Brim, the municipality is implementing a formal directive issued by the city's rabbis, calling on residents "young and old alike" to observe stricter adherence to walking on separate paths for men and women.
The need for gender separation, according to the report, stems from the fact that these streets are heavily crowded every evening due to the large concentration of wedding halls and event venues in the area.
Under the plan, the municipality will make physical changes to the public space. Among the planned changes are directional signage and creating barriers between the sidewalks to ensure that men and women do not walk together along the same route.
Sources in the municipality said the initiative was formulated several years ago, and stressed that it is not intended as a location-specific measure. According to them, the goal is to expand the model to other busy streets in the city, similar to arrangements found in other insular haredi communities..
The move appears to directly conflict with previous rulings by Israel's Supreme Court; it also contradicts the Torah commandment, "Everything I command you that you shall be careful to do it. You shall neither add to it, nor subtract from it (Deuteronomy 13:1)."
In a previous similar case, following a widely publicized dispute in Beit Shemesh that sparked confrontations with extremist haredi groups, the Supreme Court issued a blanket prohibition against the placement of public signs instructing gender segregation in streets and neighborhoods.
However, unlike previous cases driven by fringe elements, the current initiative in Bnei Brak reportedly enjoys the full backing of the city's mainstream haredi community, and is driven by its leadership and political establishment.
Responding to Channel 13, Bnei Brak municipal officials said: "The letter from the city's rabbis is very clear and speaks for itself. The city's residents, who are committed to obeying the Torah sages and listen to them, will comply with their request."