The Quarrel about the No. 15 Bus

B"H

The local non - haredi Jerusalem population doesn't seem to know about the latest haredi demonstrations taking place. In Jerusalem we are used to all kinds of demonstrations and nothing really surprises us too much any more.

About two weeks ago, I saw a tiny article in an Israeli daily but didn't think that the message would be so important. I simply forgot about it after a few seconds, and it only came back into my mind when I heard about a haredi demonstration.

The haredi population wants to force the state - owned bus company EGGED to turn the local bus no. 15 into a so - called "kosher" bus. Men and women should have separate seating just as bus no. 1 in Bnei Brak, no. 402 from Jerusalem to Bnei Brak or other "modest" buses in Brooklyn / NY. Especially haredi men don't want to be bothered by immodest women wearing sleeveless shirts or let alone mini skirts.

So far, the no. 15 bus is for everybody and each of us can sit wherever we want. The haredim claim that particularly this bus is only passing through haredi areas and, therefore, the rest of the population wouldn't feel a difference anyway, as the bus is mostly used by haredim themselves.

The bus passes the neighbourhoods: Jaffa Road, Strauss Street, Ge'ulah, Binyanei HaUmah, Givat Shaul, Kanfei Nesharim Street and the final stop is Har Nof.

However, the haredim just forgot one important point which is that especially Kanfei Nesharim Street is full of government offices and many ordinary people use the bus daily to go to work. I myself use the bus quite frequently and I can say that there are many non - religious passengers as well.

Now, the bus company EGGED is facing new demonstrations and it won't be easy to make a decision. First of all, the haredim are still good customers and EGGED cannot afford loosing or boycotting the bus company. On the other hand, the haredim cannot start ruling over the local buses. If the no. 15 bus is becoming a modest bus with a Mechitza, the local population won't be too pleased. Not even the national religious.

Although religious and non - religious Jerusalemites live together on good terms, sometimes the situation can be tense. The best example is Satmar where one of the two Rebbes, Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum, just layed the foundation stone to the new Kirat Yoel near Jaffa Road. Once the Satmarer chassidim are going to move into the 10 - floor - building complex, they will face a surprise.
Only approx. 100 Meters far away is a gay disco and especially on Erev Shabbat, there are wild parties taking place in that disco. I assume that Satmar won't be too pleased about it.

Despite all kinds of demonstrations, Jerusalem belongs to all the inhabitants and, so far, we always managed to get along. Of course, the non - religious population sees a threat in the spreading of the haredim. Neighbourhoods which years ago used to belong to the non - religious are now taken over by the haredim. The best examples are Kiryat Mattersdorf and Maalot Dafna. The two neighbourhoods Givat Mordechai and Ramat Eshkol are on their way of becoming more and more haredi.

If the no. 15 bus is really becoming modest, it might increase tensions. Personally, I am against such buses. You don't have to agree with me but I am dressed modestly (more or less) and if any religious men cannot overcome his Yetzer HaRah, it is not my problem. Why should I sit in the back of a bus when someone has dirty thoughts ? A psychologist should be of more use for him than a modest bus.

Nevertheless, I have to admit that there are certain advantages of having modest buses. Actually on the same bus I have seen a young haredi guy approaching a married haredi woman and standing so close to her that she complained. She told him to keep distance and everyone on the bus heard it. However, the guy didn’t think about keeping distance and the woman had to complain twice.

The issue definitely has its pro and cons but in general, I don't consider it as a good idea to introduce separate seating on buses. Jerusalem is for everybody and who doesn’t agree can take a taxi or simply walk.