An online view of Shlomo HaMelech Street in Bnei Brak, an Israeli city of around 200,000 people known as a center of ultra-Orthodox Judaism, isn't all that spectacular.

So far, it's not possible to see any sign of the dispute that has erupted over the narrow asphalt road lined with residential buildings. A few pedestrians are visible on the sidewalks: mostly men in the frock coats and black hats typical of Orthodox Jews, and a few women.

But a major debate has erupted over those pedestrians' freedom of movement.

According to local reports, the Bnei Brak municipality had already started widening sidewalks, erecting barriers and putting up signs that are intended to physically separate male and female pedestrians from one another in the city just east of Tel Aviv. It would have made Bnei Brak the first city in Israel with gender-segregated streets.

But the work was apparently halted after fierce criticism. Signs that had already been installed were removed.

Conservative religious lobby gains influence

Less conservative Israelis fear Bnei Brak could set a precedent that will further strengthen Orthodox hard-liners in society, especially just before the upcoming election. A parallel bill being debated in Israel's parliament, the Knesset, has also called into question gender equality even though this is supposedly guaranteed by Israeli Supreme Court decisions.

Gender segregation is not unusual in Judaism. Orthodox synagogues have separate areas for men and women and conservative practitioners won't touch members of the opposite sex, even in greeting. At holiday ceremonies and weddings, Orthodox Jewish men and women typically sit in separate areas.

The proposed gender segregation on Bnei Brak's streets originates from the latter issue. That neighborhood is home to banquet halls usually booked for weddings, and local rabbis want guests to be able to arrive already separated by gender. The problem is that Israeli taxpayer money would be used to impose the segregation in public — and therefore supposedly neutral — spaces.

Reports in Israeli media say the city administrators have since backtracked. They say they will rearrange the streets temporarily when large events are planned.

Israeli demographics have been shifting in favor of the more conservative Jewish groups in the country for some time, with Orthodox Jewish families having a higher birth rate than non-Orthodox families. This is increased political pressure: While Israel guarantees equality for citizens regardless of sex, the country's founders also promised to observe certain important religious rules prioritized by more conservative Jewish communities.

Previous attempts to impose gender segregation have been struck down by the country's Supreme Court. A 2011 ruling said there could be no mandatory segregation on public buses, even those serving predominantly conservative neighborhoods, and that there must be no pressure on women to sit at the back of the bus.

In 2017, the court ordered the city of Beit Shemesh to remove so-called "decency signs" that prescribed female dress codes and told women to avoid certain sidewalks around religious schools frequented by conservative men. But the city was slow to remove the signs, and religious extremists repeatedly put new signs up.

Opponents of gender segregation in Bnei Brak are hoping the Supreme Court will also rule on this case, and have filed an urgent appeal.

Knesset approves controversial laws ahead of October election

Gender equality is also under attack in a second arena.

On Thursday, the Knesset approved a law that essentially permits universities and colleges to offer segregated master's and doctoral degree programs. This permission previously existed for a number of bachelor's courses and was meant to help integrate more Orthodox students into tertiary education, as well as offer opportunities to conservative women who might otherwise not have continued their education. The same argument is being made about the law that expands permission for segregated courses to higher degrees.

The new rule is meant to apply on a voluntary basis, and isn't supposed to facilitate segregation outside classrooms.

Local universities protested the law ahead of the vote because, they argued, it could undermine academic standards in the fields like medicine and health and actually make it more difficult for women to access highly specialized professions.

 

The vote on segregating university courses was one of the last in the current session of the Israeli parliament. The Knesset has been dissolved in order to pave the way for the general election on October 27.

Some of the other votes were equally controversial. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling right-wing, religious-nationalist coalition also decided to limit the prosecutor general's powers over government, passed a law that critics say will give the government greater influence over media. Representatives also voted through a law that makes study of the Torah — one of the Jewish religion's holiest books — a "foundational value" of the country's constitution. It was seen as being pushed through by conservatives in order to prevent Orthodox men from having to do military service.

The latter debate has been a particularly divisive one for Israeli society for years. All indicators suggest that, in the upcoming election, such fundamental debates about the nature of Israeli society will have a significant impact.

This article was originally written in German.