ISRAEL: Writing on the wall

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Modesty is at times an issue in Israel ,too. Its self-appointed enforcers are perhaps less institutionalized than in some of its neighbors. Shopping malls are safe. But ad-hoc patrols have been known to scold, intimidate and even assault women failing to conform to strict modesty standards — mostly in ultra-Orthodox circles.

In January 2007, a rally attended by rabbis in Jerusalem ended with the burning of ‘impure’ clothing. ‘We will get rid of the tight clothes,’ read a sign held by one protester. Among the abominations was, of course, lycra. Actually, I know several liberal dressers who’d agree.

‘Your modesty [is] for your own good,’ reads the graffiti. Whether merely a brotherly piece of advice or missing an ‘or else,’ this slogan appeared on several walls in the town of Beit Shemesh this week.

— Batsheva Sobelman in Jerusalem