Corridors of Power: No woman no cry

No fewer than three consecutive cultural evenings were scheduled for this past Hol Hamoed at the Sultan’s Pool, for residents and visitors to celebrate. Three nights of music and song – with not even one woman performer on the stage.

The event was produced and financed by the Ariel Municipal Company, which means this was not a typical private production and that there is less possibility to express any criticism.

But this was not the only case linked to the wiping out of women from the public space, still happening here, that took place recently.

Another large public event in which no women perform or are allowed to appear is the annual gathering of the El Hama’ayan association, an educational movement connected to Shas, which took place on Wednesday of last week. In both cases, popular singers and musicians was welcomed by large audiences – and not one of them at any moment expressed the thought that maybe we’ve all reached the point where excluding women from the public space is no longer acceptable.

But what could be, perhaps, understood (albeit still unacceptable) coming from the El Hama’ayan event – being a haredi stream that does not allow women on any stage anyway – is totally unacceptable coming from Ariel, a subsidiary company of the municipality financed by public moneys. Moreover, the president of Ariel’s board is none other than Mayor Nir Barkat, that same mayor who has thus far proven in his actions and nominations that promoting women to responsible positions is part of his vision.

Never has this municipality had so many women in high-ranking official positions, and yet no one came from the mayor’s office to remind Ariel’s director that three woman-less musical events for the public at large in a space that belongs to the city is an insult to Jerusalem’s residents – men and women alike – and therefore should be reconsidered immediately.

As for the El Hama’ayan event, it has raised the ire of attorney Yossi Havilio, former municipality legal adviser as well as a former supporter of Barkat (and today not only a fierce opponent but also an eventual candidate in the next election). Not because it excludes women, but because it is an event that in the framework of haredi cultural events administered by the municipality has obtained NIS 650,000 in funding.

This is surprising, to say the least, since it is not news that in haredi society women are not allowed to appear, much less perform in front of a mixed audience. Whether we like it or not, this is their standard way of operating, and since the event was, right from the beginning, aimed at a strictly haredi audience, there is not much to say – except perhaps wishing that the sector reconsider this.

What brought Havilio to launch a small, local campaign against it was the funding: NIS 650,000 in taxpayer shekels for one event sounds like a lot of money; yet when we see the whole picture, it may look slightly different.

According to a municipality spokesman, the general culture administration budget stands around NIS 46 million; it of course includes support for large cultural institutions, as well as scheduled events throughout the year. The budget for culture for the haredi sector (part of the general culture administration budget) is about NIS 8.8m. – which places the referenced Succot event in a very different light.

Havilio says that given that El Hama’ayan is closely linked to Shas, supporting its event with public moneys would in fact mean supporting a political movement with taxpayer funds, which is illegal. This is certainly the case, but since we are not in an election period, it is a consideration that should not be given too much gravity.

The connection between the El Hama’yan educational stream and Shas cannot be denied. But being a member of Shas is also a way of life for thousands of this city’s residents.

Should we really punish them for that, and prevent them from benefiting from relatively small amounts of public funding?

Corridors of Power: No woman no cry

Three woman-less musical events for the public at large in a space that belongs to the city is an insult to Jerusalem’s residents – men and women alike.