Back of the Bus

There are a couple of important points worth adding to the story of Tanya Rosenblit, the Israeli woman who refused demands from ultra-Orthodox male passengers to move to the back of the bus. The first is that having a legal apparatus to protect civil rights is important, but it won’t mean much if authorities look the other way or convince themselves that some systematic violations of human rights are reasonable, or if powerful groups are willing to defy the law. And second, it’s important to remember that will this is a particularly stark example of gender discrimination patriarchal exclusion is hardly isolated or confined to the ultra-Orthodox communities.

…and, as djw points out, this issue is definitely not confined to Israel.