Bnei Brak, an Israeli city of around 200,000 people and a center of ultra-Orthodox Judaism, has become the focus of a heated debate regarding gender segregation in public spaces. Local reports indicate that the municipality has begun widening sidewalks, erecting barriers, and installing signs aimed at physically separating male and female pedestrians on some streets east of Tel Aviv. This initiative would make Bnei Brak the first city in Israel to implement gender-segregated streets.

Currently, the streets, such as Shlomo HaMelech street, appear ordinary with pedestrians including mostly men dressed in traditional Orthodox attire and a few women. However, the proposed segregation has sparked fears among less conservative Israelis that it could set a precedent empowering Orthodox hardliners, especially with national elections scheduled for October 27, 2026.

This is not the first instance of such controversy. In 2017, a court ordered the city of Beit Shemesh to remove "decency signs" that prescribed female dress codes and instructed women to avoid certain sidewalks near religious schools frequented by conservative men.

Additionally, local universities have protested related legislation, arguing that it could undermine academic standards in fields such as medicine and health and restrict women's access to specialized professions.

The Knesset has been dissolved to allow for new elections later this year, adding political urgency to the ongoing debates.

Sources