Kikar Hashabbat, a haredi news site, reported the following story. Below is my translation, with a few notes. It started about 8 months ago, when a 19-year-old haredi woman disappeared from her parents' home. Two days later the parents located her by phone. The daughter explained that she was … [Read more...]
Hyper-Modest Abusive Mother of 12 Released
June 15, 2012 by
Bruria Keren, the mother of 12 who encouraged followers to cut the heels off their shoes, cover themselves from head to toe and refrain from speaking for set periods of time (taanit dibur), will be released from jail on Sunday. She served a four-year sentence for abusing her children, including one … [Read more...]
More Details Emerge about Veiled Women’s Cult
November 27, 2011 by
Tamar Rotem discussed the recent opposition to the cult of the veiled women in the Haaretz Friday weekly Hashavua. Even Haaretz calls them "Taliban women" only in quotes. She reviews the incidents of the last few weeks leading to a condemnation of the cult by the Edah Haredit: A 16-year-old … [Read more...]
Yediot Gives Platform to Shal-Wearers
November 15, 2011 by
Today's Yediot Aharonit "24 Hours" magazine has an "exclusive" letter from a 42-year-old cult member. The anonymous author sent it to a neighbor, whose husband delivered it to Yediot with the author's knowledge. The letter may be original and unpublished, but plenty of similar material is widely … [Read more...]
Court to Rule on "Taliban" (Hyper-Modest) Sect
October 5, 2011 by
Haaretz reports this morning about a court case involving two young veiled girls from Beit Shemesh. The article contains many details about the group they belong to, which is known internally as "Lev Tahor" (pure heart). Maybe the press will finally stop calling them Taliban women. The two girls … [Read more...]
Veiled Women Called Apikorsim, Told to Wash Dishes
September 25, 2011 by
Rafi recently posted about a pashkevil (wall poster-reproduced and translated below) against the sect, or cult, of veiled women. The pashkevil is signed by the "War Council against the Cult of Cruel Women." Ynet published the picture above, taken in Jerusalem, of young girls in capes and … [Read more...]
Interview with “Mother Taliban”
February 17, 2011 by
Channel 2's "360" program broadcast Yifat Erlich's prison interview with Bruria Keren. For some reason she called her Rabbanit M.—I don't know where the M comes from. Her husband isn't a rabbi, but it is common for female teachers to be known as Rabbanit. Of course the title adds to the … [Read more...]
Video: Undercover Reporter Infiltrates “Taliban Women”
February 2, 2011 by
Channel Two's investigative program, 360, broadcast a report about what they called the —œTaliban women.— Yifat Erlich (of Megeirot fame—she's graduated from Makor Rishon newspaper to TV) went undercover to infiltrate the group and interview their leader, Malka Benizri. The report claims that … [Read more...]
A View from Sweden: Covering as a Health Risk for Girls and Women
February 1, 2011 by
This comment came to me from Maria Gellert, a Swedish reader, in response to The Problem with Putting Veils on Little Girls. I also found this article from Scientific American outlining the issues surrounding autism and Vitamin D (link no longer active). If the theory that lack of Vitamin is … [Read more...]
The Problem with Putting Veils on Little Girls
January 24, 2011 by
The pictures of the family from Beit Shemesh wearing veils has disturbed me for several weeks. We can debate about whether this is in the spirit of the Torah. Or whether it threatens Orthodox Judaism, Israel, or women everywhere. But the most pressing issue involves the young girls in these … [Read more...]
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