When we sat down in the front we were instantly approached by a young man who refused to look at me and my female companion but told us very forcefully that we immediately had to move to the back of the bus. We told him calmly that what we were doing was entirely legal but he refused to hear and told us that we were shayetz, abominations. Luckily we had a male companion who had joined us who told him to quiet down.
… After trying to rip down the sticker on the bus stating it’s legal for anyone to sit where they want to, the man came back towards us and with rage told our male companion that it was ridiculous for him to defend two shiksas.
This is the latest dispatch from one of Israel’s freedom riders, women who sit in the front of public buses in that country.
The response from the ultra-orthodox man in this scene is typical. Eventually one of these women will be injured, or killed.
UD proposes that Israel turn this problem over to its medical establishment. The law works slowly. Sometimes it doesn’t seem to work at all. Sedation would be an effective, short-term, safety measure. These men are a danger to themselves as well as others.