With the election material giving me a headache and waiting impatiently for it all to be over in just a few more days, I am looking far and wide for "lighter" and more entertaining news items.. I had to rub my eyes when I saw this one..

In Beitar Ilit, some vaad hatzniyut, one comprised of women without even any official stationery or name to their group - just 3 women, have penned a letter and sent it out to local relevant stores. In their letter they demand adherence to certain standards of modesty, with a list detailing their issues:


some of it is fine and seems to be a repetition of rules, or perhaps standards, already in place in many ultra-orthodox communities. The one that had me scratching my head is #2 saying that items, referring to undergarments, sold without packaging must be kept in drawers that do not slide open but have handles that twist open. Why? What difference is there in what type of drawer they are kept?

The part that had me laughing is the demand mixed through a few of the numbers that the undergarments must be traditional, clerks are not allowed to recommend any undergarments to women, especially brides, in colors other than  only white, beige or black, and a demand that a variety of colors and styles not be sold.

I don't know how realistic or serious this is. Do these 3 women have any authority to enforce these rules? And if the stores don't accede to the demands, what will happen - will anyone care? Will these 3 women boycott the local stores and go shopping in Jerusalem or Bnei Braq instead for their undergarments?

Also, some have been saying that there is a ban on colored lingerie in Beitar, and that is not accurate if you read the letter, but it is not all that far off.

Either way, news like this provides a refreshing break from election dirt.



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