Court Orders Agudat Yisrael to Begin Integrating Women
Translated & summarized from NEWSru Israel by baba
The Tel Aviv District Court has ordered the "Agudat Yisrael" party to create a membership registry within a year, marking a step towards integrating women into its electoral lists. This follows a 2018 High Court directive to amend bylaws, which the party ignored. A group of women were denied membership in 2021 due to the lack of a registry, leading to the current court order.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- The Tel Aviv District Court ordered "Agudat Yisrael" to create a membership registry within one year.
- This registry is a prerequisite for integrating women into the party's electoral lists.
- The court's ruling addresses the party's failure to amend its bylaws as previously ordered in 2018.
- A group of women were denied membership in 2021 due to the absence of a current membership census.
- The court found this intervention in internal party matters to be permissible.
The Tel Aviv District Court has ordered the "Agudat Yisrael" party to establish a membership registry within one year, a process that has not occurred in 50 years. This ruling, issued by Deputy President Rachel Barkai, is seen as the first step toward allowing women to be included in the party's electoral lists, a change that has not happened since the party's inception.
In 2018, the High Court of Justice (BAGATS) had already directed "Agudat Yisrael" to amend its bylaws to enable women to run for office. However, the bylaws remain unchanged. The current legal action stems from a 2021 request by a group of women seeking party membership, which was denied due to the absence of a current membership census.
Following the denial, the women appealed to the court, which initially referred them to the party's internal tribunal. This tribunal rejected their membership request but also ordered the party to amend its bylaws, an order that was also ignored. The matter then returned to the civil court.
Judge Barkai stated that this case represents a rare instance where judicial intervention in internal party matters is permissible. She emphasized in her ruling that "Agudat Yisrael's" bylaws mandate a membership census, and the party cannot evade this obligation.