Bnei Brak Rabbis Demand Gender Separation on Sidewalks Near Event Halls

In Bnei Brak, three leading rabbis, Chaim Yitzchak Isaac Landa, Shevach Tzvi Rosenblat, and Masoud Ben Shimon, have issued an unprecedented directive requiring strict gender separation not only inside event halls but also on the sidewalks leading to them. This initiative, aimed at enforcing gender segregation in public spaces, is being implemented through a new supervision organization called "Shmira Kehilcha," which operates in full cooperation with the Bnei Brak municipality and Mayor Chanoch Zeibert. Over the past year, the city has undertaken significant infrastructural changes around celebration venues, including widening sidewalks to physically accommodate separate walking paths and reduce crowding.

The first phase of enforcement focuses on the city's largest event hall, Heichalei Malchut. Outside the venue, the supervision group has installed prominent signage directing guests to separate entrances and walking routes for men and women, ensuring segregation begins before entering the building. The rabbis' letter, published by Kol Chai, calls on parents, educators, and community leaders to rigorously uphold these guidelines and to instruct youth accordingly, emphasizing the importance of strict adherence to the new norms.