Haredi radio station charged with 1 million NIS for gender discrimination
This is the first class action lawsuit on civil rights and gender segregation in Israel.
By TAMAR URIEL-BEERIHaredi men gather in Jerusalem for the funeral of Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach (photo credit: EHUD AMITON/TPS)
Kol Barama, a haredi (ultra-Orthodox) radio station, will pay women for excluding them from the air due to a final ruling by the Jerusalem District Court.This is the first class action lawsuit on civil rights and gender segregation in Israel.The ruling stated that this case "made use of the establishment of the class action as a tool for advancing equality and preventing gender discrimination" for the first time.Kol Barama broadcasted for two years without a single woman's voice. In 2012, the Israeli Religious Action Center (IRAC) and Asaf Pink filed a class action lawsuit against the station on behalf of Kolech, the Religious Women's Forum, for exclusion of women.The station will pay 1 million NIS in damages, not including legal fees, which will be transferred to a class action fund that intends to distribute the money to programs that empower religious women."This ruling is an important cornerstone in the battle against discrimination and the exclusion of women," said Anat Hoffman, IRAC Executive Director. "Those who discriminate must pay the price. With the start of the Jewish New Year, we will continue to work for social equality, tolerance and justice against discrimination and exclusion.”
