Municipality is not 'modesty patrol': Bnei Brak councilman slams sidewalk gender segregation

Yaki Vider, a city council member in Bnei Brak representing the Likud faction, has strongly criticized the municipality's recent decision to enforce gender segregation on sidewalks near wedding halls. Vider argued that municipal leaders should focus on providing essential services like cleaning, infrastructure, and transportation, rather than intervening in public behavior and social customs.

“

Their job is to clean, handle infrastructure and transportation. There are so many problems in this city that they are not dealing with; they are dealing with things they are not supposed to touch.

"There is a municipality in Bnei Brak where dealmakers think they own the public," Vider stated in an interview with 103FM. "Their job is to clean, handle infrastructure and transportation. There are so many problems in this city that they are not dealing with; they are dealing with things they are not supposed to touch."

The controversy centers on the municipality's measure to separate men and women on sidewalks in areas surrounding the city's event halls. Vider suggested alternative solutions for managing congestion on these streets, such as pedestrianizing them during evenings, arguing that the current considerations are "irrelevant."

“

You are not the public’s modesty patrol; your job is to serve and provide an answer for infrastructure, and you are not doing that.

Furthermore, Vider condemned the municipality's refusal to establish a public WhatsApp hotline, calling it hypocritical given that officials themselves use smartphones and travel extensively. He asserted that residents were not consulted on the sidewalk segregation decision and that many pressing issues, such as a rat infestation, go unaddressed due to misplaced priorities. Vider expressed hope that municipal politics in Bnei Brak would shift towards addressing core service needs, noting a slight change in focus during the current mayor's term.

“

The residents were not asked. Many things that can be solved go unaddressed because of irrelevant considerations.