The Terror from Within

Charedim protest in  Mea She'arim ( 201o - Ha'aretz)

A Radical haredi group in Beit Shemesh is now attempting to take the censorship one step further, demanding that editors of local newspapers and advertising pamphlets follow a particularly strict set of rules, which bans ads for women's driving courses, ads mentioning shopping malls, restaurants and even men's perfume. 

The Committee for the Purity of the Camp issued a document titled "Specific instructions for advertisers," which seeks to impose strict restrictions on Beit Shemesh's haredi newspapers and states that the editors' discretion must be subject to the decisions of an "inspector" on behalf of the "chastity squad." 

The document clarifies that all ads must be submitted to the inspector and must not be published without his specific approval… 

The set of rules states that newspapers must not feature pictures or silhouettes of young girls, men demonstrating different products, women's wigs and treatment beds. Pictures of small children, makeup and cosmetics, as well as women's clothes and shoes, will only be published "in a gentle, clearly haredi manner." 

In addition, a leaflet must not feature a double bed, unless it is separated in two by a piece of furniture, and "personal clothing" and cosmetics must not take up more than one-quarter of the page… 

Beit Shemesh's newspapers must not publish ads for martial arts courses, driving courses for women and yeshiva students, acting and singings schools, etc. Couples counseling will only be included in the leaflet "with the approval of the city's rabbis." 

Sing-along events, cantillation and Hasidic singing are also off limits, especially when they include women. Singers and lecturers performing in "mixed events" and "entertainers and other non-educational things" must not be advertised at all, and that also includes performances by female singers and dancers of course. Lecturers must be approved by the city's rabbis.