Every evening during Chol Hamoed Sukkos, thousands flock to the Meah Shearim to participate in the famous simchas beis hashoeva of Toldos Aharon, which takes place in the beis medrash located on the outskirts of the neighborhood.

In the wake of the many thousands who wish to participate in the great event, and in light of the crowdedness known in the old neighborhood, the chassidus creates two routes, one for men and the other for women.

Over the years the order has been kept in place as the number of persons attending increased, adding various restrictions to increase separation and maintain modesty, by deploying fabrics to cover the roads and hiring security guards to keep order.

In recent years, however, women’s organizations and persons committed to religious persecution have campaigned against the separation in the neighborhood and led to the intervention of legal bodies, but the chassidus continues to maintain the boundaries of tznius and separation between men and women.

On Tuesday night, a real drama took place on the streets leading to the Toldos Aharon Beis Medrash when police detectives arrested two security guards who maintained order, claiming they separated men and women, ostensibly against the law as per a High Court of Justice ruling banning the gender separation.

Attorney Itamar Ben-Givir was hired quickly to represent the two security guards.

Sources in Toldos Aharon are quoted telling Kikar Shabbos News that they view this as a personal persecution against the chassidus. “They do it just because it is us”, they explain, noting that if the persecution continues, they will protest and demonstrate against the detention of the security guards.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)