An ultra-orthodox rabbi from the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Nahloat has banned girls as young as five from riding bikes, believing the popular activity can 'cause serious damage to their modesty.'

The ruling, distributed to synagogues around Nahloat, states: 'We inform parents that they are obligated to forbid their daughters from age five and up from acting in this illegitimate way.'

The rabbi added that bicycle seats caused young girls to sit in a way men found 'provocative', according to the Arutz Sheva 7 website.

Firm believers: Ultra-Orthodox Jews attend a mass anti-draft rally in Jerusalem

HAREDI JEWS: WHAT MAKES THEM UNIQUE? Haredi Jews are exempt from military service and state subsidies They are the most conservative of all strands of Judaism Men wear black suits, white shirts and hats - such as 1940s-style fedoras and large traditional Slavic fur hats - and usually have beards and sidelocks. Women dress modestly in long skirts, long sleeves, high necklines and thick stockings. Married women cover their hair with wigs, scarves or hats Advertisement

In December, ultra-orthodox rabbis requested women in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak refrain from studying at university, according to the Yeshida World News website.

They claimed institutions of higher education which teach secular subjects presented a real danger to girls and women.

Those primarily affected by these decisions are members of the ultra-orthodox Haredi branch of Judaism.

Haredi leaders have also attempted to ban the internet from their communities and have criticised smartphones for being 'non-kosher.'

Despite this, studies suggest that this attempted clampdown has had little effect, with ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel continuing to use the internet just as much as anyone else.

An Israeli Jew prays at the Wailing Wall. Israel is made up of different branches of Judaism

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