The pilot for gender-segregated bathing during the summer months will begin operating next week at some of the springs of the Nature and Parks Authority. The pilot will operate beyond normal operating hours in order not to harm the general public – an initiative led by Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman, as revealed in Israel Hayom.
The pilot, which Minister Silman committed to several months ago, will take place on a specific basis in August, at the sites of the Ein Haniya and Enot Tsukim Nature Reserves Authority.
The initiative was initiated by Idit Silman,
Ein Haniya is a site located in the Judean Hills, combining a spring and an ancient pond, an archaeological site and a cultural landscape of traditional agriculture. Enot Tsukim (Ein Feshcha) is an oasis in a nature reserve located in the northern part of the Dead Sea. It stretches for about 7km.
As mentioned, the two selected natural sites operate during the summer from 8am to 00pm. Gender-segregated bathing will take place only some days of the week, and only beyond the normal operating hours of these springs - in order that the activity will not come at the expense of the bathing hours of the general public, who wish to bathe freely and without separation.
According to the agreement with the Nature and Parks Authority, Ein Haniya will operate in a separate bathing format during August, on Sundays and Wednesdays and between 17:00 and 20:00. It was also decided that on Thursdays the site would operate beyond operating hours, between 17:00 and 19:30, for the entire population – without separation.
Ein Hania, Photo: Oren Nachshon
In addition, in coordination with the Civil Administration, there will be a separate morning bath at Enot Tsukim on Wednesdays and Thursdays between 06:30 and 08:00. Since this is a nature reserve, the hours of operation have been extended to the morning hours so as not to harm the animals that come to the spring in the evenings.
The previous pilot was disqualified
In 2020, there was a pilot for separate bathing that was implemented within Enot Tsukim's operating hours, but it was rejected by the Ministry of Justice on the basis of an opinion by former Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber, who opposes gender segregation on the grounds that it violates equality. At the time, she said that the Nature and Parks Authority did not have the authority to provide the public with a segregated service.
The previous minister, Tamar Zandberg, also opposed promoting a pilot project for separate bathing in the springs of the Nature and Parks Authority. This time, the Attorney General has not yet issued a legal opinion prohibiting the pilot, and it should be noted that this time the separation hours are beyond normal operating hours.
Idit Silman spoke at the Haaretz climate conference - and was silenced by the audience (Archive) \ Shahar Weinberg
Silman welcomed the pilot and told Israel Hayom: "We committed and we are executing. Alongside maintaining the status quo and operating hours for the general public today, we see importance in connecting natural sites to other communities that have been prevented from reaching them due to their lifestyle, and all this, as stated, without harming the general population. I expect that even the greatest pluralists will welcome the attempt to enable every woman and man to enjoy natural resources in accordance with their faith and religion. It's enjoyed and it's not lacking."
Dr. Yofi Tirosh, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University, does not like Silman's decision, claiming that it is illegal: "The Nature and Parks Authority is acting without authority and in violation of the law. Under the guise of beautiful words like 'consideration' and 'reasonableness', she lends her hand to the government's plan to establish gender apartheid in Israel. The separation in nature reserves is presented as consideration for the ultra-Orthodox public, but it will harm not only Israeli society as a whole, but specifically ultra-Orthodox vacationers, who will no longer be able to spend time with their families as they have done all these years."
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