Divine Traffic Control

A new frontier in gender segregation.

The ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, Israel, is moving ahead with plans to introduce gender-segregated sidewalks on two of its busiest streets after local rabbis concluded that one of the greatest threats to public morality is the possibility of a man and a woman passing each other while buying groceries.

According to local media, the city plans to install barriers and signs along Shlomo Hamelech and Ezra streets, directing men and women onto separate sidewalks so they won’t have to endure the traumatic experience of sharing public space.

This isn’t a spontaneous burst of medieval enthusiasm. Municipal officials say the project has been in development for several years and is expected to expand to other busy streets if all goes according to God’s urban-planning department.

Residents of all ages will have to follow the new rules. Because when religion decides to redesign reality, everyone – from toddlers to grandparents – gets to participate.

The municipality made it clear that there isn’t much room for discussion. The rabbis’ instructions, officials explained, are “very clear and speak for themselves.” Since the city’s residents are committed to obeying the great Torah leaders, they are expected to comply.

The controversy has legal history. In 2017, Israel’s Supreme Court ordered another Israeli municipality, Beit Shemesh, to remove similar “modesty” signs instructing men and women to walk on opposite sides of streets in an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood. Apparently, the Court believed sidewalks should function as sidewalks rather than religious obstacle courses.

Unlike Beit Shemesh – which includes ultra-Orthodox, modern Orthodox, and secular communities that have frequently clashed over gender segregation and restrictions on women – Bnei Brak’s roughly 231,000 residents are overwhelmingly ultra-Orthodox, making the city a much friendlier laboratory for experiments in faith-based pedestrian management.

After all, why stop at separate prayer sections when you can upgrade to separate sidewalks? Apparently, simply sharing public space has become too spiritually dangerous.

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