Ahram Online reported that a chief Jewish rabbi issued an order banning Jewish women from driving unless absolutely necessary. The religious decree by Rabbi Avraham Yosef prohibits women to drive, particularly in Israeli cities predominantly inhabited by ultra-orthodox Jews, Press TV Ahram News Website reported.
The prominent rabbi from Holon city, the son of Rabbi Afodia Yosef, declared the decree on the grounds that driving for women does not reflect modesty or chastity, especially in cities where the largest population is made up by religious Jews.
Prior to Yosef’s decree, Rabbi Shmuel Halevi had issued a similar order explaining that the seductive appearance of women distracted male drivers causing several traffic accidents.
Tzipi Hotovely, a member of Knesset and head of the House Committee on the Status of Women, condemned the decree arguing that it negatively affects the assimilation of Israeli women into Israeli society. Hotovely also said that a woman must be able to perform a daily necessary routine such as driving, given that religious Jewish families have a large number of children.
