Hundreds of protesters continue to gather at rabbinical courts nationwide to protest harm to women’s rights

Protesters are gathering at rabbinical courts across the country to protest damage to the rights of women under legislation advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hardline coalition.

Crowds of demonstrators gather outside the Jewish religious courts in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Rehovot, Channel 12 news reports.

The protests are led by the women’s rights group Building an Alternative.

Police are working to prevent the protesters from entering the buildings.

A spokesman for the rabbinical courts decries “the mixing of the courts with the political protest.”

This week, Religious Services Minister Michael Malkieli submitted a bill that aims to give rabbinical courts discretion over child support, overriding a 2019 Supreme Court ruling.

Opponents say it is an attempt to compromise women’s rights, which they said would be jeopardized in the rabbinical court because halacha, Jewish law, favors men.

The Netanyahu government has been repeatedly criticized for its policies toward women, including for the very low number of women in leadership positions in the coalition.

It has also advanced a number of pieces of legislation that damage women’s rights.

מאות מפגינים ממש על הכניסה למשרדי הרבנות והמועצה הדתית בתל אביב: "הרבנות עבריינית", "ישראל היא לא איראן".
כוחות שהגיעו מרחיקים אותם עכשיו. pic.twitter.com/oAhsrcWPB3

— Josh Breiner (@JoshBreiner) July 18, 2023