One of the new areas on the edge of RBS A has a shopping center with several stores including women's clothing stores. Some people, claiming to represent some sort of rabbinic committee from one of the other areas in RBS A, has been harassing some of the stores to comply with tzniyus guidelines they want to impose. While this was not the first attempt, yesterday they delivered letters to several stores (I dont know how many and where else is affected). The letter is a written agreement, to be signed by the store owner, of adherence to a set of guidelines.
Here is the letter, general translation below(I received it from someone associated with one of the stores and was asked to just blot out the name of the store):
Translation:
the document is the protocol of an agreement (to be signed) between the rabbonim of RBS and the owner of store x
From a recognition that the population of RBS is Haredi and their sensitivities must be taken into consideration, and from the Haredi community wanting to be customers of the store, it is agreed between the sides to adhere to the following items:
1. clothes should be according to halacha
2. the entrance to the shop: no mannequins, pictures, mirrors and fitting rooms in the entire area of the entrance that is exposed to passerby outside
3. boys clothes: to be sold on a separate floor or in a separate section completely closed off. mirrors, fitting rooms and undergarments should be far away from the view of children
4. mirrors and fitting rooms: see previous paragraphs
5. pictures: people wearing tzanua clothes and only in places where passerby cannot see
6. music: only haredi or classic music, not loud, and no music of women singing at all
7. staff: only women and girls
8. employee dress code: tzanua clothes, respectful and not tight, including skirt below the knees , sleeves covering elbows, closed collar.
9. screens: in the entire area of the store, no screens allowed at all
supervision of the store will be appointed by the rabbonim and will receive full support of the store and its staff.
the store owners are obligating themselves to fulfill all the instruction sof the rabbonim and their representatives, and any desired changes should first to be run by the rabbonim.
to be signed....
The funny thing is that these are all Haredi owned stores selling to a mostly Haredi clientele. these conditions are being and would be followed by the stores almost entirely, without this intimidation. This seems almost unnecessary. Obviously they are trying to bring up the level of extreme tzniyut as guidelines for business operation and not all these conditions would be followed without the intimidation, but the overwhelming majority is standard operating procedure for these businesses anyway.
I dont even know why this supposed rabbinic committee from the Mishkenot Daat neighborhood is even involved. the new shopping area is not adjacent to Mishkenot so I dont know why they think their authority extends to this newer area. Their defenders, or apologists, will say that Rabbi Goldstein did not sign the letter, and he did not, so he is clearly not involved. I do not know who is involved, but with people using Rabbi Goldstein's name and authority and the authority of a rabbinic committee in his neighborhood, he is either approving it behind the scenes or he should be putting a stop to it.
I am not sure what the answer is, but this is extremism and intimidation we saw in the neighborhood 15, 20 years ago. It has been quiet for a long time. Hopefully with the expansion of the city we won't see these turf wars cropping up again.
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