JERUSALEM (JTA) — Fervently Orthodox Jews said they will continue to run a new bus line with segregated seating to the Western Wall despite opposition.
Israel’s Transportation Ministry has opposed the line, which has mandatory separate seating for men and women between Jerusalem’s haredi neighborhoods and the Western Wall. The buses began running March 19.
The ministry has tried to stop the bus line, even though the issue has been frozen pending a Supreme Court decision on the matter. Haredi groups told Israel Radio Sunday that they will continue to operate the publicly funded route.
The Supreme Court in January ordered the Transportation Ministry to look into issues regarding bus routes in religious communities after a petition was filed by religious author Naomi Ragen and the Religious Action Center on behalf of women who were attacked for not sitting in the back of the bus.
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