The Rise of the Black Veil Among Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Israel

SPEIGEL INTERNATIONAL
By Juliane von Mittelstaedt

ISRAEL - Veiled women, radical rabbis and gender segregation: Israel is facing a rise in the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Naomi Machfud is sitting inside the self-built house, dreaming about making the world disappear. A black veil, without even a vision slit, one that swallows every glance and submerges the world in darkness. The veil is the pinnacle of zniut, or modesty, the closest a person can get to God. In Israel, the veiled women are referred to as the "Taliban," while they refer to themselves as women of the shawl. They are usually seen in Jerusalem's ultra-orthodox Me'ah She'arim neighborhood, black, shapeless figures, holding the hands of their daughters, who look like miniature versions of their mothers. [link]