The Belz, The Belz…

I see that Natalie got in before me.

So a small Jewish sect decides that women driving is immodest – which has become to sound all too familiar. However, before we get ourselves all enraged… Oh, too late, we already have…

Okay…

So a small Jewish sect has decided that women driving cars is immodest. Unlike the Saudi driving ban on women, no one is being arrested or beaten for violation. This is a significant distinction. This is simply a small Jewish sect deciding among its members what they want. There will be ways around the so-called ban – and it isn’t a ban at all – merely parking out of sight, for example or walking away and leaving gets around it. The point being, this is entirely voluntary. And no one has instigated a ban, because, frankly, they cannot as they don’t have the authority.

So what’s actually happened?

The letter, which was signed from the “spiritual management” of Belz institutions, said: “There has been an increase in incidences of mothers of our students who have begun driving cars, something that goes against the laws of modesty within our society.”

This had led to “a lot of exasperation among other parents”, it said.

The group’s leader in Israel, Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach, had advised that “if a woman is driving a car, she cannot send her children to be educated in Belz institutions”, it said.

Personally, I find their archaic attitude appalling. Much as I found it appalling when a group of orthodox Jews kicked up when they realised that they had to sit next to women on a flight. My instinct is to shout at them to grow up. But, and here’s the clincher, I’m not a member of their club (and they wouldn’t have me anyway), so it’s really none of my business and they are doing no one else any harm. As the school is a private one then their gaff, their rules applies. Those mothers who want to drive can either disobey the rule en masse, making it unenforceable, park somewhere out of sight or leave. Those of us not in the sect are entirely unaffected

Responding to the letter, Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, Nicky Morgan, said: “This is completely unacceptable in modern Britain.

“If schools do not actively promote the principle of respect for other people they are breaching the independent school standards.

“Where we are made aware of such breaches we will investigate and take any necessary action to address the situation.”

That Nicky Morgan thinks it is her place to decide what is, or is not, acceptable in modern Britain says much that is wrong with modern Britain. What happened to live and let live?