From time to time, of modesty issues come to the fore, mostly in connection with artistic events. Two years ago, one of the major events in the Jerusalem Israel Festival was a 24-hour show by a Belgian company that included acting, dancing and singing – much of it involving nudity on stage. There were no attempts to prevent the show, no calls to withdraw public funding from the Festival. Some 24 hours of nudity – and nary a tweet from any religious or ultra-Orthodox city council member. Last year, the Festival included an hour-and-a-half dancing program with all dancers naked. Voices of protest were heard, albeit a little late to prevent the performance (although early enough to pique public curiosity and ensure the success of the show). Now the “Dance Week in Jerusalem” event faces greater awareness; serious attempts to prevent or at least modify one of the programs have started early enough to be effective. Among the first to be aware of the inclusion of a nude performance in the general program was city council member Arieh King (United Jerusalem), who is identified with the national religious movement. King sent a letter to all the members of the council informing them about the details of the program and requested that they take action, since event is partly sponsored through the city's art and culture budget. King opposes the use of public funds to finance events that he feels demean the honor of the Holy City. Moreover, he was aware that this case gave him an opportunity to point an accusing finger at his nemesis, Mayor Nir Barkat. So far, Barkat has been cautious not to indicate whether supports or opposes King's initiative, but King is focused on making changes in the program. Eliezer Rauchberger (Bnei Torah), an independent haredi representative and deputy mayor, has tried to calm down the situation – but his efforts only raised King's level of anger and frustration. Rauchberger sent a letter to all city council members saying that following his investigation, he could ensure that no violation of Shabbat would take place, but King already knew that Shabbat would be observed. He was after something else – to prevent the nudity that would, in his opinion, desecrate the city's sacred character. With his personal letter to all council members and with social media publicity (especially on his Facebook page), King has managed to raise the interest of several personalities who can make an impact. Avi Moyal, the president of the local council where some of the event's programs will take place, announced that program elements such as nude dancing would be insulting to Musrara residents – all traditional or religious – and therefore, he would not allow them to take place in the neighborhood's community center. “Dance Week in Jerusalem” is scheduled to start on Tuesday (December 5). Will there be changes in the program? Will the show go on unaltered despite the objections? Will this event increase the attempts of haredim and others repeated to prevent Shabbat desecration and events that in their eyes do not fit the holy character of the city? Is this growing into a real protest movement – either among the haredim or from the pluralist sector, which might decide to fight back on this issue? As elections approach, anything can happen.
