Think public sex segregation is only happening in Israel? Think again! The Satmar community in the city of Kiryas Joel in Monroe, New York has built the world’s first sex segregated public playground.
The playground is built on an area of 283 acres. There are four sections to the park: one for fathers with their sons, a second for mothers with their daughters, a third for just boys and a fourth for just girls. The blue areas are for boys and the red and white sections are for girls -
Image may be NSFW.
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Image may be NSFW.
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Note that the images of the park are from an article in Behadey Haredim, which touts itself as being the “World’s Largest Haredim Portal.” Hence, there are no pictures of mothers and daughters playing on the red side.
A Yiddish sign welcoming visitors asks that people “maintain gender separation in all public areas” according to marked signs indicating where each sex should play. These rules will be enforced by the Committee of Modesty of Kiryas Joel, who will make sure there is no intermingling of boys and girls.
The park site is just outside the boundaries Kiryas Joel on land the village bought more than a decade ago. The state gave Kiryas Joel a $195,000 grant in 2001 to build a park, but village officials said several years later that they had canceled those plans and passed up the money. Apparently no state or federal funds were used for this park project, specifically so that the Satmar could impose its own rules on use of the park.
There are conflicting accounts of whether the park will be restricted to Kiryas Joel residents. Village Attorney Don Nichol said he expected it to be open to anyone but probably used primarily by Kiryas Joel’s Hasidic population. Councilman Harley Doles had a different take. “My understanding is it’s only for the residents of Kiryas Joel, because no state or federal funds are being used.”
The park was built with special financing obtained by Mayor Rabbi Abraham Wieder. The mayor and his fellow council members consulted the Satmar Rebbe, by whom all the affairs of the city are decided, and according to his guidance the plan was outlined. One of the benefits of funding the park without government money is that they can make rules to prevent non-Jews and non-religious (or non-Satmar) Jews from using the park facilities. The article in Behadrey Haredim says, “Foreigners who do not belong to the Orthodox stream, are not allowed to work out (at the on site gym facility) and the site is reserved for locals only.”
I’m sure that many people would like to know how a park built on village-owned land, payed for by public tax payers, is able to be renovated and run by a private religious group. While everyone knows that the town of Kiryas Joel is basically a relocated Hungarian/Romanian shtetle, completely run by Satmar elected officials, how can they prevent non-Satmars from entering a public park (even if the land was cleared and the equipment bought by the Satmars)? I’m sure this isn’t going to be the end of the story.
All I can say, is that as a mother of boys and a girl, I can’t imagine going to a park where I can’t keep an eye on all of my kids. It’s bad enough when a young son has to go to the bathroom while out and about. Any mom with a boy between the ages of 6-11ish knows what I mean. They are too old to go into the ladies room with you (“I can’t go in there – it’s for girls!”) and they are too young to go into the mens room alone without fear of abduction, molestation, or any other number of nasty possibilities. Now we have parks where only the same sex parent can bring kids of the same sex? So if my husband wanted to bring all the kids to the park, my daughter would be on her own? If I brought them, my boys would be running amok on the other side of a hill under no supervision? If one of my boys came running to find me because he got a boo-boo, a modesty committee patrolman would accost either him, me, or both and shoo us back to our respective sections?
Sex segregated parenting. Hmmm…now that I think about it, considering that I have four boys and one girl, I would be stupid not to accept the offer. Now how will I break it to my husband that he gets the boys?
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
