Holy Waters Gender Segregation and the Rise of Haredi Politics in Israel

Examining the politics of pools and beaches, Holy Waters reveals a surprising history about Haredi Jews and Israel. By looking at the battles to establish gender segregating swimming in Israel, which required a partnership between the Israeli government and its Haredi population to reshape public space, the book argues that the establishment of Israel created a new Haredi pragmatic politics. Unlike some Ultra-Orthodox Jews, who rejected the Jewish state entirely, these radical moderates worked with the state to make it feel more Jewish, and to improve life for its Haredi population, without embracing Zionist ideology. Holy Waters examines three cases: a failure to prevent mixed swimming in Jerusalem, the successful establishment of a separate beach in Tel Aviv, and the mixed results of a Diaspora awareness campaign. Connecting historical controversies to today's debates of gender segregation, the book demonstrates how these radical moderates still influence Israel today.