WHY, it features two WOMEN! And images of women are deemed offensive to ultra-Orthodox (haredi) Jews in Jerusalem, which is why the Egged bus company has banned its display.
Ohad Gibli, a spokesman for Canaan advertising which acts as censor for the Egged bus cooperative, explained the ban thus:
Pictures of women cannot appear on buses that go through haredi neighborhoods. All advertisements are subject to the approval of the Egged censor. In order not to offend the sensitivities of a certain public, certain criteria have been defined regarding the content of advertisements.
According to the Jerusalem Post, the advertisement rejected by Canaan features two fully clothed women – along with a man – running for city council elections on a joint religious-secular list called Wake up Jerusalem-Yerushalmim. The municipal elections are to take place on November 11.
Said Wake up Jerusalem-Yerushalmim spokeswoman Meirav Cohen, one of the women on the poster:
It is very sad that in Israel of 2008 women suffer such brazen discrimination, which is absolutely unacceptable.
In the meantime, the ads in question have gone up on bus stations, which are the responsibility of another advertising company.
Last month, Egged – which insists that women passengers sit at the back of its buses – removed political advertisements from the sides of its buses sponsored by the Meretz Party against the “haredization” of Jerusalem.
High time, we think, to extend the atheist bus campaign to Israel.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:23 am
If ever the Arab Israeli Issues are resolved (and kosher pigs may fly) Then the next war will be an Israeli civil one –the minority Ultra orthodox Jews Vs the largely Secular Jews. Suprisingly up to 37% of Israelis are atheist or agnostic (The Cambridge Companion to Atheism-2005) I say send the atheist bus poster campaign into the heart of haredi Jerusalem
November 2nd, 2008 at 3:52 am
Egged… yeah, they should be, for such pettiness.
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:17 am
ok, so, no images of women is just like pretending they don’t exist for them ? Are women paria in Israel ? How do the mysoginistic morons think they were born ? They should be grateful that their mothers kept them. If I knew I’d have a scumbag like that … ohohoo…
November 2nd, 2008 at 3:41 pm
It’s a pity in this day and age that women still get treated as second class citizens in some places and get accused of being temptresses that need preemptive punishment lest a glimpse of skin or hair drive a man insane.
Sad. Really, truly sad.