© JONATHAN NACKSTRAND (AFP)
The Israeli branch of the Swedish furniture branch in the past was forced to apologize for the catalog that had been scrubbed of images of females.
The marketing campaign was Ikea's first such attempt to reach out to the Jewish ultra-Orthodox community, which makes up around 10 percent of Israel's population and lives in compliance with a strict interpretation of Jewish laws.
The Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday was petitioned to approve the multi-million dollar suit against Ikea filed by the Israel Religious Action Center, a Jewish Reform advocacy group, and Hannah Katsman, a modern Orthodox woman.
"The total exclusion of women and girls from the catalog sends a serious and difficult message that women have no value and there is something wrong with their presence, even in the family-home space depicted in the catalog," the suit alleges, according to Haaretz.
"This discrimination and exclusion has severely insulted, angered and traumatized those who received the catalog," it added. "The damage caused by this exclusion affects much larger circles and has the potential to harm the status of women in society in general and in ultra-Orthodox society in particular."
Comment: It was traumatizing?? Really? Sounds like the Israel Religious Action Center should reach out to their Palestinian neighbors to understand what trauma is.
The male-only catalog, featuring ultra-Orthodox models, was
distributed for a short time in 2016 and was published in addition to the regular Ikea brochure.
The male-only catalogue highlights items in demand among ultra-Orthodox families, which tend to be large, such as bunk beds and bookshelves to handle extensive collections on Jewish law.
© AP Photo/Sebastian ScheinerThe PR firm promoting a new Smurfs movie says it removed Smurfette from promo posters in central city of Bnei Brak so as not to offend its ultra-Orthodox Jewish residents. The deeply conservative ultra-Orthodox chafe at the display of women
"Designed especially for you," read the Hebrew words below the large blue "IKEA".
Some ultra-Orthodox Jews follow a strict policy of gender segregation, and images of women and girls are frequently removed from advertisements aimed at that community.
A spokeswoman for Ikea in Sweden stressed that their brand "stands for equal rights".
"We find that the local publication from Ikea Israel does not live up to this," she said, noting that "the franchisee in Israel takes this seriously" and will "safeguard that future publications are in line with what our brand stands for".
Shuky Koblenz, chief executive of Ikea in Israel, said they issued a "customised" brochure in February aimed at the ultra-Orthodox "in an attempt to reach this minority community in Israel".
"We realise that people are upset about this and that the publication does not live up to what Ikea stands for and we apologise for this," he said in a statement.
"We will make sure that future publications will reflect what Ikea stands for and at the same time show respect for the Haredi community," he said, using the Hebrew term for the ultra-Orthodox.
Ikea, with nearly 400 stores in 48 countries worldwide, has four branches in Israel with a fifth under construction. A planned limited stock store is also due to begin construction in Tel Aviv's port.
Reader Comments
/sarc
"Feelings" are all that matter anymore. They form the basis for many, if not most, of the decisions regarding public policy in all spheres of life. It is not only the SJWs and progressives who have been infected with the idiocy, but they have succeeded in infecting governments, legal and education systems, corporate decision-makers, etc., etc. as well.
That, and Jewish opportunism. Any excuse to litigate and make some moolah. Why didn't the stupid woman sue the Orthodox Rabbinate of Israel for ITS discrimination against women? They, after all, and their Rabbinical franchise, were the reason why IKEA excluded women from the catalog in the first place. But no, Jewish idiotic religious dogma is sacred to all the world, including secular and atheistic Jews. (The race, not the religion.) The only thing more sacred to that race is the pursuit of other people's money.
Anyway, if IKEA had played it smart, they should have said it's marketed for either/both of those markets; thus no women. Neither market would have pointed out its similarity to the other and we wouldn't be reading this story.
Some store ought to hire me.
R.C.