/ 7 August 2012

New glasses blur women for ultra-Orthodox Jews

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men pray in the small Ukrainian city of Uman.
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men pray in the small Ukrainian city of Uman.

In an effort to maintain their devout lifestyle, the ultra-Orthodox have separated the sexes on buses, sidewalks and other public spaces in their neighbourhoods. 

Their interpretation of Jewish law forbids contact between men and women who are not married. Walls in their neighbourhoods feature signs exhorting women to wear closed-necked, long-sleeved blouses and long skirts.

Extremists have accosted women they consider to have flouted the code.

Now they're trying to keep them out of clear sight altogether.

The ultra-Orthodox community's unofficial "modesty patrols" are selling glasses with special blur-inducing stickers on their lenses.

The glasses provide clear vision for up to a few metres so as not to impede movement, but anything beyond that gets blurry – including women.

It's not known how many have been sold. For men forced to venture outside their insular communities, hoods and shields that block peripheral vision are also being offered. The glasses are going for the "modest" price of $6. – Sapa-AP