The as a mode of dress for Haredi women was initiated by Bruria Keren, an Israeli religious leader who taught a strict (by
Orthodox standards) interpretation of Jewish scripture for female adherents. Keren, who covers herself in several layers of clothing, claimed that covering women was originally a Jewish tradition, and that she had seen a 400-year-old picture of Jewish women covered from head to toe. There are also
Sephardic women who claim that their mothers covered their bodies entirely, so that their figures could not be discerned. One sect member is reported to have explained that she was "following these rules of modesty to save men from themselves. A man who sees a woman's body parts is sexually aroused, and this might cause him to commit sin. Even if he does not actually sin physically, his impure thoughts are sin in themselves." The religious group, which was estimated to number around 100 in 2008 and may have grown to several hundred , is concentrated in
Beit Shemesh, but also has followers in
Safed and
Jerusalem. The majority of the women came from
secular backgrounds.
Other practices Keren does not speak in front of men, and has taken on various
ascetic practices. During her prison term, she was hospitalized several times for malnutrition and other maladies as a result of her refusal to eat provided food. Some members of the group reportedly
do not believe in vaccination or modern medicine. On February 8, 2013, one woman's baby allegedly died from untreated flu, with the parents then fleeing the law. On another occasion, a newborn baby had to be taken to a hospital by force, after the mother refused to go to a hospital to give birth to avoid contact with hospitals and physicians. Other cases of
child abuse and neglect have been reported within the group. ==Perception in Israeli society==