Barbra Streisand spoke out against the treatment of women in Israel by ultra-Orthodox Jews during a speech on Monday as she accepted an honorary degree in Israel, the Associated Press reported. Referring to recent incidents involving the ultra-Orthodox men, Ms. Streisand said she was distressed to read about women in Israel “being forced to sit on the back of the bus†and women being assaulted while praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
The singer was being given an honorary doctorate by Hebrew University in Jerusalem, where officials praised her dedication to Israel. In her speech, she urged the country to continue working toward equality for women and praised the university for issuing its largest-ever number of doctorates to women this year.
The speech was the first event on Ms. Streisand’s tour of Israel: she plans to attend the 90th birthday party for former Israeli President Shimon Peres this week then give her first-ever concerts in the country this weekend.
