NEW YORK (AP) — A municipal pool that maintains female-only hours so that Hasidic Jewish women can swim with no men present has raised alarms in New York City.
Critics say the accommodation to a particular religious group violates the constitutional separation of church and state. But defenders say the women-only swim sessions at the Metropolitan Recreation Center give women whose community separates the sexes a rare chance to exercise.
The pool hours sparked controversy after the city’s Commission on Human Rights received an anonymous tip that the pool might be violating the city’s human rights law.
The city Parks Department says it is reviewing its policy, but the women-only sessions, which occur four times per week, will remain in effect for now.
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