JERUSALEM: Jewish women in Britain and the US are being urged to send photographs of themselves holding signs saying ''women should be seen and heard'' in a campaign against efforts by the ultra-orthodox to remove female images from advertising billboards in Jerusalem.

The New Israel Fund said it was planning to compile the photographs into posters to display in Jerusalem to show ''this struggle is not just waged by the women of Jerusalem alone. It is the struggle of people of conscience everywhere.''

It follows pressure from extremist ultra-orthodox Jews on advertisers to remove images of women. Among the companies to have complied is the Israeli fashion brand Honigman, which cropped a woman model's head from its Jerusalem poster displays. Billboards showing images of women have been vandalised.

''Advertisers are caving in to the demands of extremist ultra-orthodox groups,'' the fund said.

Guardian News & Media