Ikea is being sued for publishing a special furniture catalogue for the local ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Israel that left out images of women and girls.
The complaints demand the Swedish furniture company pay $4m compensation for damage caused to ultra-Orthodox women.
The lawsuit, which is the first of its kind, said: “The total exclusion of women and girls from the catalogue sends a serious and difficult message that women have no value and there is something wrong with their presence, even in the family-home space depicted in the catalogue.”
The catalogue, which was released in small quantities, was taken out of circulation after a number of complaints were received.
A later catalogue distributed in Israel which was also aimed at the ultra-Orthodox population had no photographs of people in it at all.
“This discrimination and exclusion has severely insulted, angered and traumatised those who received the catalogue,” the lawsuit said.
“The damage caused by this exclusion affects much larger circles and has the potential to harm the status of women in society in general and in ultra-Orthodox society in particular.”
Israel is the only country in the world in which an Ikea catalogue was published without any images of women - with a similar publication halted in Saudi Arabia.
Jerusalem District Court was asked on Tuesday to approve the multimillion-dollar lawsuit as a class action as the first step in the legal fight.
According to Israeli newspaper Haaretz, the case against the world’s largest furniture retailer was filed by Hannah Katsman, a modern Orthodox woman from the central Israeli town of Petah Tikva, and the Israel Religious Action Center, which is the advocacy wing of the Reform movement in the country.
The main headquarters of Ikea in Sweden were unaware of the special catalogue and apologised instantly.
A spokesperson for Ikea said: "In 2017, the local Ikea retailer in Israel produced a customised brochure which was distributed to a specific community.
"The Ikea brand stands for equality and respect for differences. It is very important for Inter Ikea Systems, owner of the IKEA brand, that all trademark users act in a way that reflects the Ikea values."
They noted Ikea Israel immediately apologised two years ago, adding that they have since then "safeguarded that all publications are in line with what the Ikea brand stands for."
