Kosel Rav Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz responds to the Attorney General’s Office, which sent him a letter supporting the position of the Women of the Wall (WoW) organization regarding state Chanukah lighting ceremonies at the Kosel.
WoW want an equal role in the lighting ceremonies and they found a friend at the Attorney General’s Office as Deputy AG Dina Zilber sent Rabbi Rabinowitz a letter supporting the women’s demands.
Rabbi Rabinowitz explains that female cabinet ministers will be lighting a menorah too, and WoW may take part in that, but he will not permit them to participate in the main event in the men’s sections, the menorah generally lit by rabbonim.
He explains that as he did last year, Ministers Gila Gamliel and Miri Regev will be lighting and WoW may participate in this ceremony. Also taking part in this ceremony will be the Governor of the Bank of Israel Dr. Karnit Flug.
Zilber thanked Rabbi Rabinowitz for his position and the inclusion of women in the lighting.
It remains to be seen how WoW will respond to Rabbi Rabinowitz for clearly the organization was seeking a more prominent role, in the main lighting, and not a secondary ceremony exclusively for women.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
We need Eloquent Spokesman such as from the OU or Agudah for the Orthodox positions. Maybe like Rabbi Sherer useto be. Otherwise the non Orthodox movements and Feminist movements might walk all over everything. It is so obvious WOW are doing this for Political Reasons at the Holy Site of the Western Wall.
Good job, Reb Rabinoeitz..
let the radicals use their multiple million shekel ;Ezrat Israel” and leave the rest of us alone!