In advance of the first day of Elul on Wednesday, August 7, leaders of the thousands-strong Women For the Wall called upon everyone visiting the Western Wall to abstain from confrontations, raucous behavior and political theater.
This month, the Women Of the Wall have announced their intent to bring a Torah scroll to hold outside Dung Gate “to protest,” and a Shofar to be blown to “Stand Up Against Bullying and Injustice.” Traditionally, the Torah scroll is treated with tremendous reverence, and moved from its Ark only in preparation to read it, while the shofar is intended to mimic the tones of crying, to pierce Jewish hearts in anticipation of the Day of Judgment.
“We are deeply saddened that the Reform-led Women Of the Wall would use a holy site and holy articles, and disrespectfully use a sacred Torah scroll to advance their political agenda,” said Ronit Peskin, co-founder of Women For the Wall. “We are calling upon them to refrain from provocation, and upon those who wish to honor thousands of years of tradition at the site to respond with prayer and sanctification of G-d’s name.”
“It is shocking that WOW would use a Torah Scroll in a protest,” added Leah Aharoni, co-founder of Women For the Wall. “This represents a lack of respect to the Torah and to Jews who have treasured it for thousands of years. We call on WOW to reverse this terribly misguided decision, and on Jewish leaders from across the spectrum to speak out against this grossly provocative and disrespectful act.”
For many years, the small band of Women Of the Wall have faced off against the regular worshipers, primarily young men, some of whom have responded to WOW’s provocations with inappropriate behavior. In recent months, the presence of Women For the Wall has demonstrated that there is another and better way to respond – so much so that last month, the Women Of the Wall resorted to crowding against the police and barriers in order to provoke a louder reaction.
Women For the Wall requested that everyone coming to the Wall act with dignity and respect, and neither create nor respond to provocative acts. They singled out young men and boys, requesting they stay home if they will react with anger to the misuse of holy objects announced by Women Of the Wall. “These foolish boys are the unwitting allies of Women Of the Wall, and their best PR tool,” Aharoni said. “Screaming and violence do not belong at the holy site. The Kotel is not the place for a media circus or standoffs between Jews.”
Women For the Wall is a grassroots movement of Jewish women, dedicated to ensuring that the Western Wall can be a place for all Jews to come and pray with respect and dignity. It believes that only by preserving classical Jewish practice at the Wall can it be a place where all Jews are truly welcome.
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13 Responses
The Reform WoW’s “Torah scroll” isn’t worth the parchment its printed on. It is surely pasul in over a dozen ways. And even if it wasn’t, the halacha is that you burn an apikorus written Torah scroll.
The delusional Women Off the Wall can not be reasoned with. Their agenda is more important to them then the kedusha of a Sefer Torah. Without their props of tallasim, Sefer Torah and now the shofer they wouldn’t get the media attention and photo opps that they do.
It’s well known that feminists are generally unhappy and depressed who are very jealous of men with a long history of unhappy marriages. (Anyone blame their husbands?) Are there any normal feminists or all nebs?
Many things have changed to accomodate the transition of the status of women.
We no longer devorce a woman who is Roiyeh Dom Machmas Tashmush.
We no longer force men to devorce a wife who can not have children after ten years.
We no longer marry multiple women.
We do things to circumvent the Laws of excluding daughters from getting any Yerusha when there are boys.
The Parshas Soiteh was never ever actually done. Again, never.
We no longer sell our young daughters as slaves.
The truth is that we have made changes.
Kol Hakavod WFW!
Why aren’t there more Men Of the Wall?
It is absolutely amazing to watch the orthodox world continue to cede the high moral ground to the WoW, thus endowing them with more and more public stature. I am reminded of a line from a Monty Python skit: “Q. Have you learned from your mistakes? A. Yes I have and I can repeat them exactly”.
If Men and boys are NOT permitted to speak to women in a dignified manner on the street even with a greeting of Good Morning or Good Shabbos then kal vachomer they are NOT permitted to speak with them in anger or recognize them in any way, shape or form. It is NOT their place to look, seek them out or judge them in any way.
If they cannot acknowledge them when they are proper, tzniut, and being ovdei Torah and mitzvos, then certainly they must turn their backs and ignore them when they are purposely and purposefully seeking out attention. Let them leave it to those who understand and know how to address them and their issues to be metaken them and not seek to get themselves involved in things that have nothing what-so-ever to do with them. If they want to be m’taken olam, let them first look what they can be metakein in themselves and in their own daled amos. Those who attack women and get involved in machlokes seek only to satisfy their own yetzer horah!
The whole issue is best left to Frum women, who handle themselves with dignity, unlike some of the off the walland out of control men, who have ruined it for everyone by givng fodder for the WoW to use against the Torah world.
#4 – what is your point? I hope you are not trying to defend these Lo Lishma women who openly state that their intentions doesn’t stop at being allowed to daven a women’s minyan at the kosel w/talis and tefilin like men, but rather are trying to uproot all aspect of religious separation from Orthodox Judaism! Are you aware of that?!
Can’t blame Women of the Wall for moving the Torah scroll; they have repeatedly expressed willingness to use one of the scrolls that are kept at the Kotel permanently.
The Torah says nowhere that there is an ‘Inyan’ to blow Shofar in Elul (It doesn’t actually say on Rosh Hashanah to blow a Shofar either but that’s for another time). It is only Rabbinic. Hence these haters of ‘male dominated Judaism’ should not be blowing an object that is only there because male Rabbis asked that it be blown. Surely this goes against WOW’s deepest principles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
11, Thats nice but its STILL ASSUR! Too bad as a socialist, you dont understand such concepts.