Minister of Religious Services (Bayit Yehudi) Naftali Bennett is working to accommodate the Women of the Wall (WoW) Organization ahead of Rosh Hashanah. Bennett announced a designated broad prayer area will be set up to accommodate the women located south of the Rambam (Mughrabi) Gate to Har Habayis near Robinson’s Arch.
Realizing the WoW organization is planning a slichos event, Bennett is providing a tefilla area to accommodate 450 women. “I am not willing to see infighting in the Jewish People in this Holy Site before Rosh Hashanah” Bennett told the media. “We must channel these energies towards tefilos, slichos and unity and maintaining the status quo at the Kosel” he added.
Bennett explains this will bring an end to the monthly fighting, referring to the WoW Rosh Chodesh prayer events while permitting the current men’s and women’s sections to remain as is. He hopes the designation of the new area, which is being done in coordination with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Jewish Agency for Israel, will be viewed as an acceptable solution by all involved.
The area near Robinson’s Arch is being called the Ezrat Yisrael area, and it will be open to men and women alike.
Responding to Bennett’s announcement was WoW Chairperson Anat Hoffman, who told Galei Tzahal (Army Radio) “We cannot permit thugs to decide our policy. I am willing to talk with Minister Bennett immediately minute and give him some excellent suggestions that will not hurt anyone’s feelings.”
Hoffman added that she and her colleagues respect the feelings of others but nonetheless, she will not accept Bennett’s alternate prayer site.
Officials explain the site allocated by Bennett, the PM’s Office and Jewish Agency is not at the Kosel itself, but adjacent. They add the location would not be used for weddings or britot.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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15 Responses
Will this be Nusach Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Secular, HUmanistic or Messianic or will it actually be inter denominational including Chrisitan, Moslem and Hindu? Should WOman of the Wall more accurately be CoEd Services at the Wall? Why should the men be called “Woman”
To protest this:
“Women of the Wall” are having a 24-hour “Sit-In” at the Kosel today, from 6 pm to 6 am –
more disruptive behavior by WoW at the Kosel.
if reform hold that the laws of the bible are only suggestions and not legal obligations , why do they need to do teshuva ?
Desecration…
The next step will be to prohibit old-fashioned practices such as separate seating, women choirs, musical instruments, etc.
The hareidi gedolim of 100 years ago (i.e. the last time when the Muslims were in charge) have been vindicated. Zionism is the first step to abandonning Torah. We can be modern zionists or we can be Torah Yidden, but we can’t be both.
it is interesting the people who refuse to protect the wall by thinking they should not be drafted are the same ones who feel they should control the wall. some have no shame
#6 hoidem boidem klots What does one have to do with the other?
Do you have no shame for not understanding that ONLY those who are proud of their Yiddishkeit and Torah and are not ready to give up their souls to be shmad in the army that should control the wall?
SInce Israel is a democracy, accommodations are make for all groups. A coed, separate area is workable for everyone instead of Monthly fights, attacks and media fests.
peakman sorry to inform you the israelis dont protect the western wall g-d does he said it will stand till the end of time it was under the reign of the jordanians for 20 years and last i checked its still standing
good try though
Correction to my previous post:
“Women of the Wall” (WoW) are having a 24-hour “Sit-In” at the Kosel today,
from 6 pm today, until 6 pm (NOT 6 am) on Monday.
Per their Facebook page:
“We will be having a 24 hour sit-in at the Kotel from 6 PM today until 6 PM tomorrow, to reject the exile of women from the holy site.”
Will someone please tell WoW that women ARE allowed to pray at the Kosel and are NOT exiled from there?
so i have a question . I realize this is all about publicity and has nothing to do with women’s rights. If it did, then why are they “satisfied” to daven on the women’s side altogether? Either they agree to respect the holiness of the traditions of Judaism, Or they dont they cant have it both ways.
How about pork? Will they be selling pork by the kosel?
“…..Zionism is the first step to abandonning Torah. We can be modern zionists or we can be Torah Yidden, but we can’t be both….”
Is THAT a fact?
What does WOW have to do with Zionism?
Under the Muslims, by the way, man and women prayed at the Kotel without a mechitza, or didn’t you know that?
Nobody has been vindicated. Israel is H-E-E-E-re, B’H, for the upteenth time, and it’s obviously giving you sleepless nights and miserable days.
First I would like to say that as a person who people define as “Dati Leumi” (I like to just see myself as a Jew living in Eretz Yisrael) I am absolutely opposed to allowing the Reform and Conservative movements any foothold in the State of Israel. Thew creation of this “prayer area” is tragic as it marks the official recognition of the Reform and Conservative movements by the State of Israel. Furthermore the State will provide them with Sifrei Torah and upkeep the area.
With that said I find it funny that both the Charedim and the Reform are fighting over the Kotel. Its kind of like if a father would give his son a very expensive gift. The Child takes out the gift and starts to play with the box. In walks his mentally ill brother and becomes jealous that the healthy son gets to play with the box and they both begin to fight over the box. Meanwhile the evil cousin comes in and starts to destroy the expensive gift that the father bought the son, but both the healthy and retarded child are to busy fighting over the box to realize what is happening.
I am sure you now understand this story is an allegory for what is happening on Har HaBayit. The healthy Jews (Haredim) have thrown away Har HaBayit (the gift)and our now fighting over the box (the Kotel) with the retarded brother(The Reform). Meanwhile our evil cousin (the Arabs) are desecrating the precious present (Har HaBayit) are we are still fighting over who will control the box.
It seems we have all become the retarded brother.
I wish a reporter would ask them if they want the Bais HaMikdash rebuilt and the resumption of Korbonos? They will answer no, which is the Reform position. That would prove that they are only trying to stir up trouble, because the whole point of the Kosel really means nothing to them. Where were they on T’ B’Av?