The provocation and danger posed by the “Women of the Wall,” that group which descends upon the Western Wall each Rosh Chodesh with Talleisim, Tefillin and Sifrei Torah, led by Anat Hoffman, formerly of Meretz and now one of the heads of the Reform movement in Israel, has reached unprecedented levels. Not only could changes be made to the Holy Site at the Kotel, but Hoffman intends to leverage this issue to make far-reaching changes to the definition of Judaism in the Holy Land.
A new group of women, Women for the Wall, call upon all women who value the Temple as a sacred site, and Jewish tradition as has been our practice for thousands of years, to come to the Kotel at 6:30 am on Rosh Chodesh, to daven and say Tehillim for Klal Yisrael and the great dangers to Torah and Judaism posed by these groups. In so doing, these Bnos Yisrael will arrive before the Women of the Wall, and show the Israeli government and world media that the vast majority of women who wish to pray at the Kotel oppose any changes.
Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Vice President Emeritus of the National Council of Young Israel, approached Maran Hagon HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman Shlita about this new initiative. Rav Shteinman responded that it is important to do this, on the strict condition that there be no violence, ch”v.
Though launched only a few weeks ago, the Women for the Wall have already received the endorsements of other leading Rabbonim representing a wide swath of the Chareidi and Dati Leumi communities, including HRH”G Rav Aharon Feldman shlit”a of the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America, and the Rishon LeTzion HRH”G Rav Shlomo Amar, shlit”a. Rav Yitzchak Berkovits, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu and Rav Zev Leff and Rav Dov Lior are among other Rabbonim shlit”a endorsing the project.
“We only want to pray with sincerity and quiet,” said Ronit Peskin, Director of Women for the Wall. “Women should pray and demonstrate by example, not respond to their shouting and provocative behavior.” She emphasized that each woman must come intending to create a Kiddush HaShem in every aspect of her behavior and Tefillah.
(Press Release / YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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10 Responses
Beautiful.
Umm, by posting this all over the internet aren’t you just giving the Women of the Wall a heads up to the earlier time? The’ll just come earlier…
AMEN…wish we could send some of our NY Beis Yaakov girls to join u.
Why not get all the thousands of seminary girls to join tefillah on Rosh Chodesh, easier for the single girls than married women who need to prepare for Shabbos?
Here we see that the “Chareidi” and “Dati Zinonist” (I hate labels) Rabbonim can actually get along. I personally think that the Rabbonim do for the vast majority of the time get along, but have peaceful Machlokes’s about what the Halacha is. Now if only the Bal-Habitish “Chareidi” and “Dati Zionist”‘s can also get along and just have Machlokes’s, we’d be able to be so far ahead than we currently are.
If you ignore them they’ll go away. If the chareidim & other orthodox jews will stay away from the kosel while these non -believing reform jews who’s husbands & sons don’t wear tallis & tfillin put on their silly show with no one there to watch they’ll do it a few times & then they’ll go away. The more you fight & harrass them the more determined they become. Its not about tfilla tfillin sefer torah etc its all about feminism. If there is no fight the tallis & tfillin will disappear soon enough.
Your logic is sound, but there is a need to defend public desecration and outright chutzpah at our holiest site. I pray their Tefillin don’t have shem hashem in them.
#5 This group has been around for a few years and we have ignored and left them alone. They have grown and have gotten louder and more demanding. Now time has arrived for changed tactics and our women will show what true tefillah is at the kosel. With success to Women for the Wall.
5,
They havent gone away. You sound SO MUCH like Hussein Obama. Clueless about life.
women FOR the wall vs women OFF the wall. sounds interesting.
“With our victory in court comes a responsibility to see that no voices are silenced and no communities are hurt in our struggle for freedom. I agree with a recent piece written by Rabbi Menachem Creditor, when he said that we must take it upon ourselves to see “that Haredim do not become targets of Jewish hate. Pluralism is not limited to progressive streams of Judaism.” We must know that change is not easy for everyone and that the ultra-Orthodox community is not to be defamed or vilified in this process.” Anat Hoffman. Can you say the same of your prvovateurs who intend to try to engage these women who come to the Kotel to daven?