The second day of Rosh Chodesh Iyar passed with a minimal showing of Women of the Wall (WoW) at the Kosel on Monday. There was less than twenty women present, surprising many as a new government is forming and the matter of the future of an egalitarian prayer area and other issues important to Reform Jewry are yet to be determined. No police barriers were required on Monday as the showing of the WoW and supporters was negligible.
B’chasdei Hashem, the Kosel was full of mispallalim on rosh chodesh and the Women of the Wall were all but ignored as their planned showing of hundreds of participants fell far short of their goal. This marked the second consecutive month the organization failed to bring out the masses, as on Rosh Chodesh Nissan they predicated thousands would be in attendance yet only a few dozen actually appeared at the holy site.
We are so grateful to have been able to read from a full Torah scroll today; but we also know this should be totally normal and unremarkable, not rare and surprising. We pray for a day when a Sefer Torah on the women's side of the Kotel is the norm.
Hodesh Tov! pic.twitter.com/CooUzeo0Yy— Women of the Wall (@Womenofthewall) May 6, 2019
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
I think it would be ideal for YWN to ignore them as well.
The article makes the point that many have made over the past several years. Many of those involved in the WoW efforts were publicity seekers and thrived on the conflict. Once they were left alone to do “their thing” and the crowds of screaming protesters were gone, the cameras were also gone and the attendance dropped. As long as they have a legal right to engage in their misguided observances near the kosel, you are only empowering them by engaging in violent protests.
THEY ARE READING FROM A TORAH THAT THEY DON’T BELIEVE IN.