Jerusalem – Israel’s AG’s Office Backs Women Of The Wall Ahead Of Hanukka Lighting Ceremonies

Jerusalem – The Attorney General’s Office has written to the Supervisor of the Western Wall and the Holy Places Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz and underlined the importance of including women in official state ceremonies, including the Hanukka candle lighting ceremonies which take place every night of the holiday.

The Women of the Wall prayer rights group has been conducting a concerted campaign in recent months and years to have female public officials included in the list of dignitaries who are asked to light a large Hanukkia at the Western Wall plaza.

The ceremony takes place in the men’s section of the plaza and only men are invited to participate.

The letter to Rabinowitz comes after WoW wrote to the Attorney General’s Office pointing out that a government report on the exclusion of women in the public sphere published in 2013 prohibits the exclusion of women from state ceremonies.

In the response sent to Rabinowitz on Sunday entitled “preventing the exclusion of women from the state candle lighting ceremony for Hanukka”, Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber asked to see the list of dignitaries invited to this year’s ceremonies, and pointed out several commitments made by the state to prevent discrimination against women in the public sphere.

Zilber pointed to the 2013 document on the exclusion of women from the public sphere, drawn up by a working group of the Justice Ministry, which asserted that separation between men and women in the public domain represents illegitimate discrimination against women due to their being women.

The deputy attorney general added that the document states specifically that “public authorities are prohibited from any separation between men and women even if done following requests from a sector of the public with an interest in the matter.”

Continued Zilber, “In light of this… we request to confirm what should be obvious that you are working towards the integration and participation of women in the state candle lighting ceremonies which will be staged at the Western Wall this coming Hanukka.”

She added that it would be “a great help if we would be able to receive the list of those participating in the ceremonies.”

WoW chairman Anat Hoffman praised the step taken by the Attorney General’s Office, and expressed hope that, given Zilber’s emphasis on the prohibition against gender separation by public institutions, Rabinowitz would find an appropriate solution.

She said that the organization would be happy if as a result the state ceremony were to moved from the men’s section of the Western Wall plaza to the upper section of the area behind the men and women’s sections and with female public officials participating.

Hoffman also insisted that according to Jewish law women are obligated to light Hanukka candles, and that men can even fulfill their obligation to light by asking their wives to light the candles on their behalf.

“When the president of the Supreme Court was Asher Grunis he was invited to light the candles. Would it be acceptable for the president of the Supreme Court, Justice Miriam Naor, was not invited because she is a woman?” asked Hoffman.

“Women of the Wall and all our activists, men and women in Israel and abroad, are becoming the match that ignites this cause. Matches are lit by friction, and nothing else works in this lighting ceremony if there is no match.”