Jerusalem – Hundreds of people gathered in front of the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem to protest against the freezing of the Western Wall agreement and the conversion bill.
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The protesters who gathered in Jerusalem on Saturday night carried signs including “Judaism without coercion,” and “We are all Women of the Wall.”
The demonstration was organized by liberal movements of Judaism and the Women of the Wall organization.
“We came to the Wall every month. We “voted with our feet.” We fought for equality. The Prime Minister understood. That’s why he initiated the negotiations. That’s why he brought the agreement to a vote. It gave us hope. Hope for democracy. Hope for the people of Israel,” Anat Hoffman, chairperson of Women of the Wall, said in an address to the crowds. “But suddenly, he changed his mind. Suddenly, he gave in to the ultra-orthodox. To those Jews who see themselves only. Who will keep biting and biting, whatever possible, at other people’s expense. Those who think that people who don’t pray the way they do, are not Jews.”
She also said: “It’s time for women to wake up. It’s time for secular Jews to wake up. And all religious Jews like us, who believe in sharing space with everyone. Those of us who believe in equality must wake up. Because today, it’s the Kotel Agreement. And tomorrow it’s everything else.
The demonstration began after the end of Shabbat with a Havdallah service and religious songs.
“The cry from the Israeli street and from the Jewish communities cannot be underestimated, Rabbi Gilad Kariv, executive director of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, told the crowd.”We will not allow an ultra-Orthodox monopoly in the field of conversion and we will not give up until the full implementation of the Western Wall outline is reached.”
Israel’s Cabinet last week froze a previous government decision to expand a non-Orthodox prayer section at the Western Wall. The same day a ministerial committee approved a bill that would have made the haredi Orthodox-dominated Chief Rabbinate the only body authorized by the government to perform conversions in Israel. On Friday, the Prime Minister’s Office announced that the legislation will not be considered for six months while a “team” he will appoint comes up with recommendations for an “arrangement” on the issue.
Let’s pray that some good will come of this. One of the lasting legacies of the Bar-Kochba revolt was that it pushed the heretic followers of otto-ish to begin to self-identify as a separate non-Jewish group. Making a decision whether that was a good thing depends on whether you feel they could have been brought back through kiruv or not. For example, the chabad meshichistim-uggonos we’re still treating with kid gloves hoping they’ll come back through kiruv, and by them it’s almost thirty years of kefira. The groups described in this VIN article are diverse; the longest-running would be the reform-ushchatm which been already around for over two hundred years. No Bar-Kochba event has yet pushed them ‘out’ to have them decide on their own, or with our help, to self-identify as a non-Jewish group.
Judaism isn’t a democracy ,it is a theocracy It isn’t a religion that is made to order by the place and time.The temple in jerusalem was under the control of the priests not the worshipers. Nobody could go and do the temple service only those who were of the priestly families and were chosen to do so.In america ,when people decide to come together and form a congregation of worshipers, they will pick a rabbi that they feel comfortable with. They have choices of who to elect. Now the americans are showing up in israel with the idea that they can pick whatever they think is judaism.and it’s as valid as orthodoxy.according to them.-Let us not forget that reform conservative sects, in the beginning 1850s decided not to have anything in their prayerbook of jerusalem or the temple service as it was obsolete and head coverings of men were strictly forbidden.
Let them build a Kotel in Chicago or Denver and do whatever they want there.
The holiness of the Kotel Hamaravi is that the Shechina never left it but the Reform and Conservative religion doesn’t believe in the Shechina and the Torah at all ר”ל
So they come only to provoke conflict and they demand ואהבת לרעך כמוך what hypocricy.
The truth is that behind all these groups is the New Israel Fund which is funded by the wicked George Soros.
You people can barely call urself Jewish. What d heck do u want from the Kosel? To u people anything can become holy as u dont even know what Jewishness is. The irony of it all is that Bibi is really the same liberal as you but now hes trying to please the religious Zionists. The whole thing is a sham! NoNe of these people r associated with Anything Jewish other than screaming KOTEL!These people dont belong by the Kosel never ever. So bottom line, theres no choice. Mashiach has to come although these ignorant people have no idea who he is.
To all of the above –
The founding Israeli fathers, expressly set up the state as a democracy. It is wishful thinking to think we can change it to a theocracy, in which a deity is the source of all authority. The problem is also prevalent with us, who’s deity should that be. Lets see…Satmar? they claim the Agudah is Minem and Apikorsem, (they have a song for that) Rav Shach’s people? they claim Lubavitch is a form of Christianity. Vishnitz? which Rebbe are you talking about, each has his own take on who is an “Elicher Yid” and they don’t even talk to each other. Orthodox is fragmented as the rest, each claiming the other is not on the right path.
When this gets to the Supreme Court who should they say RULES over everyone else? Can they really pick one group over the other. As a democracy they will be forced to allow every group to pray and do as “their” Rabbis see fit.
This was such a beautiful agreement – give them their space and leave the Kosel to us. But NO – the Rabbonim push the envelope and now force the Supreme Court to rule and lose everything. The non -frummer out number the frummer 4/1 why wake a sleeping bear and get him angry. Why push Lapid in as the next gov’t
Finally that man made havdolah today