Jewish tensions heats up on the Western Wall prayer space | News from the world

Two members of the Israeli cabinet and a member of the Knesset fanned tensions between the Jewish state and the leaders of American Jewish organizations by expressing their opposition or even contempt for supporters of an Israeli space. Egalitarian prayer improved on the western wall. in Jerusalem

The Minister of Culture and Sports, Miri Regev, resigned as head of a group responsible for changes in the prayer area on June 28, stating that her conscience would not allow her to not to approve the plan. It was created in response to the concerns of the Jewish groups Women of the Wall and Reform that men and women could not freely pray together against the wall in the current system.

"Reformation movement's demand to turn the wall into a place where men and women pray together is unacceptable to me or the Jewish tradition," writes Regev on Facebook

At a Cabinet Meeting after resigning, she also took a picture of Reform Jews

Argentina, they were very kind, but they should be reformed in Argentina, and in Israel they should behave "as Israel waits for them," she said. she says.

On the same day, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, a second member of the three-person committee, also resigned.

On July 4, after a series of earthquakes in northern Israel, a member of the Orthodox Sephardim orthodox party blamed the natural disaster on supporters of the change of the status quo at the Kotel, claiming that he had been killed. they are "not Jewish". 19659002] "What do you have to do with the old stones of the Kotel?", Asks Yinon Azoulay in reference to the liberal Jewish movements at a Knesset debate. "I suggest that you take the money you invest in the state of Israel and that you build a western wall in the United States"

"We are waiting. ..

Reformation leaders and conservative Jewish movements have claimed that the actions of Israeli leaders contribute to widening the gap between Israel and the Jews of the diaspora

"What we see as members of the Israeli government is a total dismissal of reformed and conservative Jews, "said Rabbi Steven Wernick. , President of the Unified Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, which represents a network of congregations throughout the United States.

In June 2017, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suspended the implementation of a plan approved in January 2016 by various Israeli factions. , Including ultra-Orthodox parties, to increase the size of a prayer space on the southern section of the Western Wall Square known as Robinson's Arch. There, men and women could pray together, and one entrance to build would lead to three sections: a pluralist section and another for the prayer of men and women.

"This is not really a gel; it's a killing, "Wernick later told the Times of Israel . "It has already been frozen, it has not moved for 18 months, we were waiting, and the Prime Minister badured us all the time that negotiations were going on and they were answering us." That did not happen. "

Little has changed since then, but last month at the AJC Global Forum in Jerusalem, Netanyahu encouraged people at the conference to visit the pluralistic prayer space. "He said," We make it accessible, so anyone can pray to the Western Wall. "

After the resignation of the ministers, the Knesset approved Netanyahu as head of the committee, at which time he said he "would treat the Western Wall Agreement myself.

"Making room for Jews who" live in Israel "

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, referring to Netanyahu, said," It's a big responsibility, and one of the responsibilities is not to denigrate or delegitimize the Jews. , but in particular, the majority of Jews on the planet, "who do not identify as orthodox."

Members of the American Jewish community have given increased importance to the ability to pray in a pluralistic way years as groups like the Women of the Wall tried to wear prayer shawls and read Torah during services at Kotel.The founder of Women of the Wall, Anat Hoffman, Jacobs and others were harbaded and arrested during services.

On Friday, more than 150 Women of the Wall activists tried to pray at the Western Wall but were greeted by orthodox protesters and shouted at them, and burned one of the books. Group Rabbi Susan Silverman, a member of Women of the Wall, said she feared that Israel could "become another theocracy in the Middle East who treats women as if they were not going to". were not huma Ines. "

" If Miri Regev stays on the committee or leaves the committee is incidental, "said Silverman, an American native who lives in Jerusalem. "It's part of the problem in that the people in power in our government are doing all they have to do to stay in power without having the sense of vision for active, liberal and dynamic democracy that we could be . " [19659002] The Israeli government had previously paid less attention to the preferences of Reformed Jews for wall prayer because there were few Israelis who identified with the movement. Most were orthodox or secular. But Jacobs points to a 2017 URJ survey that revealed that 7% of Israelis now identify themselves as Reformers and 3% as Conservatives. (A 2016 Pew Research Center poll found that only 3% of Israelis identify as Reformers and 2% as Conservatives.)

Jacobs argues that Haredis Jews, who were the most outspoken opponents of the plan of the Western Wall, 10% of the Israeli population – compared to the figures of the Reformed and Conservative Jews – "we are not just talking about making room for Jews in the diaspora; However, for others in Israel, the Western Wall issue also represents a broader debate about the diaspora's influence on what some regard as a strictly internal Israeli affair. 19659002] At the same time, those who support the administration of the Western wall of the Orthodox rabbinate believe that they are simply asking visitors to behave in accordance with the traditions of the site and to consider groups like Wall Women as provocateurs. [19659025] Rabbi Avi Shafran, director of public affairs of the Orthodox group Agudath Israel of America, considers that the plans of the "Robinson & Arch's prayer space" hurt the unity of Klal Yisrael [the extended Jewish community]. "

Yet, on the comments Regarding the Reformed Jews and the earthquakes in Israel, he told JNS that he is "reckless and offensive to anyone, let alone [Knesset member]". to imply that a natural event is the result of something particular: non-Orthodox Jews who are born to Jewish mothers are as much our brothers and sisters as any Jew. "

Jacobs, who visited Israel last month, said the reformist movement was "not leaving Israel" and was "deeply engaged Netanyahu having frozen the agreement a year ago and now saying that he would put himself in implement the plan, "it really falls on him … and we expect him to do what is good for the state of Israel and the Jewish people. "

Wernick said that he did not know what actions his movement may take" other than formally lodging our complaint. "

" We seem to worry more about Israel than Israel cares about us, but that's sometimes what you do with the family, "he said. "We will continue to build our movement in Israel and lobby for what we think is right in the Knesset."