An Israeli embassy effort to address the concerns of non-Orthodox Jewish leaders regarding the treatment of some worshippers at Jerusalem’s Western Wall has instead inflamed many of them.
The embassy’s response — to a letter-writing campaign by Conservative Jews and others protesting the treatment of female worshippers who don’t abide by the strictures of the Orthodox authorities controlling the site — stressed the need for compromise at the Western Wall. In the December 21 letter e-mailed to many who wrote, the embassy’s office of public affairs cited the existence of Robinson’s Arch, an alternative prayer site designated for egalitarian prayer in an archaeological park adjacent to the Western Wall Plaza.
But David Lissy, executive director and CEO of the Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel, reflected the views of many who were contacted, dismissing the communiqué as “largely a non-response.”
“It doesn’t deal head-on with any of the critical issues which need to be addressed,” he said. “I think the government of Israel is failing to appreciate the degree to which the majority of Jews around the world care about these kinds of things.”
Conservative Jewish leaders called for the letter-writing campaign to Ambassador Michael Oren after Nofrat Frenkel, an Israeli medical student and observant Conservative Jew, was detained and interrogated by Israeli police in November while wearing a prayer shawl and carrying a Torah during a prayer service held by Women of the Wall, an activist group, in the women’s section of the Wall.
In January, Anat Hoffman, director of Reform Judaism’s Israel Religious Action Center and leader of Women of the Wall, was taken to a Jerusalem police station, where she was interrogated and fingerprinted, and informed that she might be charged with a felony for violating rules of conduct at the Western Wall.
The two incidents sparked angry reactions from liberal Jewish movements in America and Israel. In a joint communiqué, leaders of the Conservative movement accused Oren and his government of “permitting ultra-Orthodox extremists to control public life and block other caring and devoted Jews from fully realizing their spiritual quest.”
Conservative leaders dispute the embassy’s characterization of Robinson’s Arch as a fair compromise, and argue that the embassy’s response was too narrow in its focus. Lissy’s organization has urged supporters to complain to the embassy about its letter, and other Conservative groups say they are planning their own responses.
Oren has also come under fire for misinforming a December gathering of Conservative leaders about Frenkel’s treatment when he assured them that police had simply led her away from the Western Wall. Oren later blamed his government for having given him “incomplete” information about what had happened, and ordered “a full and thorough inquiry” on the matter, which would be forthcoming “within a couple of days.” His spokesman said in early January that the inquiry had been completed, but could offer no information on its contents.
Reached January 26, a spokesman for Oren declined to comment on the response to the embassy’s communiqué or to provide information on the results of the inquiry Oren ordered.
In its communiqué, the embassy alluded to a 2003 decision by Israel’s Supreme Court that disallowed women from reading from the Torah or wearing prayer shawls at the Western Wall. In its ruling, the embassy noted, the court ordered the state to prepare Robinson’s Arch “to host egalitarian services that encourage both men and women to wear tallit and read from the Torah.”
“The current situation provides all Jews with an outlet for religious expression next to Judaism’s most sacred site,” the embassy statement asserted.
But Conservative leaders noted that the prayer site at the arch is available only until 10:30 each morning, in contrast to the main Western Wall site, which is open for prayer 24 hours a day. Services at the arch must be scheduled beforehand, and anyone arriving or leaving late is charged an $8 entry fee. Unlike the main wall site, Robinson’s Arch lacks prayer equipment such as arks, Torah tables, chairs, prayer books and Torahs, which must be brought in by worshippers. It has no indoor facilities.
“The letter implied that, ‘Hey, look, there’s a perfectly good place for people to go and daven at Robinson’s Arch…and the answer is, it’s not a perfectly good place,” said Andrew Sacks, director of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel, an organization of Masorti rabbis. “It’s severely restricted.”
“The wall as it’s been understood by the Jewish people does not mean Robinson’s Arch,” said Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism. “It just doesn’t.” Yoffie did not dispute the embassy’s explanation of the legal status of Robinson’s Arch, but said that he hoped the arrangement would be revisited.
Women of the Wall also disputed the notion of Robinson’s Arch as an alternative prayer site for them. In a written response to the embassy’s letter, members of the group said, “We do not hold egalitarian services…. Our rights can be realized in the women’s section at the Kotel; this is what we have asked and continue to ask…. To deny us this practice at the Kotel is not ‘compromise,’ as the Embassy response would have it — where is the concession on the part of those who vilify, deny, silence, and banish us?”
Some Conservative leaders thought the embassy’s letter focused too narrowly on the issue of the Western Wall — or Kotel, as it’s known in Hebrew — and did not respond to the larger concerns that the movement’s letter-writing campaign had raised. “Our letter did not exclusively address issues of the Kotel, but rather sees the Kotel as one example of… the increasing haredization of Israel, and the increasing alienation of the majority of the world’s Jews from not only religious participation, but from any freedom of religious experience in the State of Israel,” said Julie Schonfeld, head of the Rabbinical Assembly, the organization of American Conservative rabbis.
For some, the original slight of Frenkel’s detainment still rankles, and the embassy’s response simply didn’t go far enough. “I can’t get my head around the notion of any Jew being arrested… anywhere in the Jewish state for wearing a tallit,” said Rabbi Steven Wernick, executive vice president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. “Even if one were to accept the government’s response here fully, there just have to be better ways to handle this kind of civil disobedience… and none of those issues were addressed by this letter.”
Contact Josh Nathan-Kazis at nathankazis@forward.com
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"Anat Hoffman...was taken to a Jerusalem police station, where she was interrogated and fingerprinted..."
In several articles, Anat Hoffman has made it clear that after the police requested she appear for questioning, she later appeared on her own at the Police Station; she was not "taken in" for questioning.
Joel Katz Religion and State in Israel @religion_state
This wall is holy to us as the Al Buraq wall. When we regain Al Quds, neither man nor woman will have the opportunity to contaminate this holy structure. It is ours. GET OUT
Clearly if there is such a great demand, then Robinson's Arch should be open longer hours. Surely the joint efforts of the Conservative and Reform movements could provide a Sefer Torah and a few siddurim for Robinson's Arch, may be even a shelter in the rare event of rain. How do Conservative and Reform Jews manage to pray in the USA ? Personally I think they could make a better case for allowing Jews to ascend the Temple Mount and quietly pray in private, which probably does not require a mechitzh. What irks me as a Haredi is that the notorious Israeli police are involved in routine matters at the Kosel. There is nothing Halachically wrong with women wearing a female tallis, or according to some opinions leining for other women, although obviously without a minyan. Instead of police there should be helpful people assigned to maintain order, with police or soldiers only dealing with potential terorist activity. Which Orthodox synagogue any where in the world has police dragging away women for wearing a tallis or wanting to lein ?
All the perimeter of the Temple Mount is equally holy, as holy as outside can be when compared to the inside! I am a Shomer Mitzvot who believes in equality and that equality means the same weight to both viewpoints when they differ, in other words, there is plenty of space for anybody to do their thing their way without trying to force me to do it their way just as much as I do not try to fI have occupied first. I have been much at odds with many Orthodox people who felt that only their way was kosher, Ashenazim who think Sephardim are Goyim and viceversa, but they all retain their right to feel the way they do regardless how how revolting such aberration is to me. I have also been at Reform or Conservative events at the Southern Wall, and found no sanctity missing there but it would have been if instead of praying to HaSh-m the crowd had decided to muscle themselves into an Orthodox Synagogue which is after all what the Western Wall compound which is a small part of the Western Wall is. The Chilul HaSh-m makes it escalate and reciprocate in self and territorial defense to the merriment of our common enemies and Anat Hoffman is not there to pray but to stir hatred, as she has done troughout her career, so I find it hard to welcome her aqt the Kotel when she shows up; even the Catholic priests who bring their flock for a visit are more considerate and don't go around waving crucifixes or making demonstrations. there are also the Eastern and The Northern parts of the perimeter, where Arabs live and Anat and her ilk know better than to ask to pray there or in the mosques that abound there...
Eliahu says "Anat Hoffman is not there to pray but to stir hatred, as she has done troughout her career, so I find it hard to welcome her aqt the Kotel when she shows up;" by speaking loshon hora about Anat, you are being hypocritical and stiring up hatred. Anat Hoffman has not been found guilty of anything by any court.
The Kotel is not a synagogue. It is a Holy and historical shrine for all the Jewish people. There is no Halachic prohibition against women wearing tallit or praying with the Torah. In fact, the commandment to wear fringes at the 4 corners seems to be required of all. The later rabbinic prohibitions against women are a product of chauvanistic society. We cannot let the extreme fringe of our religion ruin the holiness of our most sacred site and the holiness of Israel in general. This is a critical, existential issue for Israel.
Are people aware that Anat is a self-professed lesbian? Is she supposed to serve as a role model for Jewish women? Poor choice, indeed.
If women were allowed to pray at the Kotel maybe the world would end, Oy. Maybe Southern Baptists would wave to each other in the package store. Maybe not.
Our Creator gave the world to all humankind. Is it not now the time to treat each other humanely?
David, Anat is not trying to be a role model. If she is a lesbian, that is a private matter that is nothing to do with women praying at the wall. Many Jews pray at the wall and do not follow all the mitzvas. This article is about the women praying at the wall with a tallit, not about their private life.
It's really time for Israel to "solve" the basic problem -- the misstreatment of Conservative Judaism in Israel. The wedge being created by 60 years of disrespect for the beliefs of many of us is getting worse. It used to be "cute" to describe the typical Israeli attitude the "the Synagogue I don't go to is Orthodox". Unless Isaeli views change, I'm afraid we we soon have another "joke" -- the homeland North American Jews don't have is Israel.
It is very interesting and of serious, even frightening concern that current Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren has upset and insulted more people, more Jews then any Israeli Ambassador and or diplomatic representative since the birth of the State of Israel. What's going on here? Is he that stupid or does he receive his marching orders from someone even stupider more obnoxious and with less concern about the well being of Israel and the Jewish people. It is unnerving that the Orthodox Rabbinical leaders of the State of Israel are so insecure, insulated and disrespectful of any Jew who is not a member of their personal community.
The political naivte of these Rabbi's and the current Foreign Ministry is dangerous to the survival of Israel. Thinking about it deeply it seems to boil down to these men, now Rabbi's having the zitsflaish to sit and learn long enough to earn smicha. But sadly, shockingly (when you come to the realistic conclusion) it doesn't make them smart or wise and their rise to power in Rabbinical circles is of course only politics.
What a contrast! Facing the Kotel Plaza you have the Aish Hatorah founded by the American Rabbi Noach Weinberg zl, reaching out to reconnect every Jew to his Jewish heritage, and then you have the Israeli Rabbi of the Kotel managing to insult far too many people, using the Israeli police to enforce what are really personal preference issues such as women wearing a female tallit. Civility, tact, diplomacy and understatement are in too short supply in Israeli religious discourse.
Plus 15. I spent years studying Halacha under a major Posek. He from time to time noted that although we have never had more people in yeshivahs, sems and kollelim, we have seen no corresponding increase in Gadlus or greatness in Rabbinical leadership. In the post-WWII era, out of the ashes, we had a Rav Joseph Soloveitchik, a Brisker Rav, Chazon Ish, Steipler, Rav Breuer, Rav Feinstein, Rav Ruderman, Rav Kamenetzky, Rav Shach, Dayan Abramsky and other absolute giants. Of those born after the war there seems to be a paucity of Gedolim. If only Israel could have a Rav Kook looking after the Kotel !