At the Western Wall, ultra-Orthodox and liberal Jews, kippah-wearers and “Western Wall yarmulka” wearers, right-wing and left-wing individuals, pray side by side. There is neither division nor violence among the worshipers on any given day, except for the day when a small group from Women of the Wall and their supporters arrive at the women’s section, aiming to highlight the divisive rather than the unifying. It is then that all the demons burst forth from their hiding places, and the civil wars that destroyed the Temple 2,000 years ago resurface.
Despite all the Women of the Wall’s claims of discrimination, exclusion, intolerance, and violence, the number of visitors to the Western Wall continues to rise steadily from year to year. On the other hand, the number of Women of the Wall participants has remained static for 25 years. The public votes with its feet, choosing to honor the tradition of the Western Wall, even if they may act differently in their own homes.
A group of women who began by claiming to seek egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall has turned itself into one of the most vocal representatives of the liberal camp in matters of religion and state.
Women of the Wall trying to make the situation seem worse
Recently, Yochi Rappeport, the executive director of Women of the Wall, criticized the Western Wall Heritage Foundation for requiring women to “cover with scarves,” in her words, upon entering the women’s section. Her description was purposely sloppy when describing the accepted and appropriate practice of modest attire when entering the holy site. The same is required a few meters away on the Temple Mount, in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and in thousands of other sacred sites in the Old City and around the world.
It’s not surprising that this group would resort to such smears. Even if initially their intentions could be viewed with some positivity, today they have become an oppositional body. Women of the Wall repeatedly ignites the flames of controversy at the Western Wall, bringing the extremes of Jewish discourse to the forefront and making demands where humility and acceptance of the site’s customs and Jewish traditions should prevail.
The time has come to say loudly and clearly – enough is enough. You do not speak for us. We, in the liberal camp, also know how to honor our heritage and customs, no less than we honor the heritage and customs of other nations.
The writer is a deputy mayor of Jerusalem.