BICOM

Women from both sides of the debate over prayer rights at the Western Wall in Jerusalem gathered this morning to mark the start of a new month in the Jewish calendar, a date which has become a flashpoint in recent months.

An estimated two hundred supporters of the Women of the Wall group, which has been leading the campaign for women’s prayer services at the Western Wall were met by approximately two thousand ultra-Orthodox female students who oppose their style of worship. Numbers were lower than in previous months after the Rabbi of the Western Wall, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch yesterday called on ultra-Orthodox elements to refrain from confrontation at the holy site, which he described as “the greatest desecration.”

The emotive issue of women’s and non-Orthodox prayer services at the Western Wall has intensified over recent months. Such practice is a departure from Orthodox Jewish tradition, but it has nonetheless recently received the backing of Israel’s courts despite protests from Israel’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

Following the high-profile campaign spearheaded by Women of the Wall, Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky announced a plan for a single entrance to the Western Wall plaza from which worshippers can access an egalitarian prayer area. However, this has not yet been implemented and in the meantime, Religious Services Minister Naftali Bennett recently unveiled a large platform for egalitarian and non-Orthodox Jewish prayer at the southernmost point of the Western Wall as an interim solution. Women of the Wall declined to use this space this morning, in part as it does not adjoin the Western Wall itself, denying worshippers direct access to the structure.

In the coming days, a special committee headed by Cabinet Secretary Avichai Mandelblit is set to submit recommendations for new prayer arrangements at the Western Wall, based on Sharansky’s plan. Haaretz reports that Women of the Wall is considering accepting Mandelblit’s recommendations, despite some misgivings.