Israel's Parliament Moves Toward Ban On Mixed-gender Prayer At Jerusalem's Western Wall

JERUSALEM — Israel’s parliament has fixed preliminary support to a measure that would put nan country’s Orthodox main rabbinate successful complaint of nan full Western Wall successful Jerusalem, raising fears among wide Jews that mixed-gender dream astatine nan tract will soon beryllium outlawed.

The bill, if approved, threatens to further strain relations betwixt Israel and nan Reform movement, nan largest watercourse of Judaism successful nan United States.

The Western Wall is nan holiest tract successful nan world wherever Jews tin pray. While its gleaming main plaza is nether nan supervision of nan rabbinate and dream location is segregated, nan tract besides has an egalitarian section, acold disconnected to nan side, wherever men and women tin believe together.

Under nan bill, immoderate dream astatine nan wall that runs contrary to nan main rabbinate’s specifications would beryllium deemed “desecration,” punishable by up to 7 years successful prison. That could spell nan extremity of nan wall’s egalitarian section.

“It’s criminalizing nan measurement nan immense mostly of Jews believe successful nan bosom of nan holiest tract of nan superior of nan Jewish state,” said Orly Erez-Likhovski, executive head of nan Israel Religious Action Center, nan societal justness limb of Israel’s Reform movement.

The Reform activity is nan largest denomination of organized Jewry successful nan United States. But successful Israel, it has a mini beingness and nan Orthodox rabbinate wields a adjacent monopoly complete belief affairs specified arsenic weddings and burials.

“Wherever ultra-Orthodox person nan precocious manus aliases person control, they’re trying to unit gender segregation. They are trying to make women disappear,” said Erez-Likhovski.

Her statement is representing nan Reform activity arsenic good arsenic nan smaller Conservative activity and nan “Women of nan Wall” — a group that campaigns for gender equality astatine nan tract — successful a conflict astatine nan Israeli Supreme Court to push nan authorities to sphere and repair nan egalitarian section.

The conception itself is mostly retired of position and accessible only done a mini doorway.

Once inside, visitors are blocked from rubbing nan ancient stones by a warren of grates near location aft 2018, erstwhile a monolithic chromatic dislodged from nan wall and toppled onto nan dream platform, prompting its contiguous closure.

It is simply a stark opposition to nan wall’s iconic esplanade, replete pinch plaques from generous donors, wherever buzzing devotees segregate to believe by nan Wall’s ancient stones.

The bill, sponsored by far-right lawmaker Avi Maoz, was passed successful a preliminary reference precocious Wednesday 56-47.

It was brought to nan preliminary ballot Wednesday to mitigate a Feb. 19 ruling by Israel’s Supreme Court to statesman repairing nan egalitarian conception of nan wall, according to nan Israel Democracy Institute, a Jerusalem deliberation tank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s authorities agreed to undertake nan repairs a decade agone arsenic portion of a discuss to beforehand pluralism.

It is not known erstwhile nan measure will beryllium presented for a last ballot of approval.

Frankel writes for nan Associated Press.