Controversial Kosel Compromise Floated
Following a report that the Israeli government is planning to establish a formal egalitarian prayer section near the Kosel, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the Rav of the Kosel, said that while he would much prefer to preserve the status quo, in the interests of preventing the Kosel from becoming “a battlefield for zealots,” he would agree to the controversial plan.
MK Rabbi Yaakov Litzman (UTJ) denounced Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky’s compromise initiative, saying it would amount to a serious desecration of the Kosel site, and that we cannot lend a hand to the continuing attempt to breach halachic boundaries by anti-religious elements who are engaging in provocations under the guise of “equality.”
Rabbi Litzman added that “any change in the status quo of so many years, damages the holiness of the place and gives
support to the destruction of
traditions that have been preserved through the travail of generations.”
Under the proposal reportedly drafted by Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, which is intended to mollify the self-named “Women of the Wall” group and their Reform and Conservative supporters, authorities would create a permanent area for mixed-gender and women-led prayer. It would be situated in the Robinson Arch area, where limited mixed prayer already is allowed, but which mainly serves as an archaeological site.
The area would be renovated with a platform that would place it at the same level as the rest of the Western Wall plaza and operate around the clock, like the traditional men’s and women’s sections.
While stating his strong preference that the status quo continue, Rabbi Rabinowitz said in the statement that “in the name of unity and the desire to keep the Kosel out of disputes, I won’t oppose a proposal that relates to Robinson’s Arch, which isn’t part of the Beis Haknesses of the Kosel, if this is acceptable to all and will … prevent provocations and baseless hatred.”
This article appeared in print on page 1 of edition of Hamodia.
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