Ben Gvir Cancels Tel Aviv Tefilah Gathering

By Matis Glenn

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir cancelled a Thursday evening prayer gathering he had planned, to protest left-wing rioters who disrupted public Yom Kippur tefilos.

On Yom Kippur, as thousands gathered to pray in Dizenghoff Square, left-wing provocateurs attempted to thwart the davening, due to it being held with a mechitzah separating men and women.

A left-wing group had announced that they were going to demonstrate on Thursday against public separation of genders, prompting Ben Gvir to call for a tefilah gathering. However when the group canceled their protest, Ben Gvir said that his gathering was no longer necessary.

“I am glad that the extreme left understood that there is no place for anti-Semitism against Jews in the heart of Tel Aviv,” Ben Gvir said. “We have one Jewish state – where Jews will always be able to pray in the public space, whenever and wherever they want.”

After the Yom Kippur riot, a survey conducted by the Kantar Institute and published in Kan 11, stated that the majority of Israelis are in favor of gender segregation in public prayer. According to the survey, 47% said that separated events should be allowed, compared to 34% who said it should be banned. A quarter of secular and opposition voters also support gender separation.