Jerusalem – Three female Members of Knesset joined the Women of the Wall on Tuesday for a quiet monthly service which was the first time in 22 months that police did not detain any women for “violating the customs of the site.”
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“Women of the Wall asked me to come and pray and I believe in their struggle,” said MK Stav Shaffir (Labor), who was joined by MKs Michal Roisin and Tamar Zandberg (both of Meretz).
“Even though I’m secular, and don’t usually wear tallit [prayer shawl], I came because religion in Jerusalem is based on one type and doesn’t respect the different streams of Judaism and the different ways of praying,” Shaffir told the Jerusalem Post. “This place belongs to them as well as the Orthodox.”
She said that she would consider introducing legislative measures in the Knesset to protect women’s rights at the Western Wall.
Police tried to prevent Shaffir and Zandberg from bringing tallitot into the Western Wall plaza, but they eventually managed to pass through along with their tallitot, because they have diplomatic immunity.
Police asked the MKs to leave their talitot outside of the site in order to prevent a disturbance of the public order, but Zandberg and her fellow MKs refused to leave their prayer shawls behind.
“As a member of the Knesset, I demand entry,” she said. “The law with regard to holy places as interpreted by the extreme denomination is not acceptable to me and I refuse to leave my talit outside.”
Shaffir described the service as a moving experience, and insisted that the right of women to pray according to their beliefs should be upheld.
“There’s no room in this country for coercion by one religious stream towards others,” Shaffir told the Post. “These women choose to pray how they want to, and we need to promote this freedom for all denominations of Judaism to practice the religion according to their beliefs, especially here at this holy place.”
Shaffir said that it was important to act in a sensitive manner but that the Women of the Wall prayer services “are not harming anyone.”
“This is their way, they’re not dressed in an exposed fashion, they don’t go into the men’s section, they stand at the side with their tallitot and pray,” she said.
The monthly service has become something of a flash point between the police and the Women of the Wall activist group, with women regularly detained at the site for wearing “male-style” prayer shawls.
The law forbids performing religious ceremonies “not according to local custom” or which “may hurt the feelings of the worshipers” at the site, which is interpreted by the police as meaning anything deviating from Orthodox practice.
As in past months, police prohibited women from bringing tallit. Some women circumvented this by hiding their tallit in plastic bags or underneath their coat, according to Michal Gavrieli, who was arrested last month with nine other women for wearing a “female” tallit, according to police.
Even though many women did wear tallitot, including the MKs, and some of the women wore the so-called male-style prayer shawls, no arrests were made.
According to Women of the Wall Chairwoman Anat Hoffman, this is the first time in nearly two years that no women were detained following their monthly service, and credited US President Obama’s upcoming visit and the presence of the MKs for the lack of arrests on Tuesday morning.
“The police were acting like they do every month, saying to us ‘Sorry for disturbing your prayer, but you’re violating the law of the holy places.’ Usually that’s their war cry to let us know they will arrest us,” she said.
Also on Tuesday, Jews around the world will hold a dozen solidarity events with the Women of the Wall, including services in New York and Washington DC.
“Our group has reached a nuisance level that is considerable, especially abroad,” she said. Hoffman added that arrested women for attempting to pray just days before Obama visits would be an embarrassment to the country.
Last month, Hoffman was among ten people arrested for wearing “female” tallit, according to police spokesman Shmuel Ben Ruby. Police also arrested an eight-month pregnant rabbinical student and American comedian Sarah Silverman’s sister Rabbi Susan Silverman and her daughter Hallel.
Hoffman said that she would continue to invite high profile guests to their monthly prayer in order to maintain pressure on the police to stop the arrests. “Barbara Streisand is coming on June 15,” she said. “We want her to sing Hallel with us.”
Ahead of the monthly service, extremist haredi factions posted “pashkevilim” or gossip notices calling on men to come to the Western Wall at the same time in order to “protest against the desecration of the holy.” The large police presence kept men away from the barrier between the men and women’s side, though about a dozen women attempted to interrupt the service by yelling obscenities at the Women of the Wall.
“What you’re doing hurts God! Let us observe our traditions!” yelled one woman. Another hysterical woman screamed over and over “You are an embarrassment and you smell! When I get to heaven God will ask me what I did to stop this desecration!”
The Women of the Wall responded by praying louder and dancing in circles around the screaming women.
The Rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinowitz, has repeatedly condemned the Women of the Wall for making provocations and bringing inappropriate protests to the holiest spot in Judaism.
Content is provided courtesy of the Jerusalem Post
“the religious needs” of these women is to cover their hair and go to mikvah and keep shabbos and kashrus. not bumbling around like baffoons with crooked tfilin and desecrating sifrei torah and makomei kdusha.
“I came because religion in Jerusalem is based on one type and doesn’t respect the different streams of Judaism and the different ways of praying,” Shaffir told the Jerusalem Post. “This place belongs to them as well as the Orthodox.”
Well, there you go again. Observant Judaism needs a Reagan to stick this one where it belongs. Different streams of Judaism? Either believe in Hashem and OBSERVE HIS TORAH or you don’t. The Telshe Rosh Yeshivah, Rav Gifter, asked how can you reform what’s already been formed? You don’t you want to change the form so it no longer resembles the original. Well that’s fine, go join a cult or a group of idolaters and have at it. Religion is the greatest obstacle to avodas Hashem, that’s why we should be OBSERVANT and not ORTHODOX.
ignore them it will go away…if one makes noise the movment will grow…charaidim in general need to relax,,,,as the radicalism of charadim give life for these movements to grow…
While I don’t agree with these women are doing, it seems to me that the point of them doing all this is to cry for help. They want to be heard that there is a problem with the way that certain things are done in Jerusalem and at the Kotel. Although they seem to be going about this the wrong way, it does not mean that every point they’re trying to make is invalid.
She should at least align her tefilin shel rosh, she is not wearing it correctly, it is too much to her right.
If we would be able to glance back, at the times of Bayis Rishon, we would see a practice of Yiddishkeit that we are totally not used to.
They are baked and paid by the reform movement in the United States.
Where does it say that a woman is now allowed to wear tallis and teffilin?
If a woman can shukle leluv why cant she wear a tallis?
In the Talmud it says that some tanaim put tzitzit on their women’s clothing.
It also says that women are allowed to be called upo to the torah.
I dont get why the chasidim make such a fuss about something that is clearly a mitvah just like lulav.
Non Jewish ceremonies are not permitted at the Kosel. Why is this any different? This religion has no connection to Judaism. The individuals, perhaps, are tinokos shenishbu, but what they are practicing has absolutely no connection to Torah.
If it wasn’t so sad it would be funny! Could someone explain to me why they are making kol hanearim on Rosh chodesh Nissan?? Also the Mk who doesn’t daven but wears a tallis to the kosel?? She reminds me of the famous story with the ponivezhe rav they asked him if he says hallel on yom hoatzmaut he answered I do like Ben gurion he doesn’t daven so he doesn’t say hallel so neither do I!!
Not to sounds naive, but if there’s a mechitza there, what’s wrong with them having their own prayer service there? I know it’s “minhag avoseinu b’yadeinu” not to have women wear Talisim, read from Torah, etc., but technically there’s no issue if there’s a mechitza and apart from men. Is there something I’m missing?
These women are misguided. They violate our holy Torah in the name of their spirituality and self- expression. In any event, the kosel is the holiest place in Judaism and those practices actually forbidden by normative Halacha should be prohibited.
It is also problematic to allow other non-customary practices at the kosel as it misleads the uneducated as to the legitimacy of non-orthodox practices no matter how emotionally some people want to excess themselves. It is certainly not for Reform female “rabbis” to decide what is permissib
!ברוך השם
!שבעים פנים לתורה
These women are just drilling hatred down…..
Let’s see them go to the temple mount and ask for equality.
Isn’t it interesing that the feminists, who want equal rights, put on the same tallis and tefillin that their husbands/sons DON’T? 🙂
The Arizal would have said.. these are gigulim of bec their previous life they were men and now their reincarnated into a women’s body.
The women of the wall want to pray. If praying to you means sticking your finger up your nose in public, would we allow that? This is not much different.
Women who wear tallis and try to read from Torah are like a coin that has no face and no promise. Never Again.
Nobody in my family supports these ladies. Many or a large number on this webasite suffer from the same mental myopia. On this website the President has been cursed, wished a “kapora” called vile names and his newly appointed secretary defense condemned . Some very fine senators blasted him for remarks about Israel. However there is a multilingual website on the internet which accuses Israel of atrocities, of being an illegal entity . Some members of this group identifying themselves as Rabbis have travelled to Teheran wished the President success in his mission and all the blessing [mazal and brocha] . One member residing in Jerusalem identified as a Mr. Krauss gave a detailed interview in the largest German weekly news magazine calling Israel an illegal entity and condemning its existence. As I said we suffer from a myopia not treatable by an ophthalmologist. If these are transgressing “al pi torah” are the above following daas torah defended numerously on this webiste. Israel itself has been a treifene medina and tzionym are equal to worst of the worst. I may think there is an incongruency on this website
The Wall is a symbol, a remnant retaining wall of the Temple. It is not HaShem. The women of the Wall want to openly approach it without being insulted, or segregated out, as our persecutors did. Women are half of Jewish destiny and should be allowed to daven there.
2 Points! Hey, if not for the off-the-wall women these left-wing MKs would never utter a religious prayer!
even if that is one of the shivim ponim latorah- the shulchan aruch is what decides what we should do in our days! not evrey one can come up with something against halacha and say “shivim ponim latorah!”…
These poor women are nothing more than hate criminals. They were not educated properly and out of ignorance, feel the need to infringe on the practice of others in public. No different than a howling ranter on the subway.
The RambaM has no objection to women wearing a tallis (or Tzitzis)
Hilchos Tzitzis: 3:9
נשים ועבדים וקטנים פטורין מן הציצית מן התורה. ומדברי סופרים שכל קטן שיודע להתעטף חייב בציצית כדי לחנכו במצות. ונשים ועבדים שרצו להתעטף בציצית מתעטפים בלא ברכה. וכן שאר מצות עשה שהנשים פטורות מהן אם רצו לעשות אותן בלא ברכה אין ממחין בידן. טומטום ואנדרוגינוס חייבין בכולן מספק לפיכך אין מברכין אלא עושין בלא ברכה:
The RambaM allows women to touch or read a sefer Torah 10:8
כל הטמאין ואפילו נדות ואפילו כותי מותר לאחוז ספר תורה ולקרות בו. שאין דברי תורה מקבלין טומאה. והוא שלא יהיו ידיו מטונפות או מלוכלכות בטיט אלא ירחצו ידיהם ואח”כ יגעו בו:
The RambaM also appears to have no objection to women wearing Tefilin and makes no stipulation as to their purity 4:13
כל הפטור מקריאת שמע פטור מתפילין. קטן שיודע לשמור תפיליו אביו לוקח לו תפילין כדי לחנכו במצות. חולי מעים וכל מי שלא יכול לשמור את נקביו אלא בצער פטור מן התפילין. וכל הטמאים כולן חייבין בתפילין כטהורים. מצטער ומי שאין דעתו מיושבת ונכונה עליו פטור מן התפילין שהמניח תפילין אסור לו להסיח דעתו מהן. כהנים בשעת העבודה והלוים בשעה שאומרים השיר על הדוכן וישראל בשעה שעומדים במקדש פטורין מן התפלה ומן התפילין:
sad.
That’s not the right explanation of the Rambam. There is no obligation for women to where tfilin in any way shape or form.As far as these women, the point he was making is that they are NOT covering their arms!!
As far as a chatzitzah goes, use your own sechel and don’t act as if you don’t know. Look in Sanhedrion perik 9 as far as what a chatzitzah is. I’m not going to discuss this subject here for the truth is what it says in the kitzur, that “blurious” is not only shachatz and gavah but is also a chatzitzah for tfilin.
To # 70 and 71
Read the RambaM carefully dear Sirs.
If by ‘minyin’ you mean Minyan (a quorum of 10 men) you are only partially correct.
The Tzibur reading, that is the obligatory reading for Shabbos, Festivals and weekdays is an OBLIGATION on a congregation of ten or more men. However anybody who owns a sefer Torah can read from it at any time Did you not read the RambaM in Sefer Torah 10:8
כל הטמאין ואפילו נדות ואפילו כותי מותר לאחוז ספר תורה ולקרות בו. שאין דברי תורה מקבלין טומאה. והוא שלא יהיו ידיו מטונפות או מלוכלכות בטיט אלא ירחצו ידיהם ואח”כ יגעו בו:
The RambaM makes no stipulation about a minyan. The truth is, anyone can read a sefer torah at anytime at home or anywhere. The rules about Minyan and Aliyos apply to the readings that are an obligation on the Tzibur.
Furthermore the RambaM says a woman should not read the Torah in a mixed congregation because of Kavod Hatzibur, but not because an inherent disqualification of women. According to the Gemara megila 22 a woman can be called up to an Aliya ( it was the Rabbis who discouraged it because of Kavod Hatzibur) RambaM Tefilah 12:17 and Kesef Mishne there.
Free your mind of bias, and read the RambaM
You talk like an am ho’aretz.
A)we don’t pasken like the Rambam we Pasken from the Shulchen Oruch, All later day Rabonim and poskim pasken different than the Rambam in many things.
B) Woman can NOT take out a Torah and MAKE BROCHOS and read from
IT!
C) Yes a woman may touch a sefer Torah as it is compared to fire and just as fire is not m’kabel tumeh neither does a Torah. However that is only to touch. But to read it and make brochos (l’vatolos) on it is completely ossur. And this is exactly what they are doing!!! Not just touching Torahs! And please please don’t quote me stuff that has NO appliction today and do not make it sound likeit was “only” the rabbis’ chumra. You sound like a Saduccee or at best an MO looking for heterim.
I did not degrade these woman for putting on t’fillin. My problem with them is I am pretty sure they are not doing it for the mitzvah, rather they want equal rights. I would never go to their houses and tell them to not want to do “mitzvos ahsey shehazman groma” even if they are potur and even if they should maybe not say “v’tzivonu”. But to do so pulicly for the sole purpose of feminism irritates me and many others. I could on and on but I won’t. I know women like this in the U.S. and the bottom line is that this was their real agenda.
And a chag kasher v’sameach to you.