Jerusalem – The Attorney General’s Office has written to the Supervisor of the Western Wall and the Holy Places Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz and underlined the importance of including women in official state ceremonies, including the Hanukka candle lighting ceremonies which take place every night of the holiday.
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The Women of the Wall prayer rights group has been conducting a concerted campaign in recent months and years to have female public officials included in the list of dignitaries who are asked to light a large Hanukkia at the Western Wall plaza.
The ceremony takes place in the men’s section of the plaza and only men are invited to participate.
The letter to Rabinowitz comes after WoW wrote to the Attorney General’s Office pointing out that a government report on the exclusion of women in the public sphere published in 2013 prohibits the exclusion of women from state ceremonies.
In the response sent to Rabinowitz on Sunday entitled “preventing the exclusion of women from the state candle lighting ceremony for Hanukka”, Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber asked to see the list of dignitaries invited to this year’s ceremonies, and pointed out several commitments made by the state to prevent discrimination against women in the public sphere.
Zilber pointed to the 2013 document on the exclusion of women from the public sphere, drawn up by a working group of the Justice Ministry, which asserted that separation between men and women in the public domain represents illegitimate discrimination against women due to their being women.
The deputy attorney general added that the document states specifically that “public authorities are prohibited from any separation between men and women even if done following requests from a sector of the public with an interest in the matter.”
Continued Zilber, “In light of this… we request to confirm what should be obvious that you are working towards the integration and participation of women in the state candle lighting ceremonies which will be staged at the Western Wall this coming Hanukka.”
She added that it would be “a great help if we would be able to receive the list of those participating in the ceremonies.”
WoW chairman Anat Hoffman praised the step taken by the Attorney General’s Office, and expressed hope that, given Zilber’s emphasis on the prohibition against gender separation by public institutions, Rabinowitz would find an appropriate solution.
She said that the organization would be happy if as a result the state ceremony were to moved from the men’s section of the Western Wall plaza to the upper section of the area behind the men and women’s sections and with female public officials participating.
Hoffman also insisted that according to Jewish law women are obligated to light Hanukka candles, and that men can even fulfill their obligation to light by asking their wives to light the candles on their behalf.
“When the president of the Supreme Court was Asher Grunis he was invited to light the candles. Would it be acceptable for the president of the Supreme Court, Justice Miriam Naor, was not invited because she is a woman?” asked Hoffman.
“Women of the Wall and all our activists, men and women in Israel and abroad, are becoming the match that ignites this cause. Matches are lit by friction, and nothing else works in this lighting ceremony if there is no match.”
The AG should stick to secular issues and let the rabbis deal with who gets to light the chanika licht
& people still wane tell me thet Isreal is a Jewish state,
look chevra
the tefilin she has on are put on wrong the sefer i prob a photocopy writen by a ishamelite on shabbas yom kippur and they need kiruv ; have rachmnaus they are prob tenu kshe nishba ; so let them light – its not shabbas
The secular Zionist should get their dirty feet out of Israel.
If only their motivation was religious, and not feminist, they might be approachable. Really sad.
Look at the smiles, they just want a chance to join in, even though I am uncomfortable looking at someone hold a Sefer Torah in such an awkward way. There is no legitimate reason they cannot light a Menora, they should probably be permitted that much. The beauty in a Jewish state is that there will always be tension. Some would probably be happy using the Kotel as a movie screen, while others, like Alter, above, would have women required to wear burquas. The state has the task of navigating a path for all, may they continue to be Zocheh until Hashem completes the Geula. Thank you Hashem, and the brave men and women who created a Jewish homeland, for allowing us to be in a place where we can focus on such trivialities.
I am not Satmar but the reba Z”TL did say years ago not to go the kosel as long as the tzionim hold they are the boss of the place.
When Moshiach arrives the Tzionim will still be the boss of the place, but they make arrangements to accommodate the Rebbe just as they did when he needed a ride out of Europe.
How sick this country has gotten
let these feminists insist the pope (which comes from the word papa) be a woman next time.
The State has a policy of including Ashkenazi women in all its institutions, foremost in the Supreme Court where half of its members are Ashkenazi women, And no Sephardi is allowed among men either, The UN has ruled already ZIONISM IS RACISM, and we ask Deputy AG Dina Zilber to vouch to adhere to this standard at the Kotel women ceremony also,
ALTERG, shows his ignorance once again
RambaM Sefer Tora (10:8)
כָּל הַטְּמֵאִים, אַפִלּוּ נִדּוֹת, וְאַפִלּוּ גּוֹיִים–מֻתָּרִין לֶאֱחֹז סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, וְלִקְרוֹת בּוֹ: שְׁאֵין דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה מְקַבְּלִין טֻמְאָה. וְהוּא שֶׁלֹּא יִהְיוּ יְדֵיהֶם מְטֻנָּפוֹת, אוֹ מְלֻכְלָכוֹת בְּטִיט; אֵלָא יִרְחֲצוּ יְדֵיהֶם, וְאַחַר כָּךְ יִגְּעוּ בּוֹ
RambaM Tztzis 3:10
נָשִׁים וַעֲבָדִים וּקְטַנִּים, פְּטוּרִין מִן הַצִּיצִית מִן הַתּוֹרָה; וּמִדִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים, שֶׁכָּל קָטָן שֶׁיּוֹדֵעַ לְהִתְעַטַּף, חַיָּב בַּצִּיצִית, כְּדֵי לְחַנְּכוֹ בַּמִּצְווֹת. וְנָשִׁים וַעֲבָדִים שֶׁרָצוּ לְהִתְעַטַּף בַּצִּיצִית, מִתְעַטְּפִין בְּלֹא בְּרָכָה; וְכֵן שְׁאָר כָּל מִצְווֹת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁהַנָּשִׁים פְּטוּרוֹת מֵהֶן–אִם רָצוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת אוֹתָהּ בְּלֹא בְּרָכָה, אֵין מְמַחִין בְּיָדָן.
RambaM Megilah 1:1, 3:4
קְרִיאַת הַמְּגִלָּה בִּזְמַנָּהּ, מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה מִדִּבְרֵי סוֹפְרִים; וְהַדְּבָרִים יְדוּעִים, שְׁהִיא תַּקָּנַת נְבִיאִים. וְהַכֹּל חַיָּבִים בִּקְרִיאָתָהּ–אֲנָשִׁים, וְנָשִׁים, וְגֵרִים, וַעֲבָדִים מְשֻׁחְרָרִים;
כָּל שֶׁחַיָּב בִּקְרִיאַת הַמְּגִלָּה, חַיָּב בְּהַדְלָקַת נֵר חֲנֻכָּה
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