Prayerful Protest: A member of Women of the Wall prays at the Kotel. Image by getty images

By Naomi Zeveloff March 15, 2017

The feminist prayer group Women of the Wall filed a petition with the Israeli High Court today to demand protection during its prayer services at the Western Wall holy site, the group said.

Their petition was filed against the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which administers the site, and its head, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitz. The petition also named the Israeli police.

(Rabinovitz’s office and Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld did not respond to immediate requests for comment from the Forward.)

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Women of the Wall said it filed the petition for protection against what it described as a significant uptick in disturbances during its first-of-the-month prayer services at the Western Wall.

At the past several Rosh Chodesh services, Women of the Wall has been confronted by ultra-Orthodox protesters who object to their demands to pray equally to men at the site, where female worship is restricted.

Protesters interrupt the feminist services with ear-piercing whistles and shouts and sometimes even physical violence. In February, Women of the Wall board member Susan Silverman said she was kicked in the shin at the service.

Contact Naomi Zeveloff at [email protected]

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