Sarah Silverman’s Sister Says Western Wall ‘Hijacked’ by Orthodox Jews
Fighting Words: Rabbi Sarah Silverman, left, says the kotel has been ?hijacked? by the ultra-Orthodox. Image by getty images
The sister of American comedian Sarah Silverman, Reform Rabbi Susan Silverman, one of ten women detained on Monday for participating in prayers at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, has told Haaretz that the group prayer at the site was not a provocation, and that she is opposed to Haredi “hijacking” of the sacred site on “theological and democratic” grounds.
Some 300 women and men gathered for the new month prayer organized by Women of the Wall, a group dedicated to securing the rights of women to pray aloud, read from the Torah and wear religious garments at the Western Wall. The organization has been attracting growing interest abroad, among Jews and non-Jews. Recently, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Jewish Agency chairman, Natan Sharansky, to find a solution to the ongoing controversy.
The ten women were arrested by police only after most of the other participants and journalists at the scene had gone. They were held in custody for three hours, and several of the women were issued temporary restraint orders from the site.
For more go to Haaretz.com
A message from our editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren
We're building on 127 years of independent journalism to help you develop deeper connections to what it means to be Jewish today.
With so much at stake for the Jewish people right now — war, rising antisemitism, a high-stakes U.S. presidential election — American Jews depend on the Forward's perspective, integrity and courage.
— Jodi Rudoren, Editor-in-Chief
