Women of the Wall Won’t Challenge Kotel Torah Rules Due to Unrest
Rosh Chodesh services held by Women of the Wall included an emotional reading of Hallel, a collection of psalms. Image by Getty Images
The Women of the Wall said they would not attempt to smuggle a Torah scroll to the Kotel during this month’s Rosh Hodesh prayer service due to the current security situation.
In a letter sent Sunday to Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall, Women of the Wall Chairwoman Anat Hoffman said the women had decided “out of a deep sense of responsibility, not to attempt to smuggle a Torah scroll in to the Kotel this month, so as not to challenge the security forces during this time of high threat levels,” according to a statement from the group.
Police and security officials in Jerusalem have been on high alert over the last several days following several stabbing attacks in the city.
The Women of the Wall said that, despite the serious security concerns in the Old City of Jerusalem, they will meet on Wednesday for a prayer service for the new Jewish month of Heshvan, during which time two bat mitzvahs are scheduled to be held, for a teen from the United States and a teen from Brazil.
In her letter, Hoffman reiterated her request that the women be allowed to use one of the Torah scrolls located at the site.
Women of the Wall gather at the Western Wall at the start of each Jewish month for the morning prayer service. The group’s members have clashed frequently with staff from the office of the Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites of Israel, and with police for holding services that violate the rules enforced by the office.
An April 2013 Supreme Court ruling acknowledged women’s right to pray at the Western Wall according to their beliefs, claiming it does not violate what has come to be known as “local custom.”
Regulations at the site set by the office have allowed women to wear a prayer shawl and kippa, but prevented women from using a Torah scroll in their section.
In the past, the group has smuggled a mini-Torah scroll into the women’s section. During a service in April, male supporters of the group hoisted a scroll over the divider between the men’s and women’s sections, encountering violent opposition.
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