This is the Forward’s coverage of the Western Wall, also called the Kotel, a Jewish holy site in Jerusalem adjacent to the Temple Mount.
Western Wall
The Latest
-
News Non-Orthodox Groups Threaten Fight Over Kotel If Israel Scraps Deal
TEL AVIV — The Conservative and Reform movements in Israel are considering some drastic measures as part of a planned offensive over access to the Western Wall in Jerusalem for egalitarian prayer if the government backs away from a long and drawn-out compromise to which it agreed. With that plan now at risk due to…
-
Opinion Why Don’t We Wail Over the Arab Homes Destroyed for Our Kotel?
Over the past few months I have repeatedly been asked my opinion about the compromise agreement — now itself — to create an egalitarian prayer space adjacent to the Western Wall. As I watched women and men with tallitot and tefillin reading from the Torah and singing in celebration, I was grateful that after many years…
-
Life Who Is To Blame for Collapse of Kotel Prayer Deal?
The Kotel prayer agreement appears to be going south — leaving us to ask how Israeli leaders from across the spectrum failed to deliver on an agreement that looked like a done deal. “The deal” of course, is about the Kotel, or Western Wall, and Robinson’s Arch — and who gets to pray where and how. These…
-
Life Kotel Chaos Explained: Who Threw Whom Under the Bus, and Why
Editor’s Note: The fight for women’s prayer rights at the Western Wall, or Kotel, has been going on for so long and has so many twists and turns that we thought we’d ask one of the original activists to help our readers understand the saga. “Things are not always what they seem.”—Pheadrus There is so…
-
News Kotel Egalitarian Prayer Advocates Have Faith Bibi Will Enforce Deal
(JTA) The Western Wall rabbi just denounced the Western Wall deal. Its supporters aren’t worried. And Women of the Wall activists are looking to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to back them up. In January, Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz agreed to a historic compromise with non-Orthodox leaders over the future of the holy site. On…
-
Fast Forward Western Wall Rabbi Now Opposes Egalitarian Prayer Plan
The Western Wall rabbi withdrew his support for a deal establishing a separate egalitarian prayer section at the holy site. Shmuel Rabinowitz in a letter Monday urged ultra-Orthodox party leaders to introduce legislation to cancel the Jan. 31 deal and a 2013 district court ruling allowing the Women of the Wall group to pray in…
-
Fast Forward Religion Minister Vows To Block Western Wall Egalitarian Prayer
The Chief Rabbinate canceled a meeting with the prime minister over the government’s plan to expand the egalitarian prayer section at the Western Wall a day after the Rabbinate said it would create its own plan. The meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set for Sunday. Hours after the meeting was canceled, the former…
-
Fast Forward Women’s Western Wall Prayer Session Attacked by Ultra-Orthodox Protesters
A women’s prayer service at the Western Wall was disturbed by protesting haredi Orthodox men and women. The Original Women of the Wall group held morning services on Monday using a small Torah scroll that they smuggled in for the service. The more than 20 women were wearing prayer shawls and phylacteries. According to a…
Explore
Most Popular
- 1
News What We Know About Jeffrey Epstein’s Childhood
- 2
News An audiobook narrator told Zionists to kill themselves. A popular romance novelist hired him anyway.
- 3
News This Jewish Olympian prays with her mom before every race
- 4
Opinion The dark message behind Tucker Carlson’s attempt to drum up drama in Israel
In Case You Missed It
-
Opinion The ‘Hymietown’ affair degraded Black-Jewish relations. Jesse Jackson wasn’t the real culprit
-
Fast Forward Robin Kelly, running for Senate in Illinois, says Israel committed ‘genocide’
-
Fast Forward Isaiah Zagar, renowned Jewish mosaic artist who created Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, dies at 86
-
Fast Forward South Africa pulls out of Venice Biennale — because its selected artist wanted to focus on Gaza
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
