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
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Life Smuggling Tallitot for Women at Western Wall
Recently, Amichai Lau-Lavie, founding director of Storahtelling and a second-year Jewish Theological Seminary rabbinical student, published a blog post about illegally smuggling tallitot (prayer shawls) into the Western Wall for use by Women of the Wall on February 11, Rosh Hodesh Adar. “I broke the law by smuggling prayer shawls into the site of the…
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Life Women of the Wall Rally Hits NYC in March
A prayer rally is being planned for Rosh Chodesh Nissan on March 12 to provide a way for Jews in New York to stand in solidarity with Women of the Wall, who will be praying at the Kotel that same morning. The rally, billed as “Wake up for Religious Tolerance: Rosh Hodesh Nissan Solidarity Minyan…
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Fast Forward Sarah Silverman’s Sister Says Western Wall ‘Hijacked’ by Orthodox Jews
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…
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Fast Forward Sarah Silverman’s Sister Among 10 Women Arrested in Western Wall Protest
Israeli police detained 10 women at one of Judaism’s most sacred sites on Monday for wearing prayer shawls, which Orthodox tradition sees as solely for men, a spokesman said. The incident at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City highlighted the divisions between the more liberal streams of Judaism and politically powerful Orthodox groups that…
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Fast Forward Can Natan Sharansky Settle Western Wall Feud?
He brought unprecedented attention to the plight of Soviet Jewry. He stood up to the KGB. He survived nine years in Siberia. He served in Israel’s fractious government. Now, Natan Sharansky is facing his next challenge: finding a solution to the growing battle over women’s prayer restrictions at the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site. In…
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Fast Forward Western Wall Prayer Fight Fails To Move Israelis
Few American tourists to Israel forget their first visit to the Western Wall. They put notes in the cracks, whisper prayers and take photos against the backdrop of Judaism’s holiest site. But Kobi Bachar of Tel Aviv can’t remember the last time he visited. “I was there maybe 10 years ago,” said Bachar, who is…
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Fast Forward Bibi to Jewish Agency: Look Into Women’s Prayer at Western Wall
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly has asked the Jewish Agency to come up with a solution for non-Orthodox women’s groups who want to pray at the Western Wall. Netanyahu asked Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky to examine the issue, the Associated Press reported citing an unnamed Israeli government official. The AP quoted Jewish Agency…
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Fast Forward Worshipper Finds $500M in Checks at Western Wall
A worshipper at the Western Wall found an envelope with 507 open checks worth about half a billion dollars. The checks, most worth $1 million and originating from countries around the world, were signed but not made out to anybody. The majority of the checks came from Nigeria, according to the Rabbi of the Western…
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