I apologize about the technical glitch- this was today’s message!
A little less than a week ago, Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of the Israel Religious Action Center and Chairwoman of Women of the Wall was arrested for praying in the women’s section of the Kotel (Western Wall). She was there with a group of 250 women, including many members of Hadassah, who were in Jerusalem to celebrate Hadassah’s 100th anniversary.
This was not the first time Hoffman has been arrested at the Kotel. The Jewish pluralism that we enjoy in this country is sadly, not enjoyed in Israel. At the Kotel, a woman can be arrested for wearing a tallit (prayer shawl), for singing out loud (as opposed to lips moving with muted voices) and for reading from the Torah. Hoffman and other members of the Women of the Wall have been arrested before for these activities. This time her arrest – right while she was in the middle of chanting the Shema — was comparable to those past arrests. But this time she also endured terrible humiliation and abuse at the hands of the Israeli police.
Read more about this horrible situation here. Simply right click on each link and hit “open link.”
http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/10/22/3109841/us-israeli-groups-seek-to-advance-fight-for-religious-pluralism-following-anat-hoffmans-arrest
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anat-hoffman/arrested-for-praying-at-western-wall_b_1987099.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rabbi-laura-geller/arrested-for-praying-out-loud_b_1988017.html
There are some who say that the Kotel should remain under the auspices of the Chief Rabbinate and anyone who visits should follow the minhag ha-makom, the custom of the place. Many in the liberal Jewish community also feel that we should give up on trying to have equal rights at the Kotel, and instead push to solidify the area of the Southern Wall, known as Robinson’s Arch- as a “Masorti” section of the Kotel. This area of the Kotel has in recent years been a place where men and women can legally pray together and where women can enjoy equal rights and opportunities. But, no matter what you think or feel about the Kotel, we must all come together to take a stand against the horrible treatment of Anat Hoffman and others fighting for equal rights for women in Israel, a place where all Jews should feel at home.
The Masorti Movement (Conservative Judaism’s “sister” movement in Israel) deals with issues of civil rights and religious pluralism every day. I encourage everyone to support their work, as they play a critical role in fighting for the rights of all Jews in Israel.
Let us hope and pray for the day that Israel can be a state where all Jews are recognized, respected, and valued as members of Am Yisrael, the people of Israel.