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May 8, 2013
The Haredi Women of the Wall
This Friday is going to be Rosh Chodesh Sivan. That means Friday morning davening at the Kotel will have its usual excitement. The police said they won't be making arrests this month, but the Women of the Wall wont be allowed to take Torahs to the womens section.
To step things up, UTJ has decided to bring their own version of Women of the Wall to the Kotel for Rosh Chodesh davening this month. Haredi women wearing tallit and tefillin? No. The haredi versin of Women of the Wall is just going to be thousands of seminar students and women coming to the Kotel to daven together.
UTJ said they have no intention of creating a provocation but just to do something that will show the people of Israel who the real women of the wall are, women who the entire year daven by the Kotel and not just once a month to create excitement and riots.
MK Eichler added a call to the police to protect them, and not to dare to use violence against those davening in the holiest place to Jews.
(source: Kikar)
First, and this is just a minor issue, the Kotel is not the holiest place to Jews. It might be the closest one can get to the holiest place, if you refuse to go to Har Habayit, but it is not the holiest place.
Second, he who calls on others not to use violence, should also ensure that he himself does not use violence. The protests against WoW have been violent. Throwing chairs, throwing garbage, pushing, etc. A call to refrain from violence would be much more deserving of attention of he would call on his own people to act similarly.
And anyway, I do not expect these thousands of young women who will be there davening to do anything that would require a violent response from the police. It is the men I would be more worried about.
To step things up, UTJ has decided to bring their own version of Women of the Wall to the Kotel for Rosh Chodesh davening this month. Haredi women wearing tallit and tefillin? No. The haredi versin of Women of the Wall is just going to be thousands of seminar students and women coming to the Kotel to daven together.
UTJ said they have no intention of creating a provocation but just to do something that will show the people of Israel who the real women of the wall are, women who the entire year daven by the Kotel and not just once a month to create excitement and riots.
MK Eichler added a call to the police to protect them, and not to dare to use violence against those davening in the holiest place to Jews.
(source: Kikar)
First, and this is just a minor issue, the Kotel is not the holiest place to Jews. It might be the closest one can get to the holiest place, if you refuse to go to Har Habayit, but it is not the holiest place.
Second, he who calls on others not to use violence, should also ensure that he himself does not use violence. The protests against WoW have been violent. Throwing chairs, throwing garbage, pushing, etc. A call to refrain from violence would be much more deserving of attention of he would call on his own people to act similarly.
And anyway, I do not expect these thousands of young women who will be there davening to do anything that would require a violent response from the police. It is the men I would be more worried about.
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"First, and this is just a minor issue, the Kotel is not the holiest place to Jews. It might be the closest one can get to the holiest place, if you refuse to go to Har Habayit, but it is not the holiest place."
ReplyDeleteIt's actually NOT A minor issue.
The PM says it, the siddur at the kotel says it, the "womenforthewall" website says it..
It needs to be corrected.
The siddur at the kotel actually makes it sound like the beit hamikdash will be built in the kotel plaza!
ReplyDeletewhat siddur at the kotel?
ReplyDeleteby "minor point" I meant that I am sure they mean it is the closest we can get to the holiest place (because they hold it is assur to go to har habayit).
ReplyDeleteif they really believed the kotel is the holiest place, it would not be a minor issue.
I think it is just a matter of poor wording on their part.
I can only imagine the Yated coverage of this gathering, perhaps with a picture of the top of the Kotel, but no pictures of the women.
ReplyDelete(Maybe this whole event isn't tznius by UTJ standards?)
Was anyone around in 1967 to tell me why the IDF conquered Har Habayit, but then went down to the kotel? Why does 'freeing the kotel' mean more to everyone than freeing har habayit?
ReplyDeleteit should not. perhaps it means more to them because the kotel is a place they can daven at, while har habayit they consider to be a place they cant go.
ReplyDeleteSo, if you have har habayit but have nothing to do with it anyway, it is not all that significant to you that you have it.