Defending Egalitarian Prayer at the Kotel
Temple Emanu-El stands in solidarity with the Reform Movement in opposing preliminary legislation that could criminalize egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall in Israel.
The Israeli Knesset advanced a bill earlier this week that would give the Orthodox-controlled Chief Rabbinate sole authority over prayer at the wall, or Kotel. If enacted, this bill could define non-Orthodox prayer as a criminal offense, threatening penalties of seven years of incarceration if violated.
“The Kotel does not belong to one stream of Judaism. It is a national symbol and a spiritual inheritance of the entire Jewish people,” says the Central Conference of American Rabbis in a statement.
Many in our congregation have prayed both at the wall itself and at Ezrat Yisrael, the plaza outside the Kotel that allows egalitarian worship, on congregational trips and trips in support of Women at the Wall. This move by the Knesset comes on the heels of a recent Israeli Supreme Court ruling to proceed with renovations to the Ezrat Yisrael space.
“We call upon Israeli leaders to reject measures that divide the Jewish people and instead uphold the values of equality, dignity, and unity that strengthen Jewish life in Israel and around the world,” says the World Union for Progressive Judaism in a statement.
Learn More and Take Action
- Rabbi David Stern will reflect on this issue at the Shabbat evening service on March 13 at 6:15 p.m.
- ARZA, the Association of Reform Zionists of America, has developed this comprehensive resource document for education and defending egalitarian prayer at the Kotel.
- Add your name to the campaign, #PrayerIsNotACrime, to express your opposition to the bill and support pluralistic Judaism in Israel.
We pray for an Israel where all voices can be heard, where all prayers reach God and where we celebrate what unites us in love and peace for all people.