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| Women of the Wall reading from a Torah at the Kotel (TOI) |
A bit of history. With the understanding that a bitter battle between secular and religious Jews would ensue it would be productive to have agreement that would avoid those bitter battles. An agreement was reached at Israel’s founding. It was called the ‘status quo agreement’.
It left the religious and secular status quo of Israel alone. Neither side would to try and change whatever religious and secular standards existed at the time. This is why for example the city of Haifa has busses running on Shabbos - and Bnei Brak doesn’t. It was an agreement signed on to.by the Chazon Ish himself for purposes of peaceful coexistence between the two factions.
But the reality is - ever since that agreement was implemented each side tried to tweak things their way. For example secular Israelis tried to open movie theaters and stores in Tel Aviv on Shabbos that had always been closed. And Charedi Jews in Jerusalem tried to close streets in their neighborhoods on Shabbos that had always been open. With the new power given to the Charedi parties, secular Jews feel they will double down on those types of things. Which they understandably feel is religious coercion.
A legitimate fear. I join them in that fear. Religious coercion never works. It is counterproductive - chasing secular Jews further away form Judaism more than ever.
But not everything the Charedi political parties want to implement amounts to religious coercion. One such thing is the Kotel. Until a few years ago, pretty much everyone respected the fact that it was considered the holiest spot in all of Israel and left it to Israel’s religious authorities to decide how that Kotel should be treated.
Equal access was given to all Jews regardless of which denomination they belonged to - or even if they belonged to none at all. Even non Jews were given access to the Kotel as has been demonstrated by visiting presidents and popes who have been there. As long as they followed the protocols of religious authorities anyone could come and pray as they wished. As long as they did so quietly in non disruptive ways
That long standing status quo (established in 1967) was decimated when a group of women calling themselves ‘Women of the Wall’ (WoW) decided to ignore those protocols and to do their own thing at the Kotel. The fact that some of those women were observant and sincere in their desire to pray their own way does not – in my view – make any difference. It violated rules in place for decades. Their activities were disruptive to the long standing atmosphere of that holy place.
This was never - as WoW and their defenders claimed - a denial to non Orthodox to pray at the Kotel. It was about preventing the uprooting of long standing rules based on tradition that were long ago established by religious authorities.
Leading this attempt is Anat Hoffman, a woman who belongs to the Reform Movement which does not believe that Halacha is mandatory. Reform Judaism currently believes that Halacha is voluntary. So that even if a Jew violates every single Mitzvah of the Torah, it doesn’t matter.
Hoffman’s goal is not just about allowing a few women to do their own thig at the Kotel. She is just using Wow as a clever ploy. She has been careful to make sure that WoW is following what she believes is the letter of Halacha. Thus attracting observant women. She can therefore say that even very sincere Orthodox Jewish women side with her. Claiming that the opposition by the Charedi parties is really just misogynistic. A bunch of religiously fanatic old men who are anti woman.
Her ploy has been working. She has gotten many of the more liberal members of Orthodoxy to agree with her. They see this as a feminism issue. Since they do not see any technical violation of Halacha, as supporters of Orthodox Jewish feminism, they support WoW. But as Hoffman has clearly stated, her real goal is to get Israel to recognize egalitarianism as a legitimate form Judaism - as does her own Reform movement. And getting Israel to legitimize Reform Judaism itself.
Which brings me back to my opposition to shoving religion down everybody’s throat. The religious opposition to Women of the Wall and heterodoxy does not qualify as that. This is about protecting the sanctity of Torah that granting equity to heterodoxy would contradict.
No one is shoving anything down anyone’s throat. No one is being forced to observe a single Halacha. What the Charedi parties oppose is granting legitimacy to movements that are heretical, or that believe that Jews do not have to follow Halacha. That it doesn’t matter to God if they do or if they don’t.
Which brings me to the new demands made by the Charedi parties in exchange for joining the governing coalition. from the Times of Israel:
The United Torah Judaism party has reportedly issued a fresh demand — that all mixed-gender prayer be forbidden at the Western Wall, including in its egalitarian section, as part of ongoing coalition negotiations with the Likud party.
I actually agree with them. At least the first part of demand. Which should be obvious from what I have just said. I do not, however, agree with the second part of their demand. Denying them access to an already agreed upon egalitarian section is counterproductive. Something the Chaerdi parties realized when they originally agreed to it.
It isn’t that I think egalitarian prayer is OK. It is not. But since there was already agreement in principle by both sides that allowed heterodoxy its own space away from the Kotel plaza - that promise should be kept. The Charedi parties reasoned that allowing it would end the increasing war between them. Heterodoxy was making progress towards getting recognition and legitimization.
They hoped that this would end the war between them. Peace is always the preferred option when possible. Which in this case - it was. Or should have been. It would have allowed all Jews to pray at the Kotel plaza with any kind of prayer they wished as long as they followed the tradition based rules.
That this was never implemented is a function of misunderstanding of how the egalitarian section would be administered. That should be worked out.
But non Orthodox modalities of prayer at the Kotel is something I do not support for the abovementioned reasons. Even as I realize that a lot of Orthodox Jews on the left – sincerely see nothing wrong with it. They see this new demand by the Charedi parties as yet another attempt at Charedim trying to shove religion down the throat of an unwilling public. And now they have been given the power to do it. Although I might agree with the left about that in some instances. This is not one of them.