Posted on 11/05/21
| News Source: Arutz-7
Activists from the Women of the Wall movement and the Reform Movement arrived at the Western Wall Plaza Friday morning for the Women of the Wall's monthly egalitarian prayer service, marking the start of the Hebrew month of Kislev.
The activists arrived without Torah scrolls, bringing instead empty scroll coverings to protest the prohibition against them using Torah scrolls in the main Western Wall Plaza – rather than the egalitarian prayer section.
Worshippers at the Western Wall clashed with the Women of the Wall activists, with police separating the two groups.
Anat Hoffman, chairwoman of the Women of the Wall group, was ordered by police to leave the Western Wall Plaza after she attempted to smuggle in a small Torah scroll for the unauthorized egalitarian prayer service.
MK Itamar Ben-Gvir (Religious Zionist Party), who arrived at the Western Wall Friday morning after spending 48 hours in the Knesset for marathon deliberations on the state budget, slammed the Reform Movement and the Women of the Wall.
"The Women of the Wall's behavior is intentionally provocative. The Western Wall belongs to everyone, but if someone comes to provoke others, they don't need to be at the Wall."
Labor MK Gilad Kariv, a member of the Reform Movement in Israel, slammed former premier and current Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu for blocking implementation of plans to modify the Western Wall Plaza and expand the egalitarian prayer section.
"Netanyahu is the person who brought the Western Wall plan, but then turned his back on everyone. It is lamentable that the Opposition Leader, who pushed for the [Western Wall] plan, is now supporting calls for violence made by haredi parties for political reasons," Kariv told Galei Tzahal.
"My decision not to come to the Western Wall wasn't easy," regarding his cancelled visit to the Wall Friday morning. "The Women of the Wall are exposed to violence every month," Kariv continued, referring to the group's monthly prayer services marking the start of each new Hebrew month.