Israel revisits female prayer shawl ban at Western Wall

Israeli women of the Women of the Wall organization hold a Torah scroll during a prayer just outside the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray in Jerusalem's old city, Friday, Dec. 14, 2012. The shawls they are wearing are only worn by men in Orthodox tradition. / AP Photo/Dan Balilty

JERUSALEM Israel's prime minister has instructed a quasi-governmental Jewish organization to find a solution for non-Orthodox Jewish female groups wishing to pray at one of Judaism's holiest sites.

An official said Tuesday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Natan Sharansky, chairman of the Jewish Agency, to look into the matter. The official spoke anonymously according to government regulations.

Last week Israeli police detained women from a liberal Jewish group who approached the Western Wall in Jerusalem carrying prayer shawls. Orthodox Jews insist those are for men only. The women seek to worship at the site without such restrictions.

Jewish Agency spokesman Benjamin Rutland said Netanyahu told Sharansky that the Western Wall "must remain a source of Jewish unity rather than division." The wall is a remnant of the biblical Jewish Temple compound.

• $500M in checks left in Jerusalem's Western Wall?

[wrlord2001]

This is nonsense. Men and women have different, equally important roles in Judaism. It is not the woman's role to dress in a man's talit and read at the bimah. Simple as that.

[john92021]

if a women wants to be part of a religion that dis-respects them it is not the religions fault, figure out why you want to be dis-respected. Change religions or start your own or quite believing in fairy tales. Let the pom pose old fools parade around in their outfits, if they have no-one to push around and collect money from they will soon go away.

[KPeters_from_UK]

Sometimes the only way to enact reform is to force reform from the inside.

[eroteme2]

Unlikely similarity. Hope there are no unintended consequences such as what happened in the U.S. Women started wearing men's attire, tried, trying, to act like men as well, and lost their feminity.

[KPeters_from_UK]

Wow...a bit sexist aren't you? Let me guess...you're a bitter old white guy. What happened?

One last thing what is feminity anyway?

[mandiegracetaylor]

Orthodox Judaism and Roman Catholism appeals to male worshippers to take positions of leadership in a protective stance in relation to women - sort of the spiritual front lines - if this was seen in the light of D-Day - you wouldn't see a surge of females wearing their men's uniforms - abandoning their position as protector and nurturer of their children and running to the front line to take the bullets.

This is the appropriate attitude - it might not always be expressed appropriately - but that's the intention.

The women's attitude in this case is simply to crave the so-called "rank" they feel is given solely on the basis of gender -

In the heaven Christ describes - we will be as the angels - neither male or female - as gender roles will be realized in a completely different light - with Christ as the Bridegroom and the entire church as the Bride.

That symbolism is manifested here during our spiritual lives on earth -

From what I have seen of Judaism here in the states - there are gender roles - but most of the women I have come across are highly educated and deeply aware of this - and are some of the most dedicated wives and mothers in the world.

I have met one woman here who insists on being allowed to wear the Orthodox men's prayer shawl to work - and when she expresses her faith - it sounds a little off and a bit cultish and I'm not trying to judge - but it feels like she continually has something to prove -

We all have something to prove - but we want our lives to have been lived proving worthy things - something above - I can pray and wear this shawl like a man - and I matter just as much to God.

Yes, you matter just as much to God - that's why he wants to PROTECT you - because he loves you as he loves the church - he's not going to enable you to take a role he has decided for another - that leaves you UNPROTECTED - it's not worth it - Let the men do it - they can't be the mother you are - and run the household like you- and you are not going to let them either - so let them do their job.

Jesus' own disciples requested the highest rank in his kingdom and he said, "well - are you going to suffer physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually on every level as that rank requires..." and they were like, "yeah, yeah, yeah - now promote us in front of everyone else." "Let's do this." And the rest of us can't laugh at them as they run off naked in the night - scared out of their wits - because we experience the same weakness..."

So as men and women - we have to trust in God - from the inside out - and not desire validation from a CNN news camera - and the Israeli prime minister telling us we can wear men's prayer shawls to the wall.. we need a lot more than that - but we won't get it this way.

[mandiegracetaylor]

Orthodox Judaism and Roman Catholism appeals to male worshippers to take position of leadership in a protective stance in relation to women - sort of the spiritual front lines - if this was seen in the light of D-Day - you wouldn't see a surge of females wearing their men's uniforms - abandoning their position as protector and nurturer of their children and running to the front line to take the bullets.

This is the appropriate attitude - it might not always be expressed appropriately - but that's the intention.

The women's attitude in this case is simply to crave the so-called "rank" they feel is given solely on the basis of gender -

In the heaven Christ describes - we will be as the angels - neither male or female - as gender roles will be realized in a completely different light - with Christ as the Bridegroom and the entire church as the Bride.

That symbolism is manifested here during our spiritual lives on earth -

From what I have seen of Judaism here in the states - there are gender roles - but most of the women I have come across are highly educated and deeply aware of this - and are some of the most dedicated wives and mothers in the world.

I have met one woman here who insists on being allowed to wear the Orthodox men's prayer shawl to work - and when she expresses her faith - it sounds a little off and a bit cultish and I'm not trying to judge - but it feels like she continually has something to prove -

We all have something to prove - but we want our lives to have been lived proving worthy things - something above - I can pray and wear this shawl like a man - and I matter just as much to God.

Yes, you matter just as much to God - that's why he wants to PROTECT you - because he loves you as he loves the church - he's not going to enable you to take a role he has decided for another - that leaves you UNPROTECTED - it's not worth it - Let the men do it - they can't be the mother you are - and run the household like you- and you are not going to let them either - so let them do their job.

[Bill_from_NH]

This comment displays a lot of what is wrong with organized religion. Small minded. Rationalization. Backward thinking. ...

[Widget26]

"Israeli police detained women from a liberal Jewish group who approached the Western Wall in Jerusalem carrying prayer shawls. Orthodox Jews insist those are for men only. The women seek to worship at the site without such restrictions".

Is this one of God's rules? Perhaps it falls under the same part of the Bible that restricts women from becoming Roman Catholic priests? Hmmmm....I must have missed those verses. I would rather believe that God would welcome prayer and service from all of His people, not a select few with rules that were established by men in His name.

[mandiegracetaylor]

You can't be part of a faith, a church, a denomination without agreeing to a set of communally accepted guidelines -

Every government and organization depends upon the exact same concept -

A Roman Catholic Priest cannot marry nor produce children of his own - he must dedicate every moment of his day to Christ -

He must oversee for the welfare of many at the expense of himself - that's the premise - his point of departure

A nun - a sister - sees herself as marrying Christ - an attending to him as her husband - and not have an earthly husband or earthly children

They see ministering to the body as a privilege - a calling -

that is the spirit that is to be imparted to you - that your good may be realized - they are to serve you to enable you

That is different from grandstanding in public - calling attention to yourself - and ranting about your rights

This world is losing its ability to see that - everything we say or do is for a moment of video or to go viral -

God continually warns us in scripture that all of this will be vaporized in a nano second in spiritual flames and only what was sincere will remain -

That is what Judaism and Christianity are to stand for - this is a thread running through both expressions of faith -

A secular government official or a person outside both of these faiths are going to find that very difficult to comprehend.

Because now - is all there is.

[jayc9]

How stupid is this...Religious freedom for all or down with man's version of religion

[HeyDeeDoo]

Religious freedom for all rock worshipers.