EXPOSED: Women of the Wall Linked To Rabidly Anti-Israel Groups

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women-of-the-wallBy Rachel Avraham

In Israel, Women of the Wall is often presented as a feminist organization who seeks to conduct egalitarian prayer services with women wearing talleisim at the Kosel. The Israeli public is generally not aware that the Women of the Wall organization possesses links to anti-Israel groups.

Jerusalem Online News recently learned that Batya Kallus, Women of the Wall Vice chair, facilitates funding for anti-Israel groups such as Adalah, Ir Amin, Yesh Din, Mossawa, among others, as part of her position as programs officer for the Moriya Fund.   NGO Monitor has reported in depth about how these organizations contribute towards the delegitimization of Israel in the world.

Adalah is opposed to Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, views Israel to be a colonial state, and has participated in anti-Israel activism via Israel Apartheid Weeks and the Goldstone Report, which until its arguments were retracted by its main author caused Israel significant diplomatic damage.   Adalah is mentioned by name 38 times in the Goldstone Report.

Ir Amin supports the division of Yerushalayim, has asserted that Israel’s archaeological digs within the city are a “tool in the fight for control” over the city, that Israeli governmental powers are being handed over to “settler organizations,” and that the Security Barrier is not motivated primarily by security concerns.  They run highly politicized anti-Israel tours of the holy city, which indoctrinate internationals into holding anti-Israel views.  In the Huffington Post, Ir Amin appealed to the US Government to “threaten Israel with severing diplomatic ties. Threaten us with cutting back on, or even cutting off, the annual support package. Bludgeon us over the head and force us to wise up.”

Yesh Din views Israel to be an apartheid state and demonstrated support for Turkey after the Gaza Flotilla incident, even though the Turkish sailors on board the Mavi Marmara ship chanted jihadi slogans and attacked IDF soldiers.  They routinely indoctrinate foreign diplomats to hold anti-Israel views, petition the Israeli Supreme Court to rule more in favor of the Palestinian side, and encourages Palestinians to demand more from Israel.

Mossawa is based on the premise that “the State of Israel was established on the ruins of the Palestinian people, for whom the event was a national tragedy – the Nakba.” Mossawa, like Adalah, explicitly has stated that they refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.  They publish an annual racism report that makes outrageous claims, such as labeling an indictment against Chadash Chairman MK Muhammad Barakeh for assaulting a police officer as a violation of the Arab MK’s political freedom.   This listing just represents a sample of the types of organizations that Kallus facilitated funding for.

Anat Hoffman, Chairwoman of Woman of the Wall, also happens to be the chairwoman of the Domari Society of Gypsies in Jerusalem.   Her association partners include Yonathan Mizrahi and Dafna Strauss from the Emek Shaveh organization, which calls for an international committee to investigate Israeli archaeological work in Jerusalem and runs archaeology-based anti-Israel tours of the city.  The Domari Society of Gypsies is also part of Al Aqsa Grassroots, an anti-Israel network that supports “resistance to the occupation” and is against the “Judaization of Jerusalem,” in addition to supporting the Palestinian right of return to Israel proper.

The Women of the Wall organization has a hidden anti-Israel agenda, as demonstrated by their unreasonable demands for accepting the Israeli governments compromise proposal that would give them a place to pray at the Kosel.  They seek to portray Israel as a fundamentalist anti-feminist country that forbids freedom of worship, thus driving a wedge between the State of Israel and the largely Reform-dominated Jewish American community that does prefer to pray with men and women together, with the women wearing talleisim.  By turning the American Jewish community against Israel, they hope to push Israel into a wall, diplomatically speaking.   It appears that promoting feminism isn’t their only objective. Jerusalem Online

{Matzav.com Israel}


32 COMMENTS

  1. Its always the same: Followers aligned with the radical and extreme left-wing ilk are always anti-Israel and pro-Arab.

    Its always about rights and “justice” but its really about pushing their extremist leftist agenda (i.e toeivah, feminism, birth control, Occupy, etc.) on our society.

    Worst of all, the media gives this extreme fringe element way too much front page exposure!

  2. Its always the same: Followers aligned with the radical and extreme left-wing ilk are always anti-Israel and pro-Arab.

    Its always about rights and “justice” but its really about pushing their extremist leftist agenda (i.e toeivah, feminism, birth control, Occupy, etc.) on our society.

    Worst of all, the media gives this extreme fringe element way too much front page exposure!

  3. In the past days there have been accusations questioning the dedication and alliance of Women of the Wall to the State of Israel and Jerusalem. The “article” has since been removed by the editor.
    Women of the Wall’s sole goal is the free prayer of women at the Western Wall. We are proud that our work has become a beacon for the hope for pluralism in Israel. It is an honor to be a shining example of the struggle against the exclusion of women in the public sphere in Israel. As an organization, WOW has never been involved in any other political or partisan activity. Our participants and supporters come from all walks of life, political opinions, and Jewish denominations and we would never want to divide that by taking a political stand that does not directly effect free prayer at the Kotel. The leaders of Women of the Wall are individuals with lives, careers and opinions that span the political and personal spectrum- and it is these differences between us that make our particular brand of pluralism so special. WOW’s leaders are all employed by institutions which are Israeli institutions in good standing with the law. Each woman volunteers as an active independent citizen at the Western Wall.
    Women of the Wall is proud to be significantly contributing to the future of State of Israel as a just and democratic Jewish state.
    If Women of the Wall are accused of fighting for the rights of all Israeli citizens then they are guilty as charged.

  4. “The leaders of” (the organization being discussed) “are individuals with lives”

    ROFL!!!! They don’t even have hope of ever going to get one.

  5. To every one who cares about the truth:

    Women of the Wall threatened Jerusalem Online News with legal action, hence why it was removed. This is a routine scare tactic of radical leftists, since they only can tolerate having their own views published and are opposed to dissent. However, all of the facts in the article are documented and have been checked numerous times before publication. I am a serious investigative journalist and would not have published it otherwise. I want to thank Matzav.com for reprinting the article, so the article will be public at this moment. Women of the Wall had the article taken down because they threaten news organizations that don’t publish what they like. Since I proved beyond a doubt to my editor that Women of the Wall representatives lied to him about the accuracy of the article so he would be pressured into taking it down, we are discussing how to proceed. However, they can’t threaten journalists and then use the fact it was taken down as proof that the article is wrong.

  6. So if I have this straight, WoW wants sweeping control over the Kotel while simultaneously actively working to hand it over to the palestinians… and this is not a problem because WoW supports “all Israeli citizens,” yet is actively attempting to intimidate journalists and cover this (purportedly) innocent information up. The hypocrisy would be laughable if it were not so blatant and troubling.

  7. “Anat Hoffman, Chairwoman of Woman of the Wall, also happens to be the chairwoman of the Domari Society of Gypsies in Jerusalem. ”

    http://www.grassrootsalquds.net/domari-society-gypsies-. Domari is indeed listed as an organization of the Al Quds Network on the AL Quds website which states, ” The 1948 Nakba shook the city and changed it forever.”

    (Quite so,changed forever. No mention of the ethnic cleansing of the Jewish population of the Old City and no mention of the Arab slaughter of the Jews of Hebron. No mention of the modern day constant violence against Jews by Arabs in Jerusalem.
    Question is; With all the millions and billions in aid pouring in to fund Arab affairs from the Arab world and the EU, why do Jews need to work and fight for Arab causes? Aren’t there enough Jews who could use their help in Eretz Yisrael?
    Let’s see WOW members try to wear traditional Jewish prayer garb and walk through an Arab neighborhood. ( Never mind stopping to pray there publicly – a lynching would likely ensue.It’s all well and good for WOW to ” stand up to” Jews who disagree with them. How brave of them. Let them try some of their juvenile defiance in the Arab world,in Wadi Joz and Silwan.

  8. The accusations are UNTRUE. Here is a video of WOW singing hatikvah at the Kotel as we do each month. Between this and our close, supportive, relationship with the IDF paratroopers who liberated the Kotel in 1967, this makes us more Zionist than the ultra-Orthodox who denounse both of these important Israeli/Zionist symbols…
    http://youtu.be/9uf5G7m956g

  9. WOW does not comment on the personal and professional lives on volunteers, nor would any other NGO in good legal standing. These statements constitute slander and libel. The assumption that any of the leaders’ personal or professional lives- be they right wing or left and we have ALL represented on our board- DO NOT effect the non-partisan activity of WOW.
    Anything beyond what I have provided is a witch-hunt, plain and simple. A writer could do the same based on political activity right or left wing, family status, etc and bias could be used to attempt to de-legitimize the good work and good names of good people. This is morally, ethically and legally wrong

  10. #15 that’s like saying, ignore Hitler’s political views, and just focus on what a great Chancellor he was.
    In English (and probably every language) we have a word for that, it’s called-corrupt!

    To say that the personal views and political allegiances of the heads of an organisation, have nothing to do with the organisation they are heading, is morally insane.

    In defense of the author of this article, they did not comment of the position of WOW. All that was said is that the leaders of WOW have political views in where they would like to see the destruction of Israel.

  11. Shira makes a persuasive argument in that the message should be separated from the messenger. Nevertheless, one can not overlook the fact that two senior members of the group are affiliated with hateful organizations whose sole purpose is the demonization & delegitimization of the Jewish State. That is a serious problem. Does WOW have any senior members affiliated with groups that advocate for Israel, like Shurat Hadin, Im Tirtzu or UN Watch?

  12. Shira Pruce does not answer the accusations at all. The issue is real are some in the leadership of WoW part off/or supportive of radical anti Israel groups. If so then maybe their struggle for the wall, the denigrating of Israel in the world media, the demonizing of orthodox Jews just an expression of their real motivations.

    This said, i am sure there many WoW members who do not share these radical views.

  13. Shira pruce – how dare you call yourself a “spokeswoman.” Shouldn’t you use the gender neutral term “spokesperson”?

  14. I think it is important to know where the heads of an organization stand, especially if that organization seeks the broad powers which WoW has recently demanded. WoW is also linked to the New Israel Fund, which wikileaks recently reported has stated that the demise of the Jewish nature of Israel would not be a bad thing because it would make it more democratic. Honest people are involved with WoW, I have no doubt. I know many of their supporters, and they are good and well intentioned people. But WoW is directed by its leadership, as is any organization, and thus the ancillary political activities, especially other leadership positions, of their leadership shows the underlying intention behind WoW. WoW enjoys support from many Reform, Conservative, and Modern Orthodox groups and individuals who are strongly opposed to the actions and affiliations of WoW leadership that are now coming to light. This information should trouble any honest Zionist, even those who are of a religiously liberal bent.

  15. I must concur with RH’s assessment which appears spot-on. WoW is funded by the NIF, a nefarious organization that funds NGOs engaged in political activities, boycotts, and the rejection of the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish democratic state. The fact that the NIF has decided to provide funding and WoW has accepted funding, coupled with the political affiliation of Wow’s leadership, make it logical to conclude that WoW may have an alternate, pernicious agenda. I was a supporter of WoW but no longer. I believe that based on the totality of evidence, WoW is anti-Zionist and anti-Israel.

  16. I find it quite amusing that Shira Pruce talks about slander, and how there is no proof, that a leaders viewpoints don’t represent a group, and that focusing on their lives unrelated to WoW is terrible…
    Meanwhile, when Haaretz writer, Allison Kaplan Sommer, wrote a slander article on me, Ronit Peskin, as head of Women For the Wall, Shira Pruce herself linked to the article and referred to it as “honestly exposing WoW’s opposition”, regardless of the many lies and assumptions and one sidedness therein. http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/routine-emergencies/woman-vs-women-of-the-wall.premium-1.524930
    Apparently Shira Pruce is fully supportive of people writing articles attempting to smear a group by writing smear articles about the groups’ head’s life (when its completely unrelated to the cause), but when someone posts the hypocrisy of the leadership of WoW, Shira Pruce threatens them with a lawsuit.

    She threatened me with a lawsuit as well, for publicizing statements WoW members made, and for “stealing their content” whatever that means. Threatening with lawsuits, and being hypocritical…. is par for the course in their game. I am not surprised.

  17. WOW trying to defend themselves against what they call “slander” by saying that singing Hatikvah makes them more Zionist than the “Ultra-Orthodox” who they slander is laughable. As if singing Hatikvah proves anything in the face of the facts- that people intimately involved in their organization are directly facilitating funding for groups that lie to the world about Israel and Israeli history.
    Shira Pruce also doesn’t explain why they’re trying so hard to intimidate people for publishing this story.

  18. (I just had to add that Shira Pruce, in another place, claimed that the reason why Rachel Avraham’s article wasn’t “real journalism” is because Rachel didn’t speak to the parties involved, etc… Allison Kaplan Sommer never said a word to me before publishing her smear piece on me, and Shira Pruce really liked what Ms Sommer wrote. So…)

  19. Shira Pruce! Long before I came along Rachel’s article, I had been watching your actions. They seemed strange. I began seeking for information about WoW. The first what I smelled was NIF. And I was right. I am not religious. I am PRO democracy, but I am against hiding information, fakes, provocations and manipulations. You are trying to push the jewish community of Israel to the wall and to separate us from the American Jews.
    Don’t blame Rachel for that. She is not sole to see it and to understand it.

  20. Shira Pruce! Don’t be a shameless cynic! Don’t touch the memory of our IDF paratroopers! You have nothing in common with them. At all!! By the way, this also works against yourself!

  21. Shira Pruce can deny, deny but the truth wins. The WOW is a feminist, political entity that has an agenda which is out to destroy Judaism and our holy Torah. They are blatant about this and their behavior has proven it. There is nothing they can say or do to deny these facts. They have nothing to do with ‘religion’/praying. Their aim is clear, to make Israel pseudo Jewish (cultural) country where it is representative of ‘all its citizens’. This group is the personification of pure evil from so-called jewish women.

  22. May this be a lesson to all those who naively refuse to see beyond the Alinsky tactics. May this be a lesson to all those who thought that the fight was merely about women praying at the Western Wall. The fascist-socialists are manipulative pathological liars; never to be taken at face value.

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