CHAOS AND KIDDUSH HASHEM: Women of the Wall Cause Provocation at the Kosel on Rosh Chodesh

A kiddush Hashem took place today at the Kosel plaza, as a thousand women filled the plaza for Rosh Chodesh davening in order to stand up for the sanctity of the Kosel in the presence of those who seek to desecrate it.

Under the auspices of the World Zionist Organization and with arrangements by the LIBA Center, thousands of women arrived in dozens of buses from all over the country to daven and to declare: We are united as one in defense of the kedusha of the Kosel, battling efforts by the Reform and Conservative to change the status quo at the Kosel and allow mixed prayer at the site.

Oren Henig, director general of the LIBA Center, said that “in cooperation with the World Zionist Organization, dozens of buses from around the country arrived at the Kosel. It was exciting to see the girls fill the plaza, while a handful of provocative women tried to interfere with the tefillah.”

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation stated that this morning, a small group of “Women of the Wall” arrived to a demonstration event at the Kosel, but they were far outnumbered by the religious girls and women present.

According to instructions from the Ministry of Justice, a designated compound was set up for the Women of the Wall group in order to create a separation between them and the mispallelim and to prevent unnecessary friction. But despite repeated requests, they chose not to enter the compound and instead violated the public order.

Yochi Rapaport of the Women of the Wall group and others decided to create a commotion and provocation by going out towards groups of mispallelim who stood in the upper plaza with the aim of starting a confrontation and disturbing the peace. The operations manager of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, Mr. Eden Shimon, personally asked Rapaport to to stop the provocation in order to prevent any violence and not turn the Kosel into a demonstration site, but she and others chose to continue their wild actions and turn the site into a political battlefield once again.

“The Western Wall Heritage Foundation condemns the transformation of the Kosel plaza into a site of demonstrations and calls for the Kosel to be preserved as a sacred and unifying place,” the foundation said.

Of course, the liberal, left, anto-chareidi Haaretz newspaper spun the entire event on its head, reporting that the Women of the Wall were “disrupted by ultra-Orthodox Jews unable to bear the sight of women praying in unorthodox ways.”

Haaretz continued with its lies, claiming that “about 150 women participating in the service marking the start of the new Jewish month were taunted, shoved and spat upon.” Haaretz doesn’t bother mentioning that the Women of the Wall provoked the others at the Kosel.
Haaretz was clearly irked that about “1,000 ultra-Orthodox girls participated in the WZO-sponsored prayer event” timed to start “at the exact same hour – 7 A.M. – that Women of the Wall always begin their Rosh Chodesh prayer service.”

The Women of the Wall are now taking their “complaints” to WZO chairman Yaakov Hagoel, who is a representative of the world Likud movement, also serves as acting chairman of the Jewish Agency and personally approved the event. Haaretz reports that in a complaint sent to Hagoel immediately after their morning prayer service, leaders of Women of the Wall wrote, “We are stunned and pained by the fact that we have been cursed, hit and spat on this morning by ultra-Orthodox seminary girls carrying WZO flags. We don’t understand how and why you approved such an event. What were you thinking when you joined forces with LIBA, which has been fighting us with violence for years? Why did you cooperate with an extremist organization that wants to harm worshippers at the Western Wall?”

In their letter of complaint, Women of the Wall requested an urgent meeting with Hagoel. “We had expected levelheadedness and accountability from the person who today heads the Zionist movement and fills the role of chairman of the Jewish Agency (!), a position that is meant to serve the entire Jewish people, regardless of belief or gender,” they wrote.

{Matzav.com Israel}