has the right to pray there the way they want as any other jew . the kotel doesn't belong to meshugneh haridim but to the jewish people. war against control of haridim all over Israel society.

Generally, tradition and pluralism don't mix together well. If laws were changeable, there would be no standards for continuity. On the other hand, if there were no exceptions to the law, I doubt that Judaism would survive all the trials that Hashem has put us through. I don't have a solution for this problem except to ask each person who prays at the Kotel to consult their spiritual conscience as to what to do.

i can't understand, for example, why there's mejitza in the Kotel? Is there a Sefer Torah? i'm very surprised about the conversion of this site from a holy place for all jews to a haredi synagogue, and it's very interesting to see pictures about the place 80 years ago. No mejitza, men and women praying together..etc

....because they can smell the blood in the water. They sense that "Torah Judaism" has started its irreversible decline down the same road that Shabtai Tzvi walked. "Torah Judaism" will end up where the Essenes did.... a footnote in archeology magazines. Right next to the Palestinians. PS to Jake in USA: the Kotel is an Israeli shrine. You wouldn't tell the Dutch how to run their Royal Palace; so go stick your nose in Detroit's problems - not ours. You are NOT a part of the Hebrew Republic.

Let the women pray at the wish at the wall!!! Let Jews pray on the Temple Mount!!

There are several sections to the Western Wall. One is the Kosel Plaza, the other is Robinson's Arch. Throughout the Jewish world Traditional and Reform Jewish services take place at separate sites, and the Israeli civil Supreme Court ruled that non-Orthodox services should take place at Robinson's Arch at the South West corner of the Western Wall. WoW are acting in contempt of court, which is why they have from time to time been arrested. The Rabbi is simply following Minhag Jerusalem, not his own opinions, which is Traditional. On the men's side of the Plaza Jewish men of every variety -- and non-Jewish men -- manage to share the same holy space. Why must the WoW create an ongoing disturbance on the women's side?

Women of the Wall is a group of women from many streams of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and non-affiliated. Our stated goal is to pray the morning Rosh Hodesh service at the Kotel without harassment. We do not force anyone to join us and we are incredibly respectful of the other worshipers in the plaza. Our quiet struggle has been going on for 24 years now, month in and month out, in the heat, in the cold, in the rain we arrive at the early hour of 7am, once a month without fail. If we wanted to create conflict we could have found easier and quicker ways to do it. We hope that with the latest publicity of our cause, more people will see our genuine desire for meaningful prayer at the Kotel.

They are annoying putz, because if they really wanted to pray,they would go and pray and period. They are trying to do a political non sense out of it. This is not a matter of women human rights as these putz want to look like. Women rights if fighting not to be abused by men for example ,but beheaving tradicionaly in a place of prayer is just normal and has nothing to do to what these idiots want to transform the issue.

Actually Women of the Wall are doing a pretty good job of synthesizing tradition and pluralism. We are the only pluralistic women's prayer group in the world. We are Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and non affiliated! We use our own prayer book which we developed so that it reflects and respects many views and ways to prayer!

As a member of the Women of the Wall board I hope very much that the solution will be found in a new Knesset law that will guarantee the rights of female worshipers at the Western Wall and also that the current regulations in effect (i.e. six month prison sentence for a woman who prays out loud at the Kotel etc.) will be abolished. In addition, Israelis are opening up to the idea of pluralism within religion (that is - there is more than one way to be Jewish) . The combination of new legislation and the new spirit of tolerance sweeping this country should solve the problem at the Kotel.

Women of the Wall is a group of *** women*** from many streams of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and non-affiliated. Our stated goal is to pray the morning Rosh Hodesh service in the *** women's section*** of the Kotel without harassment. Please do not confuse our struggle which is for religious feminists with other (very worthy) struggles.

Being on the board of WOW I can answer your question. Women of the Wall is a group of women from many streams of Judaism: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and non-affiliated. Our stated goal is to pray the morning Rosh Hodesh service in the women's section at the Kotel without harassment. Since many of our members are Othodox, and since we are women, the back of the women's section at the Kotel suits us fine. Our prayer is not alternative in any way. It is pluralistic in that we respect our non Orthodox members wishes too, however it probably differs less in content and style from most other services taking place at the Kotel than say a Yemenite service. And no, confrontation is not what WOW is looking for - if it were I could think of easier ways to get it than waking up at 5am to arrive at the Kotel by 7am - every month - in rain, cold, blazing heat.. for 24 years!

Hi - I wrote this same comment for #17 above: . Firstly, we, the Women of the Wall do not despise chareidim - not for their beliefs and certainly not for their way of life!! We ourselves are religious women. I personally grew up amongst Hareidim, went to a Hareidi school and maintain close ties with Orthodox friends and family. Now, the rites that we wish to perform such as tallit, reading torah, singing Hallel - these practices are not Hareidi! They are Jewish practices! We are religious women from many streams (Conservative, Orthodox and Reform) who wish to do these mitzvot - commandments -because we believe that they are significant for us as Jewish women. By the way, I actually don't think the average Hareidi woman in the women's section 'hates' us either. They seem more amused by us than anything else. But our struggle is ultimately for the Hareidi woman too - because when the dust settles, religious freedom is good for everyone - especially the religious!

The holiness of the Western Wall is that it is the remains of the Second Temple, where the sacrificial cult took place. Reform and Progressive Jews have tended to delete these sections of the prayer book, yet they are fighting for the best seats at the site where the Avodah took place!

This wall belong to everyone Not an orthodox exclusivity Who ever come to pray with a good hart is welcom to be their Muslims,Christians and other

King Solomon would have allowed them for sure. He even invited the Goim (as the above picture depicts) to worship at the Temple. The Beit Hamikdash itself is no more. This is merely the outermost wall of the 2nd Temple. Why doesn't the Rabbi pick a fight with the Arabs beyond that wall? They are literally occupying the sanctity of Kodesh Hakodashim.

If the WoW want a genuine cause for religious freedo0m they should take their tallesim and sefer Torah and ascend the Temple Mount, to the part which is Halachically permitted, and celebrate Rosh Chodesh

Morons amongst each other, now even both sexes available.

International humanitarianism strong in the Jewish People as a whole ought resist diplomatically this trend as the progressive forces in history need support in the Reversion to Tribal Insanity.