“Where They Can Pray And Practice Their Religion As They See Fit”

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18 Tammuz 5778

1 July 2018

The News on the Israeli Street

Palestinian terror in the last 24 hours . . .

–Palestinian terrorists in Gaza launched Molotov kites and balloons that started 24 fires in Israeli communities surrounding Gaza and beyond. One balloon penetrated as far as Bet Shemesh–only about 20 km from Jerusalem.

–Palestinian terrorists nearly incinerated an Israeli couple and their child near Karmei Tzur when they hit the couple’s car with four Molotovs.

–Palestinian terrorists attacked a group of Jewish children in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood of Hevron as they returned from evening prayers.

–Palestinian terrorists assaulted Israeli motorists with “rocks” and Molotovs at such places as Hizma, Tekoa, Anatot, Carmela, Beit Ummar, Qalqilya, along the Gush Etzion-Jerusalem Road, Kiryat Arba, Silwad, and Hawara.

The above reports were made by Israelis to hakolhayehudi, rotter, and Rescue 443.

The war in Syria continues spilling over into Israel . . .

With the new Assad-Iranian-Hezbollah offensive in southern Syria, a reported 100,000 Syrian refugees are now streaming toward the Israel-Syrian border on the Golan Heights. While on the one hand, Israel has said that it will not allow this group of people to enter Israel, this country is continuing to provide humanitarian assistance to Syrians in danger.

Yesterday, six wounded Syrians (4 children and 2 adults) were brought into Israel by the IDF and treated at an IDF clinic on the border for severe wounds mainly caused by shrapnel. One of those treated was a 7-year-old girl with major shrapnel wounds to her head and body.

Since 2013, more than 12,000 Syrians have been treated by Israeli doctors.

Meanwhile on Thursday night, the IDF provided 300 tents, 15 tons of baby food, 13 tons of other food, 30 tons of clothing, and more than a ton of medical supplies to Syrians at distribution points along the border.

Israelstreet thanks Jpost for information used in the above article.

TODAY’S BLOG:

“Where They Can Pray And Practice Their Religion As They See Fit”

Your humble servant was struck by an editorial that appeared in the Jerusalem Post today. In it, the editor of the newspaper argued that the time has come for PM Netanyahu to allow the so-called “Kotel Agreement” to be enacted. The editorial was a not-so-thinly veiled attack on Netanyahu, the former head of the Religious Sites Committee Miri Regev, and the orthodox Rabbinate.

Here is the key paragraph of the editorial:

“The Kotel belongs to Jews everywhere, whether they are Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist or simply Jewish. No one, not the rabbinate, Miri Regev or Benjamin Netanyahu, has ownership over the place that has been in the hearts and minds of Jews for millennia. If Israel wants to continue being the Jewish state – in other words, the homeland for all Jews – it has a responsibility to make Jews feel welcome. Part of that is affording them a place where they can pray and practice their religion the way they see fit.”
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Let’s take a moment and examine a few of the above ideas:

Does “the Kotel belong to Jews everywhere, whether they are Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist or simply Jewish? Of course it does.  Anyone who is a Jew has every right to come to the Kotel. All others have a right to come too.

Does “Israel have a responsibility to make all Jews feel welcome?” Of course not. As we all surely know by now, the anti-Israel BDS (read anti-Jewish) movement in the U.S. and Europe is led in part by “Jews.” There is no reason that Israel should make them feel welcome here.

Must Israel afford Jews “a place where they can pray and practice their religion the way they see fit?” Of course not. The Kotel is a holy place. A person may no more bring a boombox to the Kotel to play his or her favorite religious songs, than he or she can wear a swimsuit. No one has a right to pray “as they see fit” at the Kotel, they have a right to pray in a way that respects the holiness of the place. 

If they want to practice their religion by playing music from a boombox or wearing swimsuit they can do so in their homes–or at their Reform or Reconstructionist synagogue if it is permitted.

Obviously, however, the meaning of “the way they see fit” as expressed by the Post editor primarily has to do with mixed gender prayer and women wearing prayer shawls and carrying Torahs. 

Guess what though. Mixed gender prayer and women wearing prayer shawls and carrying Torahs is already permitted at the southern section of the Wall near Robinson’s Arch. Just two nights ago, I was at the Kotel and glanced into the section allocated for such worship.

Do you know how many worshipers were there?

Not a single one. Zero. Zilch.

In fact, I went to that section 4 times last year and videotaped each time. How many worshipers were there each time?

Not a single one. Zero. Zilch.

Two nights ago, where was every one of the thousands of worshipers who were at the Kotel? They were praying at the separated gender sections of the Wall.

And, it should be noted that while it is obvious from worshipers’ clothing who is orthodox, no one can tell who is “Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist or simply Jewish.”

Any male member of any of these groups is free to pray in the Men’s Section, just as any female member can pray in the Women’s Section. 

The bottom line, however, is simply that the Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist movements want to impose their way or worship on everyone else. It is not enough for them to have their own place to pray, they demand that they be able to pray the way they want at any part of the Kotel. 

That is unacceptable.