Now CNN is part of the playing field as well... CNN spoke to Women of the Wall about the issue, and a point was made that i do not think was made before, at least not so explicitly.
From CNN:
For 25 years, the organisation Women of the Wall, around 200 women, has been demanding equal rights at the Kotel.In case you missed it, "their main aim is to end separation between men and women at the Western Wall". Not just to have a spot for egalitarian prayer, not just to achieve a sense of equality and that they can pray how they want - no, they want a complete end of the separation between men and women.
The central goal of Women of the Wall is to achieve the social and legal recognition of their right as women to wear prayer shawls traditionally used by men and pray and read from Torah collectively and loud at the Western Wall.
Their main aim is to end separation between men and women at the Western Wall.
During the last few months the situation between Women of the Wall and ultra-Orthodox Jews as well as with police has escalated with confrontation and tumults at the Wall. Activists and ultra-Orthodox Jews have been temporarily arrested.
One of the most important achievements of modern Israel is the equality of women. This, however, has never materialized at the Western Wall.
This fits with the theory that the Kotel is a heritage site and not a synagogue, but then perhaps they should not be using prayer services as their weapon and tactic. As long as they are fighting for equality in prayer, they are treating it like a synagogue, and there is less reason to consider the Kotel a Reform synagogue with no mechitza then an Orthodox synagogue with a mechitza.
I have little problem with their desire to pray as they wish - the Kotel does not belong to any one person or group and we live in a free society. Ignore them, let them do what they want on the one day a month they go to the Kotel and move on. If, however, they want not just an opportunity for themselves but to harm things for everyone else, by completely doing away with the separation between men and women, that is another story. On an issue like this, I do not believe they have a leg to stand on.
And if they think the fight opposing them has been bad until now, when the people realize what WoW is really trying to do, it is just going to get much worse...
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