Page 30 - bon-dia-aruba-20220105

A30 world news
Diaranson 5 Januari 2022

Future of prayer site in doubt under Israel’s fragile govt

Bennett’s office did not respond to a
request for comment. In a statement,
the Western Wall rabbi, Shmuel Rabi-
nowitz, did not disclose his position
on the agreement but said the site is
“not the place to engage in political
struggles.”

Tensions at the Western Wall continue
to flare. On Monday, dozens of wom-
en arrived to pray wearing skullcaps
and prayer shawls — items reserved
for men under Orthodox Judaism.
In what has become a monthly ritu-
al, they were met by young women
shrieking in an attempt to drown out
their prayers.

In November, thousands of ultra-
Orthodox Jews gathered to protest
the Women of the Wall. They heeded
a call by ultra-Orthodox leaders to
not have the site “desecrated.” Ne-
tanyahu, now in the opposition with
his ultra-Orthodox allies, retweeted
one such call.

Ultra-Orthodox rabbis strictly gov-
ern Jewish practices in Israel such as
weddings, divorces and burials. The
(AP) — When Israel’s new gov- That his coalition excludes any ultra- ultra-Orthodox religious establish-
ernment took office last June, it After years of negotiations, Israel ap- Orthodox parties only heightened ment sees itself as responsible for
indicated it would press ahead on proved a plan in 2016 to officially the feeling that the time was ripe for maintaining traditions through cen-
an egalitarian prayer site at Jeru- recognize a special prayer area at the the plan to move forward. turies of persecution and assimilation,
salem’s Western Wall — a sensi- Western Wall. The $9 million plan and it resists any inroads from liberals
tive holy site that has emerged as vowed to expand an egalitarian prayer Under Bennett’s leadership, contacts it often considers to be second-class
a point of friction between Jews site and make it more hospitable to between U.S. liberal Jewish leaders Jews who ordain women and gays
over how prayer is conducted prayer and religious events held by and Israeli government officials have and are overly inclusive toward con-
there. Jews who don’t follow Orthodox tra- surged. Bennett himself met with the verts and interfaith marriages.
ditions. leaders in what was perceived as a
But the plan is coming up against major step in repairing ties. Bennett’s government is taking steps
the limits of Israel’s fragile govern- The deal was welcomed by Jewish to loosen the ultra-Orthodox hold. It
ment, which is struggling to move American leaders and seen as a sig- But Bennett heads an unwieldy co- has passed a reform in kosher certifi-
forward on the issue due to its own nificant breakthrough in promoting alition of parties from across the po- cations for restaurants and is attempt-
internal divisions. The inaction has religious pluralism in Israel, where litical spectrum — ranging from na- ing to allow conversions to Judaism
disappointed both Israeli groups that the ultra-Orthodox authorities gov- tionalist parties to dovish liberal ones outside of the ultra-Orthodox rab-
promote religious pluralism and their ern almost every facet of Jewish life. and even an Islamist faction — that binate.
American Jewish allies, who view the But then-Prime Minister Benjamin was united behind the goal of oust-
issue as an important test of recogni- Netanyahu never implemented the ing Netanyahu and very little else. The liberal streams have made strides
tion from the Israeli government. plan due to objections from powerful While the Western Wall plan features in Israel in recent years, establish-
ultra-Orthodox allies who had ini- in agreements that brought the coali- ing synagogues, youth movements,
“Anyone can topple the government tially endorsed it. tion together, its leaders have gener- schools and kindergartens. A former
if they sneeze in the wrong direc- ally chosen to sidestep divisive issues leader of the liberal Reform move-
tion,” said Anat Hoffman, chairwom- He shelved the plan the following that might rattle its stability. ment in Israel is now a lawmaker and
an of Women of the Wall, a group year, leading to strained relations Israel’s secular majority has become
that advocates for pluralistic prayer with American Jewish leaders that Moving ahead with the Western Wall more accepting.
at the holy site. “They are very cau- continued until he left office last year. plan could spark an outcry from
tious with the temperature of the hot His tight relationship with President ultra-Orthodox opposition parties, But authorities have generally tend-
potatoes that come their way and the Donald Trump further unsettled the which in turn could exert pressure ed to regard them as a somewhat
Western Wall is a special hot potato.” heavily Democratic-leaning Jewish on more sympathetic elements of the alien offshoot imported from North
community. coalition to oppose the move. And America that does not mesh with
The Western Wall is considered the while the government isn’t likely how religion is typically practiced in
holiest site where Jews can pray. Un- American Jews have long lamented to fall over the Western Wall plan, a Israel. That helps explain why the
der ultra-Orthodox management, the that Israel should be as accepting of public brawl over the issue within Western Wall agreement is so impor-
wall is currently separated between their religious practices as they are of government ranks could wear down tant to them.
men’s and women’s prayer sections. their financial and political support. the already delicate ties that bind the
coalition. Rick Jacobs, president of the Union
Under the more liberal Reform and The new government, led by Prime for Reform Judaism, said that if im-
Conservative streams of Judaism, Minister Naftali Bennett — the child “We need to be careful. The make- plemented, the agreement would
women and men pray together and of American immigrants — brought up of this government is complex,” open the door to other steps toward
women are allowed to read from the hope that the plan may be revived. Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman religious pluralism in Israel.
Torah, which Orthodox Judaism pro- Shai told The Associated Press.
hibits. Those streams are a minority As Israel’s minister of diaspora affairs “This is an issue that won’t change
in Israel but make up the majority of at the time, Bennett voted in favor of He said that Bennett had decided to everything, but it will change and
American Jews. Israel’s refusal to rec- the plan when it was initially tabled hold off on the plan for now. “My bet symbolically shifts things towards
ognize these liberal streams has long and repeatedly expressed the impor- is that it will happen in the end but it more respect or legitimacy,” he said.
been a point of tension with Ameri- tance he placed in the relationship won’t happen tomorrow or the next “I hope this government will find the
can Jews. with the U.S. Jewish community. day.” political will to do it.”