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NEWS
High Court Rules Women of the Wall can Hold Their
Provocative Ceremonies at a Special Site
by Betzalel Kahn
Nine High Court judges ruled on Sunday that a Conservative
group called Women of the Wall could hold their quasi-
religious ceremonies at the Kosel Maarovi, but determined
that the government must prepare an area near the Robinson
Arch, located in the archaeological garden near the southwest
corner of the Wall, for their use. The High Court is allowing
the State one year to prepare the grounds. Otherwise it will
permit the group to hold its ceremonies at the Western Wall
Plaza.
Five judges--Aharon Barak, Theodore Or, Mishael Cheshin,
Yitzhak Englard and Yaakov Turkel--voted in favor of holding
the ceremonies at a specially designated site, while the
other four--Dorit Beinish, Shlomo Levine, Tova Strasberg and
Eliyahu Matza--said the ceremonies should be permitted at the
Kosel itself.
This week's decision differs from a similar ruling handed
down three years ago that permitted the women's group to pray
at the Western Wall Plaza, but not wearing tallis and
tefillin. Following the earlier decision, Attorney
General Eliakim Rubinstein filed an appeal which was decided
on Sunday.
During the appeal process the nine judges arranged to survey
the area in order to gain a firsthand impression of workings
of the Western Wall Plaza. Their request to tour the entire
area suggests they had little familiarity with the Kosel area
-- the place where millions of Jews pour out their prayers
every year.
Rav Shmuel Rabinovitz, the rov of the Kosel Hama'arovi and
holy sites, said the High Court decision will prevent
provocations by the Conservative group. "Through the decision
not to allow their ceremonies at the Western Wall, chilul
hakodesh and chilul Sheim Shomayim, unnecessary
machlokes and offending the praying public have been
prevented. There is no place at the Western Wall Plaza for
ceremonies that contradict the Jewish tradition, and just
create divisiveness and fragmentation."
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