Feelings of deep shock and pain were felt at the desecration of the Kosel, holy remnant of our Beis Hamikdash, by the ludicrous and sacrilegious antics of the group of women who call themselves "The Women of the Wall," who attempt to delegitimize the very sanctity of the site by trampling the time worn traditions and halachic bans through provocation and clashing with everything the Jewish people holds dear and sacred. They now went a step further in their brazen, outspoken chutzpah by a shameful use of a Sefer Torah at the Kosel in spite of the vociferous protest of the worshipers present who were besides themselves with helpless anguish at this double desecration of the holy Torah at the holiest of sites.
The debacle took place Monday morning during the Rosh Chodesh prayers attended by a large number of mispallelim. This small, insignificant group arrived with a definite goal to provoke, and suddenly burst en masse into the men's section, very immodestly, and forcefully seized a Sefer Torah which they brought over to the women's section and began reading from it, flagrantly violating the very Torah itself and all that it represents.
"It was a purely confrontational act designed specifically to incense the public," said Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, official Rav of the Kosel, "and they certainly succeeded to inflame the worshipers. It required supreme efforts on the part of the police and workers of the Kosel to avoid any bloodshed. I emphatically condemn this defilement of the
Sefer Torah by a marginal group fighting their personal battle at the expense of the worshipers and visitors at the Kosel. Woe unto to us for such a travesty! Woe unto us for such infamy!
"I call upon the Secretary of the Cabinet and the Minister of Religious Services who are privy to the indignity and provocative intentions of this group to address the issue by amending the regulations of religious sites in order to prevent such violations of holiness in the future."
The Rav of the Kosel added that he commiserates with the pain of the donor of the Sefer Torah which was so shamefully seized, who was present at the scene and protested painfully and vociferously at the defilement of kedushoh, declaring that he intended to fast according to the Halacha of a fallen Sefer Torah.
