Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz on Monday appealed to ultra-Orthodox MKs to fight the decision to allow egalitarian prayer at the holy site. Last month, the cabinet approved the construction of a new plaza for mixed-gender prayer at the Western Wall, adjacent to the Orthodox prayer plaza but separate from it. The decision has been lauded as a historic show of support for liberal streams of Judaism. The ultra-Orthodox leadership was enraged by the decision, calling it "a sacrilege." The new plaza's final outline has yet to be decided, and while Rabinowitz had initially given his tacit consent to the move, he has now decided to side with the haredi leadership trying to torpedo the construction of the new prayer compound. The haredi news website Kikar Hashabat quoted a letter Rabinowitz sent to haredi MKs on Monday, in which he wrote: "Your determination on the mikvehs bill has proved to all the strength of those seeking to preserve the traditions of Israel. You stood valiantly against the new elements seeking to breach [tradition], and you have been able to prevent them from breaching the sanctity of the mikvehs." Rabinowitz was referring to a bill approved Sunday by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation seeking to restrict the use of state-owned mikvehs, or religious ritual baths, for use only under the guidelines set forth by the Orthodox Chief Rabbinate. The move would prevent Reform and Conservative converts from using the mikvehs during their conversion process. "I urge you to exercise the same determination to stop the sacrilege at the Western Wall, as the spiritual harm it would bring is unimaginable. For years I have facedd these 'new elements,' led by the Women of the Wall, by myself. Time and again they have aggravated their steps, seeking to cause nothing but provocation and discord, and offend worshipers and the sanctity of the Western Wall," Rabinowitz wrote. "Now things have gone too far. Given the terrible threat looming over the Western Wall, I urge you to act with the same conviction and determination to preserve the sanctity of the Western Wall and pass a law that would preserve the status quo." Attorney Yizhar Hess of the Masorti movement, which is affiliated with Conservative Judaism, issued a statement saying: "I'm sorry for you, my brother Rabbi Rabinowitz. I reiterate that any change in the government's decision will lead us to appeal the matter again before the Supreme Court."
Western Wall rabbi withdraws support for egalitarian plaza
"Things have gone too far. Given the terrible threat looming over the Western Wall, I urge you to act with conviction and determination to preserve the sanctity of the Western Wall," Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz urges ultra-Orthodox MKs.
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