Western Wall rabbi in eye of storm
Progressive Jews believe Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz is preventing them from obtaining an egalitarian prayer space, but for the ultra-Orthodox, Rabinowitz is too much of a compromiser.
The Western Wall compromise, designed to create an egalitarian prayer space, has been disputed in Israel for years, with the ultra-Orthodox parties rejecting the plan. The Bennett government has declared its intention to push the plan forward, but now it seems that even within the government, there are voices rising against it.
Minister for Religious Affairs Matan Kahana said last week, “I don’t think it’s right to give over control of parts of the Western Wall to streams that don’t represent the vast majority of Jews in Israel. I don’t necessarily support this framework. It must be studied, to see how we resolve the [religious] wars” surrounding the Western Wall.
