ASIA/HOLY LAND - Clashes between Jews at the Western Wall for the request of a common space for prayer for men and women

Jerusalem (Agenzia Fides) – Riots between ultra-Orthodox Jews and Jews belonging to the "conservative" and egalitarian Judaism, occurred on Wednesday, November 2 at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City. Physical clashes broke out when 12 rabbis and about 200 supporters of the movements related to the "conservative" and reformist Judaism trend, along with the activists of the "Women of the Wall" group, passed in procession the blocking of the security forces and arrived in front of the so-called Wailing Wall, carrying the Torah scrolls, to express in this way their protest in front of the inability of the Israeli government to reach an agreement to yield a space where women and men can pray together in front of the Kotel, the boundary wall dating back to the Second Temple of Jerusalem.
Young ultra-Orthodox Jews and Jews belonging to the "conservative" and egalitarian Judaism got into a riot without there being the intervention of the security forces. Following the riots, a statement released by the office of Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the incident, stressing that any unilateral attempt to change the 'status quo' affect attempts to reach a compromise.
Last January, the Israeli government had approved the identification of a section at the southern part of the Western Wall, where members of the non-ultra-Orthodox Jewish movements were allowed to organize moments of common prayer for men and women. Since then, especially for the pressure of political acronyms linked to the ultra-Orthodox Judaism, such government provision has not so far been applied. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 03/11/2016)

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