Monday, May 13, 2013

About the Kotel, WOW, W4W and Common Sense

Maybe I should be posting this on Shiloh Musings, but... I'm not. 

In some ways I agree with the title of Heshy's post,  My problem with Women of the Wall is that I agree with both sides.  But on the whole I think that it's a lot of nerve for any group to try to take over a place they frequent barely an hour or two a month.  That's even before getting into issues.  IMHO that simple fact supersedes the issues entirely.

That simple fact, that this group of WOW* women, some who are very sincere in their belief that they are only trying to be good Jews, are trying to force their opinions on hundreds of thousands, if not millions of others,  is outrageous and immoral. They have turned the Kotel into a media circus.

Except for that hour or two a month, the tens of thousands or possibly hundreds of thousands of women of all different backgrounds who come to the Kotel, the remaining wall Hordus' expansion of the Temple Mount location of the Bait Hamikdash, Holy Temple, behave in a relatively calm, tolerant and spiritual way.


I go to Shiloh HaKeduma, Tel Shiloh to pray on Rosh Chodesh.  My friends and I sing Hallel out loud.  We don't feel any need to add what mainstream Torah Judaism considers men's spiritual/ritual apparel to heighten our prayers.


*I suggest reading Ronit Peskin's report, Massive Prayer Rally at the Kotel Today- The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

If you're interested in joining us at Tel Shiloh, where the Mishkan, Holy Tabernacle rested for 369 years, that was before Jerusalem became Judaism's holiest city, there's more information here.

Next month, G-d willing we'll be back at Shiloh HaKeduma to pray, again, together.

Women's Prayers at Tel Shiloh
Rosh Chodesh Tammuz
Sunday, June 9, 2013
1 Tammuz 5773, 8:30am
Tour of Tel & Dvar Torah, Short Torah Lesson
Please come and invite family, friends and neighbors

תפילת נשים
ראש חודש תמוז בתל שילה

יום א' 9-6 א' תמוז תשע"ג 8:30
יהיה דבר תורה קצר וסיור בתל
נא לבוא, לפרסם ולהזמין חברות, משפחה ושכנות
 
 
There's now a very well kept up tourist center in Shiloh, Shiloh HaKeduma, at Tel Shiloh.  You can arrange tours and events there by emailing visit@telshilo.org.il or call 02-994-4019. 

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think Heshy is wrong on this one. It is not that both sides are right, it is that both sides are wrong.

You guys, on the other hand, seem to have it just right. Tizku limitzvot

Rahel Jaskow said...

Women of the Wall has never tried to take over the Kotel, nor has it ever fomented a riot, as W4W did. W4W then used the classic bullying tactic of denying all responsibility and blaming WOW for the violence.

Even if WOW's style of prayer is not your own, there is no moral equivalence here. It is absolutely clear where the responsibility lies.

Batya said...

a, thanks

Rahel, when the WOW leaders are proclaiming "Reclaim and Liberate the Kotel!" that makes it very clear that they want to take it over.
http://womenofthewall.org.il/campaigns/campaign-archives/campaign-11092012/
Bringing all of the media and dressing provocatively (no sleeves, as I could easily see on TV, over which a tallit was then dramatically draped) may not be your personal style. Ronit of W4W complained more of the chareidi men's behavior than anything else in her article. Did you read it?