Since 1989, a group of women have met to regularly pray at the Kotel, the Wailing Wall, in Jerusalem – one of the holiest places in Judaism. These Women of the Wall have faced verbal harassment and physical violence.
Late last year, Women of the Wall member Nofrat Frenkel was arrested for wearing a tallit, or prayer shawl, at the Kotel. Earlier this month, Anat Hoffman, leader of Women of the Wall and Director of the Israel Religious Action Center, was interrogated and fingerprinted by police.
Ultra-Orthodox control of religious expression in Israel – including funding of schools and recognition of progressive, non-Orthodox rabbis – is unacceptable. However, the treatment of these women as they engage in meaningful prayer and ritual undermines the Jewish and democratic values that are so essential to Israel’s well-being.
Join me in speaking out against the injustices being perpetrated against these women by dangerous religious extremism in Israel.
If you are not sure you know enough about the issue, take a few minutes to watch this video.
