Religion News Service<\/a> reports that, \u201cin a historic first,\u201d hundreds of Israeli police mobilised to protect a group called Women at the Wall (WOW) from Haredi men who jostled and screamed abuse at the women, even calling them \u201cNazis.\u201d<\/p>\nSince WOW\u2019s establishment in 1988, the police have allowed Haredi protesters \u2013 who believe women aren\u2019t permitted to lead prayers or read the Torah aloud \u2013 to verbally and sometimes physically attack WOW and non-Orthodox prayer groups.<\/p>\n
The large police presence yesterday was reportedly the result of a Israel having a new coalition government headed by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. No ultra-Orthodox parties are represented in the new administration.<\/p>\nImage via YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nAnat Hoffman, above, WOW\u2019s chairwoman, said:<\/p>\n
We feel a difference in the government, a commitment that there won\u2019t be bloodshed at the wall. In the past, we felt that the police weren\u2019t protecting us. Today\u2019s level of protection was unprecedented.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nPolice led about 300 WOW supporters, both men and women, to the Western Wall plaza through an entrance parallel to but physically separated from the large crowd of mostly young Haredi men, who were blowing whistles and yelling \u201cNazi\u201d and other slurs.<\/p>\n
Several of the WOW activists carried colorful velvet Torah mantels \u2013 the elaborately decorated cloths that cover Torah scrolls \u2013 sent by synagogues around the world in a sign of solidarity.<\/p>\n
The mantels were empty because Western Wall authorities prohibit people from bringing a Torah to the wall. Although the Western Wall Heritage Foundation provides Torah scrolls to male worshippers, including bar mitzva boys, the scrolls are off-limits to women.<\/p>\n
Yochi Rapaport, Director of WOW, said:<\/p>\n
Women at the Western Wall are not allowed to hold a Torah scroll or read the Torah. We are discriminated against and excluded in the holiest place for Jews. All that is left for us to do is hold empty Torah scroll covers to protest the terrible injustice.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nAt the security checkpoint leading to the plaza, Western Wall authorities refused to permit WOW to display the names of the synagogues attached to the mantels, calling them a form of protest.<\/p>\nImage via YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\nThe large police presence was mostly due to Aryeh Deri, above, an ultra-Orthodox Knesset member who on Thursday called on the public to:<\/p>\n
Prevent the wall, a remnant of the holy Jewish Temple, from being desecrated.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nDespite the strong police presence, Women of the Wall issued a statement noting the day was still marred by violence.<\/p>\n
When WOW was preparing to read from the small Torah a supporter had smuggled into the women\u2019s section, the wall\u2019s private security guards tried to pull it out of their hands.<\/p>\n
The statement said:<\/p>\n
A mob surrounded the group and eventually physically pushed them out from the plaza. We were unable to read from the Torah this morning.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nHoffman said her group will continue to assemble in the women\u2019s section and try to pray with a Torah until the government honours its 2016 promise to fund and officially recognise a prayer space for non-Orthodox prayer.<\/p>\n
Former PM Netanyahu, who had spearheaded the effort to create such a space, backed down after MK Deri and other ultra-Orthodox politicians threatened to bring down his government unless the pluralist prayer space was blocked.<\/p>\n
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