Women of the Wall and their supporters will be allowed to
pray at the women’s section of the Kotel this month and will not be relegated
to an area away from the wall, as they were last month, according to police.
In response to a question from Haaretz, a Jerusalem District
Police spokesperson said: “The worshippers will be escorted by police forces on
their way to the Kotel and will be brought into the women’s section with police
escorts, in order to allow them to pray as the court ruled.”
The Jerusalem District Court ruled several months ago that
contrary to police interpretations of the law, Women of the Wall are not in
violation of “local custom” when they wear prayer shawls and put on tefillin at
the Kotel.
The ruling was considered a major victory for supporters of the
women’s organization, who have been waging a battle to pray as they see fit at
the holy site.
Citing security precautions, police last month set up
barricades to prevent Women of the Wall and their supporters from approaching
the women’s section, keeping them enclosed in an area typically used for
parking near the public restrooms.
Several leaders of the ultra-Orthodox community had
instructed young seminary women to show up in force at the Kotel before Women
of the Wall arrived last month.
By the time Women of the Wall arrived at 7 A.M.,
the usual hour that they convene, the women’s section was filled almost to
capacity with thousands of young ultra-Orthodox women.
On Wednesday, Women of the Wall will hold their monthly
morning prayer service to mark the beginning of the Jewish month of Elul.
A
group of organization activists plans to hold a vigil at the entrance to the
Kotel, near Dung Gate, to protest the ongoing refusal of the Orthodox
authorities to allow them to read from the Torah scroll in the women’s section.
Those participating in the vigil will hold up a Torah scroll in order to draw
attention to their cause, said Lesley Sachs, the executive director of the
women’s organization.
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