The Women of the Wall - A Metaphor for National and Religious Identity
Israel Studies Review, Volume 30, Issue 2, Winter 2015: 50-70
Boston Univ. School of Law, Public Law Research Paper No. 16-05
22 Pages Posted: 21 Jan 2016
Date Written: January 20, 2016
Abstract
The Women of the Wall wish to participate in communal prayer in the women’s section of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Their practice is to pray as a group, wrap themselves in a tallit, and read from the Torah scroll. They represent Jewish pluralism in that their group includes Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and secular women. They represent openness to change in that they base their claims on Halakhic interpretation, thereby embracing the capacity of Jewish law to evolve. This article reviews the resistance of the religious and political establishment in Israel to their claim and their struggle, unsuccessful so far, to get recognition.
Keywords: feminism, freedom of worship, High Court of Justice, Jerusalem, law and religion, religious pluralism, “women of the wall”
JEL Classification: K10, K19, K39, K33
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation