Prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem

As I was reading more articles on the internet, I kept coming across a group called Women of the Wall. Women of the Wall is a group of Jewish Orthodox women who are trying to give women the right to pray out loud like men do at the Western Wall. In Judaism, the Western Wall is symbolic in many ways; it is regarded as one of the most holy sites. It is also a cultural symbol and historical because it is the only remaining wall of the Holy Temple. Like in Orthodox synagogues, men and women are not allowed to pray together and women pray silently. However, many women are unable to accept that they cannot pray out loud at the Western Wall, which is why they formed Women of the Wall.
When women try to pray out loud at the Western Wall, they are often met with violence and protests. People want to preserve men’s greater role in Judaism, despite the fact that men and women are seen as equal to G-d. The following passage explains more of the reasoning for the opposition to women praying at the Western wall:

“If the Women of the Wall were being challenged solely because they were women, in an
effort to oppress them squelch them, lower them, then I would say, ‘Fight on, sisters!’ But
I don’t believe that that is the case. I believe the fight that is being fought is in order to uphold halacha and tradition, a system that Orthodox Jews trust in and live by.”
Allison Josephs

For those of you who don’t know, halacha is the Jewish laws. Orthodox Jews follow the laws and traditions very strictly. Allison Josephs I quoted above believes that Jews should be able to pray how they wish at the Western Wall. In thinking that women should have equal opportunities to pray, she is showing her support for the equality of men and women. By not having the right to pray verbally at the Western Wall and being forced to pray silently, women are degraded and seen as lower than men. As I explained earlier, not everyone believes that men are superior to women; however some people do believe this, which causes a division between the two groups of people

In reading about how men and women pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, I learned a lot about their separation in places other than the synagogue. Similarly to women’s prayer groups, the Women of the Wall are working towards equality between men and women so that women do not have to pray silently at the Western Wall if they do not want to. I agree with Allison Josephs because men and women should have equal opportunities and should not be considered inferior based solely on their gender. Because Jews are not the only group of people who visit the Western Wall, it is important that people who are not Orthodox Jews realize the symbolism and meaning behind the separation of men and women during formal prayer at the Western Wall. While not everyone will support the separation, knowing and understanding the meaning behind it helps people to be more accepting of other people and their beliefs.

Sources:
Josephs, Allison. "Challenging the Women of the Wall." the sisterhood. Forward Association,
Inc. 8 Jan. 2010. Web. 20 April 2010.