Interesting piece about challenging traditions in the Pittsburg Post-Gazette. In it we read about how some ultra-Orthodox Jewish men gather to harass women,
Across a partition, in the men’s section of the Kotel, a group of ultra-Orthodox men gathered to harass the women as they sang and prayed. The men shouted “Gevalt!” — expressing their revulsion in Yiddish — and called the women’s prayer an abomination. One or two threw objects and spat at them. In the women’s section, some Orthodox female worshipers joined in the insults.
Imagine if this had been Mooslims hurling insults at women, Pamela Geller, Robert Spencer and the whole goof troop would be waxing on how this is “Islam” and just part and parcel of the “misogyny Islam preaches.” Will they cover this story?
Challenging Traditions at the Heart of Judaism
JERUSALEM — A struggle for the character of the Western Wall, this city’s iconic Jewish holy site and central place of worship, is under way, and it is being fought with prayer shawls and Torah scrolls.
On Friday, sheets of rain obscured the Old City’s ancient domes. But by 7 a.m. about 150 Jewish women had gathered at the Western Wall to pray and to challenge the constraints imposed on them by traditional Jewish Orthodoxy and a ruling by the Israeli Supreme Court.
Under their coats many of the women, supporters of a group of religious activists called Women of the Wall, wore a tallit, or fringed prayer shawl, a ritual garment traditionally worn only by men. Some wore their prayer shawls openly, an illegal act in this particular setting that can incur a fine or several months in jail.
Last month Nofrat Frenkel, 28, an Israeli medical student and a committed follower of Conservative Judaism, a modern, egalitarian strain, was the first woman in Israel to be arrested during prayers at the Western Wall, also known as the Kotel, for publicly wrapping herself in a tallit.
The police accused her of acting provocatively and in a way that upset public order. Ms. Frenkel said the investigation was still under way.
The Women of the Wall, who meet for prayers at the Kotel at the start of every Hebrew month, are at the vanguard of a feminist struggle in Orthodox Judaism and other more contemporary strains to adapt time-honored religious practice for the modern age. They came in droves on Friday, the first day of the Hebrew month of Tevet, to express their outrage over Ms. Frenkel’s case.
Anat Hoffman, chairwoman of Women of the Wall, which was founded in 1988, said she had never seen so many turn up in the month of Tevet.
“We are pushing the envelope. History is made of moments like this,” she said.
The group’s activities present a head-on challenge to the religious establishment, which is dominated in Israel by Orthodox rabbis who interpret and apply the rules of religious law in their strictest form.
The Kotel is defined in Israel as a national and holy site that is open to all. In practice, the women say, it operates like an Orthodox synagogue, with separate prayer sections for men and women and a modesty patrol to ensure that visitors are appropriately dressed.
Traditional Orthodox women pray individually, and quietly, by the Kotel’s massive beige stones, a remnant of the retaining wall of the mount revered by Jews as the site where their ancient temples once stood. Al Aksa mosque now sits on the top of the mount.
Critics of the Women of the Wall say that their practices — like holding organized prayers, singing out loud, carrying a Torah scroll and wearing prayer shawls — offend the more traditional worshipers at the site.
Twenty years ago, having suffered verbal and physical abuse as they prayed, the Women of the Wall petitioned the Supreme Court to have their right to religious freedom recognized, on grounds that the Kotel does not belong to the Orthodox establishment alone.
After a lengthy legal battle, the court ultimately ruled against the women in the interest of public order. Consequently, it is illegal for them to read aloud from the Torah or to wear prayer shawls openly by the wall. Instead, the authorities have allocated them a special area where they can conduct services in their own fashion, in an archaeological garden tucked around a corner, out of sight.
“These women come here like a persecuted group,” said David Barhoum, a criminal lawyer there on behalf of the Women of the Wall. If anything, he said on Friday, the criminal behavior seemed to be coming from the other side.
Across a partition, in the men’s section of the Kotel, a group of ultra-Orthodox men gathered to harass the women as they sang and prayed. The men shouted “Gevalt!” — expressing their revulsion in Yiddish — and called the women’s prayer an abomination. One or two threw objects and spat at them. In the women’s section, some Orthodox female worshipers joined in the insults.
Jewish religious law is open to interpretation. The Women of the Wall argue that even according to some Orthodox opinions, they are doing nothing wrong.
“Women are exempt from carrying out certain commandments, but not forbidden,” said Ms. Frenkel, who kept her prayer shawl hidden beneath her jacket by the Kotel this time around.
But the rabbi of the Western Wall, Shmuel Rabinowitz, said “there is no value to prayer that creates controversy and offends other female worshipers” at the site.
The dispute is not about interpretations of religious law, he added, but about the sanctity and the accepted custom of the place. “On Friday the heavens wept,” he said.
Others saw the rain as a blessing in this parched land. The downpour was “so fitting,” said Simonne Horwitz, an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan in western Canada, who said she had flown in especially for the event.
By and large, the inclement weather was on the side of the police who were sent to uphold the law and keep the peace.
There had been a plan for the women concealing their prayer shawls to open their coats, but Ms. Hoffman said most did not want to because of the storm.
Plans to take out a Torah scroll at the Kotel, and perhaps to read from it, were also aborted for fear the parchment would be damaged by the rain. Even so, one of the scrolls ended up with water stains.
Whether or not it was an act of divine intervention, the deluge allowed everyone to claim victory — the drenched women, their detractors and the police. The women were obviously wearing prayer shawls at the wall, but no arrests were made.
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:37 pm
It’s always a struggle between extremists and others. Even if you disagree with these women at the wall for some reason can’t you tell them another way, instead of spitting on them.
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:41 pm
I don’t think that this is a healthy line of argument.
“Blame the jews” will jsut get you into trouble.
And since there is an article… someone did find it newsworthy enough to report it. Just potentially far less than what would have happened if it was by Muslims (which you cannot know since I assume there are also loads of crimes by muslims that go unreported.)
Our problem with Israel is that they are oppressing the Palestinian people, no more. If they stop that, we should have no further quarrel with them.
December 22nd, 2009 at 4:53 pm
You,
No one is blaming the Jews, what a ridiculous statement, you must not be a consistent reader of Loonwatch.
Loonwatch takes a strong and principled stance against any form of anti-Semitism. The reason this is posted is to highlight the disparity and double standards in coverage of Muslim/Islam related stories as opposed to other religions/ groups in the media.
Thanks.
December 22nd, 2009 at 5:02 pm
You,
I suggest you read the mission statement of this website, and some articles, comments, and then go to the blogs of those we write about before commenting here.
You have no right to come here with pre-conceived notions and ASSUME that we are bashing Jews here. This article was not about Israeli’s oppresssing Palestinians.
Since your website is in the UK, my guess is that you are not even aware of the Islamophobes in the USA.
In that case, do some learning before preaching here.
Emperor,
This person probably does not even know of Pamela Geller or US politics and how they shape world opionion. There was nothing anti-semitic about your post.
Keep it going…good work.
December 22nd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
‘It’s okay to shoplift’ says Father Tim Jones? What if he was an Imam!
http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/4813836._It___s_okay_to_shoplift__says_York_priest/
December 23rd, 2009 at 7:07 pm
The growing religious extremism in Israel amongst the “Jewish Taliban” who segregate buses, object to women praying at the Western Wall, even rip down pictures of women in public, torching and attacking and setting fire to “secularists” and “degenerates” has led to questions in America if Israel is democratic or Jewish state.
Some good blog posts by Adam Horowitz and Phill Weiss below
Likud MK: Israel is not ‘a Jewish and democratic state,’ but rather ‘a Jewish state with a democratic regime’
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/12/likud-mk-israel-is-not-a-jewish-and-democratic-state-but-rather-a-jewish-state-with-a-democratic-regime.html
by Adam Horowitz on December 22, 2009 · 28 comments
Should Americans have a vision of Israel as a ‘democratic Jewish state’?
http://mondoweiss.net/2009/07/should-we-have-a-vision-of-israel-as-a-democratic-jewish-state.html
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Empror,
“Loonwatch takes a strong and principled stance against any form of anti-Semitism. “, please spare us the rhetoric. LW often takes silly and uncivilized, yet, non-violent acts by literally a few ultra-orthodox Jews, and uses them to ’show’ the disproportionate media coverage Muslim acts of violence and savagery get. This is rediclous. In fact, Muslims acts of prayer harassment don’t get media coverage either as they are silly but non-violent (if they even happen). The acts that do get coverage are stonings, beheading, amputations, etc. as part of Sharia (I’m sure Danios will quickly find a verse forbidding these barbaric punishments). Mostly, coverage is given to Jihadi acts in the name of Islam that are extremely violent and barbaric and result in massive casualties. The Muslims who commit these acts are not few in numbers, and they find plenty of verses in the Koran to justify their actions (Despite the peaceful verses LW wrote about plenty of times). Moreover, I think that political correctness is used to shield Islam from many violent acts all around the world.
December 24th, 2009 at 4:00 am
Al H
“LW often takes silly and uncivilized, yet, non-violent acts by literally a few ultra-orthodox Jews, and uses them to ’show’ the disproportionate media coverage Muslim acts of violence and savagery get.”
No. There are documented cases of violence or killings done in the name of other religons or causes, that the mainstream MSM does not cover unless they are Islamic.
Do Islamophobes ever cover the crimes of Christian Zionists?
Here are plenty of examples they won’t touch
http://www.crusadewatch.org/
Loon Watch uses cases like the one above to show how Islamophobes give disproportionate coverage to crimes by Muslims and ignore those that their own comit in the name of religion.
What are you talking about? Wasn’t the JDL and Kahane labelled terrorist organisations in the USA?
————
Jewish religious terrorism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_religious_terrorism
Christian Terrorism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_terrorism
———–
What you don’t realise is, that if the religous component were taken out of it, it doesn’t mean that the person comitting the crime wouldn’t use another justification for his actions.
People like you Al H, over look that. For example, the secular or atheist Jews returning to Palestine didn’t comit crimes in the name of Judaism, but that’s because they were not religous. They DID comit terrorism, (Irgun, Haganah etc.)
——–
Zionist political violence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zionist_political_violence
Nationalist terrorism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalist_terrorism
——-
and Al H, if you want solid proof of the hypocricy and bias of the neo con controlled media in the USA, it is that they highlight and exaggerate every Muslim crime (blaming Islam) yet totally ignore the Hindu crimes of terrorism done by Hindu fanatics against Christians, Muslims, Sikhs and other non Hindu’s in India. They also ignore the the Christian Evangelical religous extremist crimes outside the USA for the same reason.
What you overlook is that Islamophobes make no mention of honour killings and clitectorimies done by Christians or Jews or others only the Muslim ones are newsworthy. Never mind the female infanticide comitted in India, or child prostitution, or the forced prostitution in Israel, Israel along with Dubai is a prostitution centre, (forced and traficked women)
Hindu religous and nationalist crimes are never spoken about because India is an ally of the neocons. Did you know AIPAC is involved in giving India advice on how to lobby as well being a defence partner?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_violence_in_India
In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in violent attacks on Christians in India, often perpetrated by Hindu Nationalists.
———
So please spare us the hypocricy and double standards,
December 24th, 2009 at 4:10 am
Loon Watch, I think you should add Phylis Chesler to your list of loon writers.
REad her latest garbage, she bemoans the fact that a woman was sold in Pakistan today, blaming Islam, when in factit’s an ancient custom they have. Chesler fakes a concern for women, but she never speaks out against the forced prostitution of women in Israel.
Chesler was married to an Afghani, part of her \islamophobia is the “jilted lover” syndrome.
December 24th, 2009 at 7:17 am
You hoo..Al H
“The acts that do get coverage are stonings, beheading, amputations, etc. as part of Sharia (I’m sure Danios will quickly find a verse forbidding these barbaric punishments). Mostly, coverage is given to Jihadi acts in the name of Islam that are extremely violent and barbaric and result in massive casualties.”
No, the Evangelical regime in ~America (Bush’s GOP) is responsible for more bloodshed than all of the Islamic terrorists put together. Case dismissed already..but i’ll continue
George Habash was a Christian, and Sami Kuntar a Druze are called Terrorists, but why isn’t the Zionist media demonising Chrisitanity and Druze religions as terrorist religons? These two were amongst the worst terrorists, yet somehow their religon is excused.
No, NO NO, don’t come back and tell me that they didnt do it in the name of religon, because I will then ask you “does it matter?” Religion isn’t the cause of terrrorism. Had Sami Kuntar or George Habash been Muslims the Islamophobic media would be blaming Islam, even if they were secular Muslims, but never mind if they’re from another religon.
The Tamil Tiger suicide bombers are not Muslims so hey, don’t bash their religion. That too is excused.
Why is media giving coverage to jihadi acts comitted in the name of Islam only is what you should be asking.
and the answer is because it is self serving. Do you see the link? take off your Islamophobia fog hazed glasses and make the connection.
“Moreover, I think that political correctness is used to shield Islam from many violent acts all around the world.”
Oh no, it’s not political correctness. It’s political convenience that is stopping America from questioning why they tolerate cruel intolerant regimes instead of cutting links with them. don’t give me that crap you moron.
Is it political correctness that is stopping the USA from dealing with the Saudi regime when they had no second thoughts about attacking a SECULAR Baathist Iraqi one? If Islamic terrorism was the threat why was a secular Iraqi regime invaded when a religious Saudi Arabia one is supported? It’s because the Saudi one is considered an ally, so the US turn a blind eye to their crimes. It wasn’t Iraq that supported the Taliban, gave funds to Al Qaeda, it was Saudi Arabia. Syria, and North korea are part of the “axis” but Syria is secular, and North Korea atheist.
Now you show your ignorance in great style.
December 24th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Nabeela and Reza,
Your responses include examples of terrorist acts that were, in fact, covered by the local media (local in the sense of location where the terrorism took place). Some were covered by the US ‘Zionist’ media as well. The ‘islamophobes’ are covering Islamic motivated terrorism as it’s the largest and they are trying to make a (valid) connection between the teaching of Islam and these acts of the terrorist. (I know, I know, there are verses in the scriptures of other religions that are violent and can motivate terrorism, but the fact of the matter is that Jewish and Christian terrorism, put together, pales in comparison to Muslim terrorism).
This article on which we’re commenting shows a case of prayer harassment where NO ONE was killed or injured. And it’s used an example of a bias media. Do you expect CNN or Fox News to cover a case of a woman who was spat on? Will this even the scales?
You both went on a tyraid giving examples, some indeed valid, of terrorism commited by lunetics of other religions. So what? I’ve never claimed other religions don’t commit acts of terrorism. They do but it’s doesn’t take away or excuse Islamic terrorism. CNN, FoxNews, and other ‘Zionist’ media outlets (btw, only morons when you use this term), do NOT cover minor acts of Islamic terrorism in areas of the world that are of no particular interest to us. Instead, they typcially focus of major, violent acts that terrorism (not only Islamic) around the world. It just happens that these large scale terrorist acts are committed by Jihadis (I wonder why???). Get a grip…
December 24th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
“The ‘islamophobes’ are covering Islamic motivated terrorism as it’s the largest and they are trying to make a (valid) connection between the teaching of Islam and these acts of the terrorist.”
When are you going to get it into your head? Read the following 10 times until it sinks in
Islamophobia is FAKE AND FALSIFIED INFORMATION ABOUT ISLAM THE RELIGON.
I am not talking about responsible criticism of extremists who are distorting Islam, that is NOT ISLAMOPHOBIA. We don’t fight that.
The mainstream media cover these crimes, but they do so fairly and give blame where it is due. That doesn’t bother me. Nor is it what we fight here.
We fight those who have an agenda to lie and distort, FOR AN AGENDA.
When the likes of Robert spencer, sit there and cook up fairy stories, and tell people this is Islam, (Islam can only be learnt from Muslims) and people believe him, THAT IS A PROBLEM.
When Pamela Geller says honour killings and cliterectomies are Islamic, and gives only examples of Muslims doing that, but not Christians, Jews and others, and then says it’s ISLAMIC, THAT IS A PROBLEM.
These people are PAID TO LIE, ir they do so for an agenda. and you didn’t answer my question. I’m aware that they got coverage in the media, but why wasn’t christiantiy or Druze blamed for Sami Kuntar and George Habash? Arafat’s top brass was Christian, the pLO was a marxist secular organistation, but the Zionist right wingers like Geller call it Islamic. If it’s Islamic why did it have marx, christian, druze, members?