Rally Organized for Woman Arrested at Western Wall
A rally will be held today in Washington in solidarity with Anat Hoffman, who was recently arrested by Israeli police for carrying a Torah at the Western Wall.
A rally will be held today at noon in Washington in solidarity with the recently arrested Anat Hoffman. Hoffman is the chair of the “Women of the Wall” organization and was recently arrested by Israeli police for carrying a Torah at the Western Wall. The rally, to take place in front of the Israeli embassy, is being organized by Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld of the orthodox Ohev Shalom, the National Synagogue. The organizers believe that by allowing this arrest, the Israeli government is giving into demands of the ultra-orthodox Jewish community purely to gain political support. Herzfeld says that Israel’s actions are not only wrong, but also reduce American support for Israel at a time when it is badly needed.
Herzfeld said that "Orthodox Jewish law does not prohibit women from carrying a Torah scroll and leading rabbis have endorsed the practice in the past, albeit in a different setting… Thus, Anat Hoffman was not in violation of Jewish law.” And, in any case, legally, Israeli police should not be enforcing one sect's views over another.
In an interview with FrumForum, Rabbi Herzfeld explained why it was important for Jews to stand in solidarity with Hoffman, even though it may be perceived by some as hurting Israel's image. “We would not tolerate the arrest of a person for holding a Torah in any other country, and we should not tolerate it in Israel.
"I want Prime Minister Netanyahu to know there is deep concern on the part of many Jews in America about what this arrest means, and the direction that the country is heading in.”
This event certainly comes at a time of strain in US-Israel relations. In addition to the current belief that the personal relationship between Obama and Netanyahu is fraught with tension, several US Senators and political leaders have also criticized the Israeli government over a new law being proposed which might make it harder for non-Orthodox converts to be recognized as Israeli citizens under the Law of Return. (The law would place control of conversions under the control of the Orthodox chief rabbinate.)
A spokesperson for the embassy said, “We respect and appreciate their [the protestor's] concerns. We appreciate their willingness to share those concerns with us, and any messages will be transmitted to the right authorities.”