Peres: allow women to pray at the Western Wall with a prayer shawl

"Judaism has many faces and it is anti – Jewish to select only one of them," said President Shimon Peres today (Wednesday) during a special meeting held in Jerusalem with 200 members of the delegation of the Jewish Federation of New York (UJA) visiting Israel this week for the 65th Independence Day.

"If women want to pray at the wall and put a tallit on them, we must allow them to do so," he said. "Nowhere in the Bible does not say that women cannot put on a shawl. We are not a church or organization, we are a religion and we each have a different way of talking with G-d, and every man or woman could pray the way they choose," he added.

"I spoke recently with the Rabbi of the Western Wall and pointed out the need to resolve the issue," said Peres. "I told him that we are committed to find a solution that everyone agrees to it; one that respects other opinions."

During the President's meeting with the delegation he also discussed the attack which took place in Boston two days ago and expressed his condolences to the American people and the families of the victims. "In today's world, individuals can come to Boston or New York and kill 3,000 people and escape, and all this just because they want to impress their supporters," Peres said, adding, "The reality is that some evil people can threaten the majority, like Boston or Eilat and unfortunately, they are often more powerful than governments."

The delegation of the Jewish Federation of New York (UJA), named after William Rosenwald, focuses on finding ways in which the Federation can help the quality of life of the residents of Israel, from donations to disadvantaged youth through the management care for Holocaust survivors and to help new immigrants and families who are below the poverty line.

During the delegation's visit to Israel, two hundred participants meet with senior representatives of the government and the army, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, Minister of Finance Yair Lapid, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro. As part of a visit to Israel by a delegation from the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York will visit the Kiryat Yovel neighborhood of Jerusalem, and take part in the renovation and construction of the elementary school shelter Menashe Elyashiv.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!