Charedim Sing and Drown out Mixed Gender Mincha Service

Today's mixed gender mincha service didn't go off as easy as the group of Reform and Conservative Jews behind it had hoped. Many Israeli Jews from across the religious spectrum were deeply offended by the attempt of Jews belonging to alternate streams of Judaism to thwart the ancient rules governing prayer at this most holy of sites. A large group of Yeshiva students came to protest this great breech in the sanctity of the Kosel Plaza.

The yeshiva students sang and danced and drowned out the attempts of the mixed gender group to conduct a service. The mixed crowd countered the passionate force that confronted them by singing " Henei ma tov uma naeim sheves achim gam yachad". The scene was somewhat reminiscent of a color war battle, with each side trying to sing their theme song louder than the other.

Though many news reports, both religious and secular have painted the Israeli Jews who came to protest as the aggressors, it must be remembered that conducting a mixed -gender prayer service at the Kosel is an out and out break with the accepted norm that has been in place here for generations.

Israeli's are characteristically a rather heated bunch. They are much more likely to express themselves vocally and passionately than their American counterparts. Americans tend to be more concerned with being polite then they do with getting their point across. This is a matter of cultural difference- not a matter of right or wrong.
Anyone who viewed the footage from today's confrontation at the Kosel Palza must remember that the group who tried to conduct a mixed gender prayer service are a group of American visitors who are trying to foist their way of doing things upon the host culture.

The ever polite American culture is fond of saying "when in Rome do as the Romans." So I ask, why must my fellow Americans insist on doing things their way here in Israel? Wouldn't the polite and respectful approach be to, "Do as the Israeli's when in Israel?"

As Chairman of Internal Affairs Dovid Amsalem said so eloquently today, "Until today everyone who wanted to pray at the Kotel came and prayed, including the Reform. There is a men's section and a women's sections and no one asks you if you are Reform, Jew or gentile. Whoever wants to come to the Kotel knows that there are rules to follow."

How come when Asian ,African, and Christian groups come to the Kosel they show respect for the rules at this sacred site? They don't seem to have any problem going down to the Kosel in separate groups of men and women?

Why then do our fellow American Jews have such a need to conduct their own services in blatant offense of the established norms? Why do they insist on offending their own people at our nation's holiest site?

Can they not understand that here in Israel they are the outsiders- and the polite thing to do would be to go with the flow and not try to change the status quo?
Prime Minster Binaymin Netanyahu was disturbed by today's protest against the mixed gender prayer service. He said that he would like "all Jews to feel at home" at the Kotel. Personally I don't think anyone should "feel at home" at the Kosel. The Kosel is not our home. It is G-d's home, and as visitors at G-d's home the respectful thing to do would be to obey His rules. And stand in awe of His greatness.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!