Rubenstein: Does everyone have to agree with Rav HaKotel?

The judges of the Supreme Court discussed this morning (Monday) a petition submitted by the Israel Religious Action Center along with the 'Women of the Wall', 'Kolech', 'Chidu”sh' and 'Yisrael Chofshit', dealing with the authority of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation: “Exclude women and any movements that are not Orthodox.”

The current petition was submitted already three years ago in 2013, B’Hadrei Haredim has come to the knowledge that it has come up again after it was then agreed to freeze the topic until the completion of staff work lead by then Government Secretary Avichai Mandelblitt, who today is the government legal advisor.

The Supreme Court instructed the petitioners, who are asking to put Reform representatives in the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, to correct the petition and then he will discuss it again. In January 2016 the government approved, with a majority of 15 members against 5, the opening of a separate area for egalitarian prayer, yet the petitioners claim that “Since then nothing has happened and the Government’s decision has remained as a disregarded ruling.”, and as a result, the Supreme Court met again this morning reopen the petition.

In the discussion, the judges criticized the government that the separate area in the Kotel was not put in place. President of the Supreme Court, Miriam Naor, said that “The matter has been dragged to no end”. In addition, she stated that “The main problem is, what is happening by the Western Wall? Here the matter is dragged out to no end. I am under the impression that in this case we are expected to do the unpleasant job in their stead. This is the government's job. This matter must be brought up to its rightful place of importance because we are talking about the Western Wall. Things are not moving.”

Judge Elkayam Rubenstein also added- “What is actually happening? In January the decision was handed over to the government. After that, there were other disagreements and then a meeting with the PM in the end of June. When speaking of these regulations, is there any chance in the world that the Minister of Religious Affairs will sign them or do we need to move for someone else to sign?”

Rubenstein referred to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and the Rabbi of the Kotel, HaRav Shmuel Rabinovitch, and said that “This is a foolish cycle. Because the one appointed is the Rabbi and the Rabbi has a certain religious view with all due respect, but the question is, what should be done about the rest of the population who have a different religious view.” Later on, he added that “Whoever doesn’t want pluralism will go to the northern plaza and whoever does, will go to the southern plaza, we are a Jewish nation.”

Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman and Minister of Interior Aryeh Deri opposed to the decision of a separate area in the government vote but didn’t stop it. The reason for this is that it is better to deal with “the lesser of two evils” than to get the Supreme court involved.

Despite the criticism at the time against the Haredi representatives, this morning they were proven to have done the right thing after the Supreme court became involved with the implementation of the separate area and the Reform movement’s petition.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!