A meeting was held on Thursday morning 13 Nissan with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in response to the urgent request made by Kosel Rav Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz Shlita. Rabbi Rabinowitz is seeking to prevent the Birchas Kohanos which is scheduled for the first day of chol hamoed Pesach in the ezras noshim of the Kosel.

Participants in the meeting including State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan, Rabbi Rabinowitz, Ministry of Religious Services Director-General Oded Flus, police commanders in charge of the Kosel and attorney Erez Malul, who represented the position of the Ministry of Religious Services and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

The position of Rabbi Rabinowitz and Religious Services Ministry was presented, explaining the Birchas Kohanos does not fit in to the ‘minhag hamakom’ in addition to Rabbi Rabinowitz explaining there is no religious significance to the ceremony performed by women and even if one wishes to do it, it has never taken place at the Kosel. Therefore, they feel holding the ceremony would be a violation of regulations governing protecting holy sites, articles 1a and 2a.

As such, it was decided that the event would be prohibited in line with the regulations for Jewish holy sites.

Minister of Religious Services David Azoulai explained “I instructed persons in the ministry as how to act in the matter and with Siyata Dishmaya, B”H we managed to defeat this as the event was canceled by Attorney General Mandelblit”.

In light of the ruling, if the Women of the Wall decide to ignore the ruling and go ahead with the ceremony, Kosel security personnel will have the right to have them removed.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)