Shas is moving ahead with legislation that would make it illegal to hold mixed-gender prayer services in the Kosel area, including areas that aren’t designated for tefilos. The legislation would also prohibit women from wearing tallis and tefilin, as well as conducting any religious ceremonies that aren’t in line with traditional prayers seen over the years.
For Shas, the legislation is a deal breaker and party leaders expect the legislation to be presented to the Ministerial Law Committee on Sunday, 2 Shevat. Shas feels that coalition discipline will compel partners in the government to support the bill, pointing out it backed taxing a third apartment and banning the muezzin bill in line with coalition wishes and now, it expects to see the loyalty returned.
Only practices approved by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel will be permitted at the Kosel and surrounding plaza, seeking to bury the concept of an egalitarian prayer area.
As the battle continues, the legal advisor of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, Harel Goldberg, will on erev Shabbos tell Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel does not have jurisdiction to rule on the matter, which is on the High Court’s docket for next week. Goldberg basis his expert opinion on British Mandate period law that has never been repealed.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
As long as the self-appointed High Court is not overthrown, Shas’ legislation will never go through. The self-appointed judges for life feel they’re the most powerful entity in the state of Israel and have the right to meddle into everything and anything, including political and religious affairs.
For the uptinth time can someone tell us:
Since all these ‘Jewish’ movements dont believe in torah misini, the oral explanation g-d gave to moishe, reform conservative and the rest dont even believe in diety so they can:
1)Take any storybook to read, they want davke ‘bible’ stories let them take a printed bible. Nowhere in torah says has to be parchment . Nowhere in torah says has to be 10 person for minyan. Kaddish?
Where does it say anything about kaddish and with 10 persons and so on So everything they want to do is just l’hachis
“As the battle continues, the legal advisor of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, Harel Goldberg, will on erev Shabbos tell Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel does not have jurisdiction to rule on the matter…”
I think you meant to write that “the HIGH COURT does not jurisdiction to rule on the matter…”
The religious parties reached an agreement a year ago with respect to this issue to resolve long-standing litigation. They are making fools of themselves by failing to keep their word and now trying to legislate what a woman can wear when she visits the areas and plazas outside har habayis. Perhaps they should also legislate acceptable lvush for the men, mandate that daveners where clean and fresh clothing, that shtreimlach may only be of certain furs (aka no fake furs), a bekeshe must be only black with no stripes like some prison uniform etc.
@GadolHadorah “with no stripes like some prison uniform”.
Clearly haven’t scraped the bottom of your sinas chinam bucket yet, right?