Court Makes Ruling
On Women At Wall
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Jerusalem (JTA) — Israel's
Supreme Court issued two
important rulings on re-
ligious pluralism this week:
one rejecting a petition by
women to conduct prayer
services at the Western Wall
and another saying that
local religious councils
cannot bar non-Orthodox
members.
The Supreme Court turned
down the petition of the wo-
men, who sought to pray
aloud at the Western Wall in
the face of violent opposition
by fervently Orthodox
groups.
Nevertheless, the Women
of the Wall, as they have
come to be called since they
filed their petition in 1989,
claimed a partial victory.
They pointed to the court's
call for the establishment of
a government committee to
investigate the matter and
to find a way to balance the
needs and sensitivities of all
the worshippers at the Wall.
The high court also issued
a separate ruling that the
nation's local religious coun-
cils, which dispense basic re-
ligious services to all Jews,
could not exclude non-
Orthodox members.
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The decision was hailed by
the petitioners as a
"milestone ruling" that ad-
vances the cause of religious
pluralism in Israel.
The decision on the Wo-
men at the Wall was
"extremely positive," said
Bonna Haberman, the
group's founder. "The
Supreme Court has demand-
ed that the state recognize
that women's voices, our
freedom of access and our
right to prayer are included
in the mosaic of religious
pluralism at the holy site,"
she said.
Miriam Isserow, the at-
torney for the Israel Wo-
men's Network, however,
called the decision "very
disappointing" and charged
that it "bowed to the
demands of the Orthodox."
Rabbi Yehuda Getz, who
oversees religious practices
at the Wall, was equivocal as
he walked out of the cour-
troom.
He called the ruling
"neither here, nor there,"
and said he trusted the
government committee
charged by the court to in-
vestigate the matter would
use "common sense" in mak-
-
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A woman prays at the Western Wall.