mitzvah ceremony at the Kotel," said
one of the Women of the Wall petition-
ers, Anat Hoffman of Jerusalem.
But Orthodox legislators denounced
the decision and vowed to initiate legis-
lation that would circumvent the ruling.
In Jerusalem, Cabinet Minister Rabbi
Michael Melchior, who is spearheading
government efforts to resolve religious
pluralism conflicts, said, "We cannot
resolve the central problems of our soci-
ety through forcing one side on another.
Under the Conservative agreement
reached Monday, meanwhile, the Israeli
government will protect the right of
Conservative Jews to hold services at
Robinson's Arch and will provide the
movement with space to store prayer-
books and prayer shawls.
The two sides agreed to a 12-month
trial period during which time the
Conservative movement will be able to
hold morning services at the site once a
week, during Tisha b'Av, and other spe-
cial times with prior coordination.
Services will start on Shavuot, at the
beginning of next month, a holiday
where mixed-gender services in recent
years have resulted in violence.
Conservative leaders described the
agreement, under which they will pray
in an area they were already officially
permitted to pray in, as a "first step" and
a "compromise," rather than a victory.
Rabbi Ismar Schorsch, chancellor of
the Conservative movement's Jewish
Theological Seminary in New York,
said, "We got less than we wanted but
more than they were prepared to give a
few years ago. It's a short step forward in
the struggle for a pluralistic Israel." 0

36 Months, 36,000 Miles
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30 Months, 30,000 Miles
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— JTA correspondent Naomi Segal in
Jerusalem contributed to this report.

Iranians are willing to charge them
With anything," said Pooya Dayanim,
a spokesman for the Los Angeles-
based Council of Iranian American
Jewish Organizations.
"It's a sign from Iran that they could
still get the death penalty, because they
were committing espionage at a time of
war. It also shows that the fate of the
Jews is completely in their hands,
changing from day to day, on a whim."
Indeed, Iranian authorities initially
accused the "Iran 13" of spying for the
United States and Israel. But when the
trial began May 1, only Israel was
mentioned. And now Iraq has been
added to the mix.
The four also accused of spying for
Iraq are Asher Zadmehr, 49, the top reli-
gious leader of the fervently Orthodox
Jews of Shiraz, where the trial is taking

30 Months, 30,000 Miles
$1,000 Down. $1,372.56 Due at Signing

Mon. & Thurs. till 9 pm
Tues., Wed., Fri. till 6 pm

THE POWER OF

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5/26

2000

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