Western Wall Dispute Flares Up Over Prayer Customs on Rosh Chodesh
A controversy arose at the Western Wall during Rosh Chodesh Kislev prayers as activists claimed a man entered the women's section. Organizers and participants vowed to protect the site's traditional character.
A fresh controversy erupted at the Western Wall plaza in Jerusalem on Wednesday morning during Rosh Chodesh Kislev prayers, as hundreds gathered to mark the new Hebrew month. Hayah Malul Gaz, an activist from the "Angels of the Wall" organization, claimed during a live broadcast that a biological man disguised as a woman entered the women's prayer section as part of a protest by liberal feminist groups.
Approximately 500 worshippers, including high school students from Dimona and other towns alongside Jerusalem yeshiva students, arrived at the holy site early in the morning. While reporters highlighted the festive atmosphere and the large turnout of young women, the proceedings were overshadowed by the ongoing dispute over prayer customs at the Western Wall.
"What is important for me to convey is that once again this month, a man was brought into the Western Wall, into the women's section," Malul Gaz stated, criticizing what she described as progressive trends infiltrating traditional Jewish practices. She asserted that her group would release documentation of the incident later in the day, framing the event as a direct violation of the site's sanctity.
Beyond the immediate incident at the plaza, Malul Gaz addressed broader political developments, issuing a stark warning to leaders of ultra-Orthodox political parties against joining a coalition with leftist factions. Identifying herself as a traditional woman who wears trousers rather than strictly ultra-Orthodox attire, she emphasized that the traditional public forms a vital backbone of support for religious values in Israel but will not tolerate political compromises with perceived opponents of traditional Zionism.
Erez Asher, CEO of the Liba Center which organized the morning prayers, praised the large gathering and vowed to continue defending the traditional character of the site. "The Western Wall is the heart of prayer and yearning for the Jewish people for thousands of years. We will not allow the High Court of Justice and reform groups to desecrate its sanctity and alter the tradition of the generations," Asher declared following the service.
