Like thousands of non-Orthodox American Jews, I have enjoyed the privilege of participating in b’nai mitzvah and Shabbat services at the southern egalitarian prayer section of the Western Wall, or Kotel, in Jerusalem. These events were deeply spiritual and inspirational precisely because they took place at the holiest site in Judaism.
Yet, if enough Israeli lawmakers have their way, such meaningful experiences at the Kotel will become a thing of the past for those of us who practice non-Orthodox forms of Judaism.
In February, a bill that would strengthen the ultra-Orthodox Chief Rabbinate’s control over the Kotel, introducing severe penalties for “desecration” of the holy site, advanced in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, with the support of nearly half of all lawmakers. For nearly three months, no action was taken on the legislation, but now, suddenly, it’s headed to the Knesset’s Constitution, Law and Justice Committee for consideration.
Under this legislation, religious services and celebrations that don’t meet the approval of the Chief Rabbinate—i.e., practices associated with the largest denominations of American Jewry—would be prohibited. If enacted, anyone who publicly engages in conduct that contradicts the Rabbinate’s directives and rulings could face up to seven years in prison.
How did we get here? In 2016, a previous Netanyahu-led government agreed to renovate a section of the Kotel for mixed-gender prayer where families and groups could gather and hold services in accordance with more liberal practices and traditions. However, due to pressure from his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners, Netanyahu set aside the agreement, which, ten years later, still has never been fully implemented.
In mid-February, the Israeli Supreme Court indicated it had had enough of the government’s foot dragging and ordered the government to finally fulfill its obligations. In response, far-right Member of Knesset (MK) Avi Maoz and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, author of the controversial judicial overhaul legislation that prompted nationwide protests in 2023, introduced a bill that would effectively ban egalitarian prayer even in the southern section of the holy site.
One can only imagine the outcry from Jewish leaders worldwide were any other country to pass a law restricting the rights of Jews to pray according to their customs and threatening them with arrest. I have no doubt that Prime Minister Netanyahu would condemn such a law in the strongest terms. Ironically, even MKs who voted to advance the Kotel bill would likely denounce it as blatant antisemitism.
As Yizhar Hess, vice-chair of the World Zionist Organization, put it, “How could it be that the only western democracy without freedom of religion for Jews could be the Jewish state?”
Over the years, ultra-Orthodox extremists have applied other means to try to prevent egalitarian worship at the Kotel. The summer of 2022, for example, saw a significant escalation in violence targeting non-Orthodox Jews, disrupting their mixed-gender or women-led services in the southern section. During one bar mitzvah, a Jewish family from Las Vegas, who traveled to Jerusalem to celebrate their son’s coming-of-age, were overrun by a mob of ultra-Orthodox youth and vilified as “Nazis.” Inexplicably, the police witnessed the attack yet did nothing to stop it.
Commenting on the incident, Deborah Lipstadt, the US antisemitism envoy at the time, tweeted, “Make no mistake. Had such a hateful incident—such incitement—happened in any other country, there’d be little hesitation in labeling it antisemitism.”
Four years later, given everything the American Jewish community did to support Israel in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre—raising millions of dollars for an emergency campaign, keeping the hostages in the public eye, and vociferously contesting the false accusations of “genocide”—a proposal to ban egalitarian prayer represents a cruel gut punch. What message does it send, moreover, to the younger generation of American Jews, too many of whom are already becoming increasingly disillusioned with Israel?
Although the Kotel bill passed its initial reading with 56 MKs backing it, the vote seemingly didn’t have the support of Netanyahu. That was significant, but Netanyahu is now reaping what he sowed, having buried the compromise agreement that was supposed to have established an upgraded mixed-gender prayer platform in 2016.
Maoz hailed his proposed legislation, saying it would “unify the Jewish people, both those in Israel and those in the Diaspora.” He couldn’t be more wrong. Jewish unity doesn’t mandate uniformity of practice. To the contrary, Jewish unity can exist only when there is acceptance and celebration of religious pluralism.
Even if the Kotel bill never advances beyond the committee stage, the larger issue will remain. Israeli leaders need to decide once and for all what kind of Jewish state they want Israel to be—one that respects all streams of Judaism or one that will no longer feel welcoming to a majority of American Jews. For the sake of Israel’s future, the choice couldn’t be clearer.
Bob Horenstein is the Chief Community Relations and Public Affairs Officer for the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland.