NEW YORK, June 25, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC
is deeply disappointed by today's decision of the Israeli
government to withdraw from the plan to establish an egalitarian
prayer space at the Western Wall (Kotel).
AJC had hailed the compromise to allow egalitarian prayer at the
sacred site in Jerusalem when it
was first approved by the Israeli Cabinet in January 2016.
"The Kotel belongs to all Jews worldwide, not to a
self-appointed segment," said AJC CEO David
Harris. "This decision is a setback for Jewish unity and the
essential ties that bind Israel
and American Jews, the two largest centers of Jewish life in the
world."
In a September 2015 letter to AJC,
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated his commitment "to
strengthening the unity of the Jewish people," and pledged "to
unequivocally reject any attempt to divide us or to delegitimize
any Jewish community – Reform, Conservative or Orthodox."
The Conservative and Reform movements, joined by AJC and other
Jewish groups, have long pressed for equal rights at the Kotel for
non-Orthodox worship and religious ceremonies. The landmark
compromise, adopted by the Israeli Cabinet on January 31, 2016, recognized that the religious
status quo at the Western Wall would continue under Orthodox
authority. For egalitarian and mixed-gender Conservative and Reform
prayers, however, a new space would be created at the southern
wall, commonly known as Robinson's Arch. But while all streams of
Judaism agreed at the time, the ultra-Orthodox representatives
reneged and have steadfastly blocked its implementation.
AJC has been focusing on issues of Jewish religious pluralism in
Israel for decades. At AJC's
initiative, the effort was elevated in 2014 with the establishment
of the multi-organizational Jewish Religious Equality Coalition
(J-REC) to press for recognized alternatives to the Chief Rabbinate
on procedures relating to marriage and conversion to Judaism.
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ajc-decries-israeli-government-decision-to-freeze-western-wall-plan-300479314.html
SOURCE American Jewish Committee