Conservative Movement's Synagogues Call For Global Flash Mob In Support Of Women Of The Wall

"The arrest of Anat Hoffman [at the western Wall last week for reciting the Shema prayer out loud] compels us to be participants in the creation of a Jewish Homeland for all Jews. In the spirit of our deep and unshakeable love for Israel, we will continue to coordinate and work with our partners to address this issue in a sustained and long-term manner."

 

Dear Hevre,

Since the release of our statement yesterday responding to the shocking arrest of Anat Hoffman at the Kotel for the ‘crime’ of wearing a tallit and reciting the Sh’ma, we have been overwhelmed by emails and calls from our kehillot, members, affiliates and friends who want to know how best to respond.

As the arrest of Anat Hoffman, the leader and organizer of Women of the Wall, is but the most recent instance of the growing religious intolerance within Israel to expressions of non-Orthodox Judaism, we are organizing to let the Government of Israel know that its current climate of religious extremism is unacceptable.

Committed, observant Zionists who love the Jewish Homeland, we are now taking a proactive role in the struggle for the soul of Israel and have devised a three-pronged course of action:

First, we urge our members, friends and affiliates to flood Prime Minister Netanyahu’s e-mailbox with letters of protest, expressing our outrage at Anat Hoffman’s arrest and treatment our concern for the future of the state. Letters can be e-mailed to pm_eng@pmo.gov.il. You will find a sample letter attached.

Secondly, we are calling on our kehillot to dedicate at least one Sh’ma over the course of Shabbat to this struggle. I suggest that individuals or kehilla leaders write a creative Kavanah to precede the public recitation of Sh’ma that highlights the meaning of the prayer and calls upon the Government of Israel in the spirit of the literal meaning of the Sh’ma -- “Hear O Israel” -- to create a climate of respect and dignity for all Jews.

Finally, we are hereby announcing that on Monday afternoon, at 1 p.m. Eastern Time, we are coordinating a Global Sh’ma FlashMob. At that moment across the world, we are asking our kehillot, members, friends and affiliates and everyone who cares about this matter to gather to recite or sing the Sh’ma, adding a short statement about who they are, where they are located and why they support the cause of religious pluralism in Israel. Each public Sh’ma recitation and statement should be filmed (keep it low-tech; smart-phones are fine) and then immediately posted to the Facebook page we have just created at http://www.facebook.com/groups/uscjglobalshma/?notif_t=group_added_to_group.

For those in Manhattan on Monday, we invite your participation at our daily minyan, held at the headquarters of United Synagogue at 820 Second Avenue, corner of 44th Street.

The arrest of Anat Hoffman compels us to be participants in the creation of a Jewish Homeland for all Jews. In the spirit of our deep and unshakeable love for Israel, we will continue to coordinate and work with our partners to address this issue in a sustained and long-term manner.

Shabbat Shalom,


Rabbi Steven Wernick

Comments

[Bella]

The Conservatives dont follow the Halachah, but yet they they follow the silly notion that Jews are special and loved and Born to a higher calling, more than regular Gentile children.

They skip the Halachas but hold on to the Bigotry.

[Sarek]

My God! Give them this, and the next thing you know, they'll want to vote!

[Maskil]

I've been reading about this group since the 90s. I've read interviews and listened to radio interviews. From what I know they don't want support or representation from Conservative. There all Orthodox; not Rivkah Lubitch Orthodox, real Orthodox.

But I guess something is better than nothing.

Still, absolutely no word on why Conservative Jews would choose to spit in the face of a Supreme Court ruling. Haredim aren't the only one's who should abide by them. Also, no explation as to why they have to keep antagonizing in the Women's section when they were given free range access to Robinson's Arch section of the same stupid wall.

[zibble]

Women should stay in their binders.

[Rebitzman]

Bella - hold onto the bigotry?

In what warped bizarro universe can anyone with a shred of grey matter hammer "bigotry" into this?

I find your hallachah comment rather funny. Keep the comedy coming.

Maskil - as a Conservative Jew, married to a rabbi, I can assure you that this is the first anyone here has heard of this. As expressed multiple times, Robinson's Arch needs to be made more accessible, but it certainly represents a fair and equitable way to share the wall. I find the "but I want THIS part of the wall....." attitude a bit mind boggling.

[Realist Jew]

"Women should stay in their binders."

Binders full of women.- Mitt Romney Lol.

[shoshy]

Maskil, you keep saying they are all Orthodox, and I think you are misinformed.

Anat Hoffman is anything but Orthodox, and identifies herself as Reform. See an interview here:

http://reformjudaismmag.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=1414

The women of the wall website identifies them as multi-denominational:

http://womenofthewall.org.il/about/

If you google other members on their staff you will see they come from all across the Jewish spectrum.

Not that it matters in the general issue of the arrest, nor does it justify the vulgar terms you've used to describe them, but this is not an Orthodox group.

[Bassy the Haredi Slayer]

they were given free range access to Robinson's Arch section of the same stupid wall.

While Robinson's Arch is architecturally part of the wall, it us way outside the area we call the wall

Robinson'a Ark

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Robinson%27s+Arch,+jerusalem&hl=en&ll=31.775781,35.234678&spn=0.002636,0.004823&sll=37.7577,-122.4376&sspn=0.156889,0.308647&hq=Robinson%27s+Arch,&hnear=Jerusalem,+Israel&t=m&z=18

[shoshy]

I'm waiting for them to start baking challah in her z'chus.

[Rebitzman]

@Bassy

For gosh sake - it's the same wall. The traditional" area is on the far left, Robinson's on the far right (backwards, when you think about it). It is beautiful, it s quiet, it s devoid of people preying on you while you try to pray.......

It ain't separate but equal - it's separate and the same thing.

[dh]

Oh puhlease. I'd much rather see a global flash mob demonstrating against child abuse.

[Maskil]

Oh puhlease. I'd much rather see a global flash mob demonstrating against child abuse.

Well said.

A global flash mob calling out Shema is a phenomonally great idea. It is a shame that it is being used for such a pathetic cause whose legality (which is probably important to the Conservative movement, given that the Supreme Court is one of the few branches of the government not entangled in the Orthodox rabbinate) that probably has not been looked into well.

This wasn't done in or around 1492; this wasn't done in or around 1938; this wasn't done in or around 1948; this wasn' done in or around 1973; this wasn't done preceeding the singing of the Oslo Accords or the expulsion from Gush Katif; this wasn't done at the time of either Intifada; this wasn't done when Gilad Shalit was a captive; this isn't being done for Jonathan Pollard; and this isn't being done to protest the continued lack of a Bet Hamikdash - it's a crazy-good idea being used for the dumbest cause.

A shandeh ! חבל

[danny]

Worshipping a bunch of rocks built is idolatry.

[Bassy the Haredi Slayer]

For gosh sake - it's the same wall. The traditional" area is on the far left, Robinson's on the far right (backwards, when you think about it). It is beautiful, it s quiet, it s devoid of people preying on you while you try to pray.......

It ain't separate but equal - it's separate and the same thing.

Maybe, but not any Israeli or knowledgeable Jew feel the same attachment to Robinson's Arc as they feel toward the Kotel.

It is however closer to the Holy Of Holies than the kotel,

[spacedout BT]

Its not about saying sh'ma or wearing a talis but using the kotel area to push an envelope for their agenda and to me that's digusting.

[shoshy]

Bassy, I think it's further from the Kodesh kadoshim than the kotel. The Dome of the Rock is probably on that site now.

I can think of a few reasons why Robinson's arch would not be an acceptable solution, but I'm wondering why the group itself isn't coming out with a coherent explanation. Bassy is right that the kotel has a greater significance in the national psyche. I think the WOW group wants nothing less than total equality. Some of them seem to be more motivated by feminism than anything else.

[Rebitzman]

but not any Israeli or knowledgeable Jew feel the same attachment to Robinson's Arc as they feel toward the Kotel.

Clearly, you are not entirely correct........ Unless, if course you are saying I am not a knowledgable Jew....

You pray at the wall - not to the wall, and even on your map.......it's the same wall.

The Orthodox are every bit as entitled to pray as they see fit, and my experiences at both sites - they can have the left.

Have you been there? Stood among the stones - seen the Isaiah inscription hand carved on a stone during the Roman occupation fifty feet in the air? Have you experienced getting through morning prayers without being accosted a half dozen times by men begging for money to buy their sons teffilin?

[Garnel Ironheart]

If the same percentage of Conservatives that keep Shabbos and kashrus show up for this mob they'll get a turnout you can count on one hand.

[Jeff]

If the same percentage of Conservatives that keep Shabbos and kashrus show up for this mob they'll get a turnout you can count on one hand.

Right, because that's how we gauge an individual's commitment to Judaism.

[Rebitzman]

@Jeff

Shabbes observance is certainly A way. For example, I personally find it hard to take ant critical comments written to or about me seriously if tey are written on Shabbes.

That said - it's not a definitive litmus test. I agree with you.

The letter posted above seems to be a collage of letters from their Facebook site rather than a singe opinion, The Rabbi quoted aboved stopped well short of calling for a flash mob in te statement there and on the USCJ sute, that was a suggestion made by another poster to the Facebook site..

Now I say that having visited a couple of days removed from this story breaking here, no there is no telling what retrosective editing has gone on there.

[Jack]

Stop fighting like kids - all of you! I would say that the first few decades in Jerusalem set an unfortunate political precedent that Ultra Orthodox is the main religion and not moderate Judaism. Now there is a court ruling that says that the left side(north)of the western wall is separated to men and women sections AND THOSE SECTIONS ARE TO CONSIDERED ORTHODOX, and any non-Orthodox practices like women singing etc are forbidden because they offend the ultra Orthodox. Like it or not, that is the law and I have a ton to say as a liberal Jew against the non-Orthodox Jewish leadership in Israel and the US that did close to nothing to fight this for decades.... now it is law, kust like it is a law that is hard to change in the US that every Meshigeh can walk around with a weapon.......
See:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNXKFYe8UOg

[Jeff]

Orthodox hegemony in ANY arena of life must be opposed. There was a time in which I might have qualified it with, "outside of their communities" or at least "their homes" - no longer.

It's child abuse, it's a collective psychosis and can no longer be tolerated.

[SkepticalYid]

It's the same for any brand of religious extremism.

[Jeff]

Yes - and it must all go.

But there is something inherently more offensive about an extremist, xenophobic subculture that teaches its children that everyone who disagrees with them will be tortured for eternity (and they DO teach them that, and don't anyone DARE to claim otherwise), yet at the same time expects - INSISTS - that those same people support them monetarily for the duration of their lives. AND has sixteen children per couple, bringing them all up to believe the same and refusing to educate them. AND lends itself to the creation of a subgroup of pedophiles, which it seems to regard as normal and defends shamelessly.

The entire subculture is a manifestation of criminal psychopathy.

[Rebitzman]

Orthodox hegemony in ANY arena of life must be opposed

And how do you intend to accomplish this - repeal the 1st Amendment?

[Rabbi Goldie Milgram]

Mashiach will come when all types of Jews can pray beside each other without being silenced. Our new book, Mitzvah Stories: Seeds for Inspiration and Learning has material by every kind of Jew, side by side. Take a look please at ReclaimingJudaism.org.

[Jake24]

You guys are a bunch of sexist losers. Why shouldn't women have the right to pray at the holiest site in the world. If the orthodox don't want to hear them then they can make separate sections but it's ridiculous to try to restrict women, are you still living in the 1920's

And you people who are ripping on conservatives, this is an example of your narrowmindness. Just because someone doesn't follow your levels of kashrut doesn't make them not Jewish. I am conservative and I believe that many conservative people are a lot more Jewish then the orthodox. Unlike the orthodox who blindly follow what Rabbi's tell them, conservative people actually feel Jewish and have much stronger Jewish connections. And I personally know many conservative people who keep kashrut and shabbat on the same levels as the orthodox.