Chief Rabbi Wants New One-Way Glass Installed As Barrier Between Men And Women At Kotel

Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger reportedly decided to call for the new barrier after he received a growing number of complaints about cases of women standing on chairs to peer over the existing barrier to see into the men’s area, primarily during bar mitzvahs and other celebrations.

The Kotel with the women's section and the covered fence barrier in the foreground

Chief Rabbi Wants New One-Way Glass Installed As Barrier Between Men And Women At Kotel
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger wants a different type of mechitzah, a barrier between the men’s section and the women’s section, to be installed at the Kotel, Western Wall, to replace the existing covered fence.

Metzger wants a barrier that will allow a one-way view, permitting  women to see inside the men’s section but blocking men from seeing inside the women’s section, Yeshiva World reports.

Metzger reportedly decided to call for the new barrier after he received a growing number of complaints about cases of women standing on chairs to peer over the existing barrier to see into the men’s area, primarily during bar mitzvahs and other celebrations.

Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the Kotel’s state-appointed haredi rabbi, reportedly views Metzger’s suggestion as encroaching on his jurisdiction.

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Comments

[Gefilte Fish]

I'd guess that this is NOT in response to complaints from women who resented the fact that they had to stand on chairs in order to catch a glimpse of their son being bar-mitzvah'ed.

[Friar Yid]

Better idea: install a one-way barrier between Metzger and everyone else.

On second thought, given all the past allegations against him, maybe a no-way barrier would be safer.

[seymour]

I am sure many men will be pissed

[Mr. Nowhere]

I for one would like to see more transparency in such decisions :-)

[ger tzedek]

Apparently, understanding how one-way glass works isn't a requirement for chief rabbi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-way_glass

(It doesn't work unless one side is darkened.)

[ruthie]

oh for g-d's sake.
all they think about is sex.
most people going to the holy kotel have other things on their minds....
1. happy to be there
2. watching a simcha
3. thrilled to be there

[Avi Rosenthal]

ger tzedek has a point. Don't tell them. Maybe the failure of the one-way glass will be a start to convincing them that they need to learn science. Anyway it would be cheaper to give the women periscopes.

[Sarek]

("Look Through Any Window", The Hollies)

Look through a mechitzah yeah,
What do you see?
Men praying all around.
They control the Kotel ground.
Where do they pray?
Praying at the Wall
Do not be distracted or impacted.
Oh, you can see the little children if they’re boys
Oh, you can’t hear the little ladies make their noise
When you
Look through a mechitzah yeah,
Any time of day
See the bar mitzvah boys
And the Torah they employ
What do they do
Sitting down to pray
Daveners with their front sway and their back sway
Oh, you can see the little children if they’re boys
Oh, you can’t hear the little ladies make their noise
When you
Look through a mechitzah yeah,
What do you see?
Men praying all around.
They control the Kotel ground.
Where do they pray?
Praying at the Wall
Praying at the Wall
Praying at the Wall

[MarkfromShortHills]

"Oh, you can see the little children if they’re boys"! Great. Sarek, you are offering a most welcome competition to YL. Keep it up!

[Sarek]

Thank you Mark.

[Abracadabra]

Gefile Fish - Excellent!

[Lamed Vovnik]

You could argue that its an idiotic idea, but it would be like talking to a wall.

[Barry]

It seems that no one within the rabbinate has a basic education to stop Meltzer making a fool of himself by asking for something that does not exist. One way glass only works when one side is brightly lit and the other side is not. It cannot work outdoors.
http://science.howstuffworks.com/question421.htm

[jancsibacsi]

ruthie--oh for g-d's sake.
all they think about is sex---Exactly they actually think that everyone is like them all the time all the sex they project themselfs into everyone they actually think they are youre mind so you need to do what they tell you to do,in short they are the ming of god and you better do as they do since they saying goes,do as he says ,he is crazy, meaning the crazies are dangerous you better follow their orders because a crazy person is capable of any crazy behaviour they are dangerous.

[Dave]

Ruthie, right on.

[A Yid]

>>>ger tzedek has a point. Don't tell them. Maybe the failure of the one-way glass will be a start to convincing them that they need to learn science. Anyway it would be cheaper to give the women periscopes.

Posted by: Avi Rosenthal | January 20, 2013 at 02:02 PM<<<

It works very well in many synagogues for example in 770 as well as in the Bostoner Rebbe's shul. Women can see men while the men can't see women.

[987230/מ]

My local orthodox shul in the town where I grew up (in a south coast town in England) did not have a mechitzah per se. Instead, the women were accommodated in a gallery that overlooked everything.

But times seem to have changed. No longer may an orthodox Jewish man be permitted to control his passions on his own; everything these days is decided for him by others.

[S M L]

Feed 'em saltpeter and tear down the mechitza altogether...

[David]

I have seen a Charedi shul in which not only is the mechitzah one-way glass, the ladies area is also airtight so that the men are not driven to perform unspeakable acts in shul due to the smell of the ladies' perfume.

[skepticfrum]

So women are only good for reproduction for these fools? Because based on what I have sen from them, they do not even do it for the great pleasure of it. No wonder they have so many child abuse scnadals, the only difference between them and Catholic priests is that these looney's marry and fk to have kids, no more, no less. These women must be extremely horny for some much needed meat.

[flora freida]

Metzger is so cruel towards women that he even doens't give them the right to watch the bar mitzvah of their sons or brothers. nothing to say about grandmothers that perhaps is not strong enough to stand on a chair. Metzger just show that he is a women hater.Not all religious men behave this way towards women. I just don't know I Metzger is the chief rabbi.

[Nick]

Wow. That's...ridiculous. Really ridiculous.