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.