Jewish Agency will provide security at Western Wall

Not-for-profit steps in; American Jewish organisations may send their own security guards if Israeli protection is not sufficient

The Jewish Agency board of governors will implement a plan, in cooperation with the Israeli government, to prevent further violence against worshippers at the Western Wall egalitarian prayer plaza.

The agency, which is a not-for-profit, non-government body in Israel working with Diaspora Jews, passed a resolution to take the initiative in ensuring security at the Wall.

The resolution comes in response to an incident in which families affiliated with the Conservative movement were attacked by dozens of ultra-Orthodox boys. The families, including one American family, had been celebrating bar and bat mitzvah ceremonies for their children at the area of the Western Wall designated for non-Orthodox worshippers.

The assailants tore up the participants' prayer books, blew whistles to drown out their prayers, and denounced them as “Nazis” and “Christians.” One ultra-Orthodox boy was filmed blowing his nose on the torn siddur pages. One of the families had come from the United States.

Some American Jewish leaders say they are willing to send their own security guards to protect American Jews if Israel does not provide sufficient security.

Dov Ben-Shimon, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, said, “Perhaps it’s time to say clearly and truthfully that if the Israeli government can’t or won’t protect Jews at the holiest site, the Kotel, then perhaps security teams need to be placed there.

“Since every plea, negotiation, agreement and reasonable expectation appears to be mistaken or overturned, perhaps we should work to ensure that Jewish families won’t be scared of violence and harassment at the Western Wall,” he said.

“After all, if we defend Jewish life in Europe and around the world, surely we should be committed to protecting Jews in Jerusalem, too?”

Jewish organisations around the world, including Australia, have written to Prime Minister Yair Lapid asking him to step in to ensure police protection for egalitarian worshippers at the Western Wall.

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Jewish Agency to Implement Plan to Safeguard non-Orthodox Jews at Western Wall (Haaretz)

Jewish Agency offers security at Western Wall if government ‘won’t protect Jews’ (Jerusalem Post)

Steven Lowy: Israel-Diaspora relations clouded by religion and politics - Jewish-Australian philanthropist

Australia joins international call to protect egalitarian worshippers at Western Wall (The Jewish Independent)

Attack on egalitarian service would be called antisemitism anywhere else: Deborah Lipstadt (The Jewish Independent)

Photo: An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man tries to prevent Anat Hoffman praying with a Torah at the Western Wall in 2016 (Emil Salman/Haaretz)