Women of the Wall Update

Press release from the Women of the Wall in Israel:

"October 2, 2013

Women of the Wall's First Prayer of 5774, Torah Damaged by Inadequate Storage at Robinson's Arch

Women of the wall will pray in the women's section of the Western Wall on Friday Oct 4, 2013, for their monthly Rosh Hodesh service. We expect over one-hundred women to join the prayer for the new month of Heshvan. The Torah scroll will again be missing from the women's prayer at the Kotel. The Women of the Wall Torah - banned from the Kotel since Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz's 2010 ordinance - was found with major damage from dampness and mold due to the inadequate facilities at Robinson's Arch where the women were forced to store the Torah. The Torah is being carefully cleaned and fixed by the leading authorities in Torah scroll repair and maintenance. Such repair will likely cost the Women of the Wall non-profit organization 8000 NIS, as this type of damage is not covered by insurance. Rabinoqitz's discrimination against women's prayers and the lack of an appropriate immediate government response in the matter has caused damage to a Torah scroll, an escalation from the previous blatant disrespect, shown by Rabinowitz and haredi protesters, of Jewish ritual items, including siddurim, prayer shawls and tefillin."

To find out more, the WoTW website is here. This may not seem like a major issue about which to care, but bear in mind that ignoring something when it is minor gives it the chance to develop into something major. Whether it is women's prayer in a corner of Jerusalem, or something else that has meaning for you, please get involved as soon as possible so that changes may be made before it is too late.