Haredim dub women Western Wall worshippers 'Nazis'

These Kharedi Goyim work to divide the Jewish people, thereby declaring themselves apostates. Please, women who love and respece the Torah, keep pressuring the State to outlaw such fundamentalist witch-hunting. Goyim - you are the natural heirs of the Jews who fought with themselves rather than with their Roman conquerors. Shame, shame.

If I am not mistaken, Jews are supposed to see each other, and all other people, as made in the image of God. People who shout and throw things at people because they worship differently are not behaving the way God would have us behave with one another. One does not have to be "provoked" by the sight of a woman praying in a tallit, Just as I needn't be provoked by a man wearing peis. I am provoked by that same man however, when he spits on a woman, yells at her, and thinks he is just in his actions. The first step in abuse is believing that you are better than the other, that the other is not worthy of respect as one of God's creations.

Nothing could be more hateful and harmful than the acts of these despicable women. They know how to treat such people in Mecca and Kabul; why can't Israelis act the same without being criticized? Well, I know that the West does criticize such behavior in Mecca and Kabul, but they shouldn't criticize Israelis anyway: they include so many Nobel prize winners.

The government's capitulation to Haredi demands to control what happens at the Kotel is shameful. Throughout the entire history of the Kotel until well after 1967, no such rulings were in place and anyone and everyone was free to worship there, men and women alike. It saddens me that Haredim think they 'own' Judaism and have the right to dictate the laws.

Zach, If you bothered to study the subject in depth, you would discover that the Oral Law as it is expressed in Halacha regards women far better than you imagine. Trouble is you are stuck in your notions without having looked "inside" the texts more deeply. It may not be expressed in the way Western ideologies present them, but you'd be surprised how "liberal" the piskey halacha are vis a vis some of the other legal systems.

As an orthodox Jew, I understand that a lot of Jews may not want women to do what they did. I am not giving my opinion on that. However, I feel that it is outrageous to call them as Nazis. A lot of people around the world feel that we Jews have milked the anti-semitism in Europe. This is just proof, anyone who does not agree with us is called a Nazi, even Jews who are not against us. This has got to stop. The very important thing for Jews is unity. I am sad that the police arrested that woman and did nothing to the Haredim who called them as Nazis.

As a Reform woman who would love to have a prayerful experience at the Kotel any time I choose, I find it degrading to read comments like Mea's. Of course many women enjoy their experience at the Kotel but none of them are trying to wear tallitot or tefillin, or read from the Torah (something men are welcome and encouraged to do there). And since you CLEARLY haven't been to a Women of the Wall meeting before, you haven't seen that many, even a majority of the women there, are not members of the Reform movement. Most of them are Conservative or otherwise affiliated. What bothers me the most is that Haredim and other observant Jews call on the rest of us to be respectful of their wishes while all of ours are ingored.

Israel remains the only democracy in the Middle East. Just because the 170 year old Melbourne Club has no female members and therefore no female member vote doesn't mean that Australia is not a democracy does it. Pull your head in! Go get membership in the Melbourne Club or encourage Arab nations to have the same vigorous democracy as shown in Israeli newspapers.

"This group should be forbidden to approach the area, banned from the nation and arrested with stiff penalties when they violate such precious traditions" The problem with your text is that although it is more eloquently worded than "nazi"is more dangerous and at least as intollerant. Those woman have as much rights as the Haradem. Whatever your religeous feelings and traditions you should always respect those of others and give them room. (and this comes from an atheist)

And you phrase it magnificently. When I try to articulate the same notion so among non-orthodox women (including conservatives) has become politically incorrect. It has been a relief to read your post, thank you.

Your misinformation is astounding have you ever been to Israel i myself have not but all my familly has and i have much family and friends there.The people want peace violence is not generally in Jewish nature only through neccesity have we fought throught the ages.I can guarantee you that if we were left alone in peace there would be no more killings initiated by the Israeli army .The Jews of the arab lands had lived there since before Islam they were forced out leaving behind their land and possesions i have never heard you once stand up for them why because they are Jews.Plestinians were also Jews who had fought for the British check your history the land was divided and it was the combined arab armys that attacked the Jews hoping to wipe them out in fact that was what the majority of the world hoped or expected sorry you guys were disapointed we would happily have lived side by side as friends and still can if only this stupid honour thing was put aside forget jihad bring on peace.

As stated before the palestinian arab population has increased sixfold since 48 so much for a genocide.The Pals are well dressed well fed you see no malnutrtion or starvation .The vicious attacks on Israel is pure hatred of Judaism nothing else as no other country attracts such hatred yet many hav rights violations that would shock any civilised hunman being.If you are so worried about people being oppressed sttart in Africa then work through the middle east but leave Israel alone as they do not have regimes where you get lashed and jailed for drinking alchohol having sex with your girlfriend saying that the leader is inept and you will certainly not be put to death for holding someones hand out of wedlock.So get real open your eyes and start fighting a cause worth figthing for. THe arab populations have the money the manpower and the resources to help their palestinian brothers but they choose not to ask yourself why.We here in Austraia treated the aborigines far worse than the pals

They have Chrisians ,muslims atheists etc in the armywomen can drive and vote,elections are held where the population can vote for who they want.Women are not stoned to death for adultery honour killings are against the law.There is freedom of speech .You go on about human right is Israel please name one muslim country where i could go and live as an equal with the muslim population.Israel welcomed the bahais the circasians the druse the sudanese refugees.They have sent teams to disaster zones be they christian muslim whatever to help regarless of religion or colour.Israel is not a perfect country none are but it is one hell of alot better than ANY other middle eastern country.There are atrocities going on daily in many African and arab countrys.Israel does not and never has deliberately picked on innocents yet it is always wrongly accused of rights violations when more innocents are killed daily in arab and African countrys than have imnnocent arabs been killed in Israel since 48.

Israel is a democracy?

Couldn't the haredim equally accurately be charged with shoving demands in the face of those THEY oppose?

the habit of haredi (and settler) fanatics to characterize anyone who disagrees with them as a "nazi" defames the memory of all those who perished.

Of the Israeli population, 17% define themselves as Orthodox Jews and 8% define themselves as Haredi Jews. Outside of Israel these percentages are even smaller. The Haredim should logically control 25% of the Western Wall (provided that they don't have conflict with the other Orthodox Jews). Why is other 75% of the Western Wall controlled by the Haredim? In Jerusalem you also have orthodox Muslims (in conjunction with Orthodox Jews) that want to ban Jews from the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This is not religion but more like exclusive clubs. The exclusive Melbourne Club had previously banned Jews and has no female members. If this club was to move house I wonder where they would go?

These women are DEFINITELY pushing ancient tradition into the water and infuriating people as well as desecrating extremely important religious practices cemented over millenia. So, "womens rights" are more important than anything else??? Not like they're stoning women to death, circumcising them against their will and raping them. It is for the benefit of concentration in prayer. This group should be forbidden to approach the area, banned from the nation and arrested with stiff penalties when they violate such precious traditions that have carried us through centuries. However, with all of this said: the Haredim are still nuts: they're extremists and do not uphold the Torah according to tradition either. They violate Jews, non-Jews and just about anyone else that does not follow their 'brand' of european religion. Sad but true. The divisions among Jews have still remained, however, the warmer, more truly faithful Sephardic uphold the Torah Traditions with great passion.

They, and most Jews, use the terms for EVERYTHING to as an attack on the person who they have a difference of opinion. Whether they're actually in the right or wrong side of the argument is irrelevant. It's disrespectful to cry out Nazi and anti-Semitic at everything that does not coincide with ones side of the argument. In terms of the actual usefullness of Nazi and anti-Semitic, in the eyes of non-Jews especially, it only serves to strength the argument of the opposing side because it reveals a pety attemp to appeal to the emotions of the listening audience, while lacking an actual valid and logical argument, or failing to have the capacity to give one if one actually exists.

This group is agroup. Their attempt is to gain attention for liberal forms of Judaism and crack open a political discussion about Reform. I go to the Kotel to pray each time I amin Jerusalemand the women's side of the Wall is usually packed with worshippers enjoying this amazing place. So what is the problem? I feel completely welcome there. I have also seen a variety of dress, including many women who obviously were Christian worshippers. Never saw anyone have any trouble with them. At the Wall, people whisper prayer and cry in a low tone that is respectful. I usually sit in a chair and take in the place for long stretches,as I like the peace of that place as much as I love the prayful time. Women are completely welcome at the Kotel. To say we are not is an outright lie. As a woman I resent the Reform movement attempt to politicize this sacred place. Once again the American style of shoving demands in the face of those you oppose has been taken up in Israel. Iam a conservative, btw.

Those who ban women from worshipping at the Western Wall are the real nazis... Haredim is threating the very core of Judaism by discriminating against women!

Seems like anyone who disagrees with Israelis, Israeli politics or the ubiquitous Israeli sense of entitlement is branded a Nazi these days. Now they're attacking their own. No wonder Israel is losing ground with American support.

If I am not mistaken, a tallis would be considered beged ish, or a man's garment, which the Torah forbids a woman to wear, and of course vica versa-If that is the case, then for a woman to wear a tallis at the wall would be no less of an aveira than smoking a cig at the Kotel on Shabbos, or any other aveira-One doesnt have to accept the Torah as true, but if you do, as apparently these women, due to their extreme religious zeal, then it seems to me to be hypocritical of them to wear tallesim.

To call someone a Nazi is the norm now for the ideological crowd? I never understand it when Jews call other Jews Nazi. Is natural soliderity lost? If someone with a swastika showed up,what would they be called - a double nazi? If the swastika bearing Nazis began attacking the WOW group, would the Haredi defend or encourage?

Women of the Wall - I salute you ! Hold the Rosh Chodesh T'fillah en masse every month in ever greater numbers ! Also ask for equal space!Time to confront the chauvinists until they are stopped. Reform supporter

Of course women in Tefillit reading from the Torah at the Kotel provoke Harardi and #3 is correct in this observation. Rahel is also correct in that she had every right to pray at the Kotel in the way she sees fit. Rahel is standing up for the rights of my daughter, now 9, to develop her spirituality as far as she can without having Haradi impose their beliefs on her. We respect the Orthadox view and are impressed with Harardi fervor, but we disagree strongly and fundamentally about their absolutest take on religion. We do not much care if we are respected in return since we do not seek validation from them, but we will allow them to invoke the power of the state to impose their views on us. If they don't like what we do, they may avert their eyes. If that violates their fundamental precepts of right and wrong, that's tough; they may not impose those precepts on us. Go Rahel, and thanks from our family.

The word Nazi is thrown around so much it has weakened it's true meaning like the word genocide, apartheid, ethnic cleansing, occupation all of which has been directed towards Israel and is daily used unjustifiably. These women however purposely go to the Kotel to harass the worshipers there and not to pray. They might be left wing extremist but Nazis they are definitely not.

The Article fails to mention that a section not adjoining the Men's section has been put built and put aside along the wall for joint sexes worship and where women can put on a talit and read torah. However, this was not enough they want to be in plain sight of those who come daily in order to provoke them. These women should be arrested and forbidden to enter the Western Wall area at all! As in banned as they have abused their rights by taking others away. They took away their rights to pray in peace and with sanctity of the Jewish religion.

If there are 'nazi' acting worshippers at the Western Wall, they are not the women.

Is that all? You mean they didn't call them anti-semites?

And women have every right to pray and read the Torah if they choose. Time to stop all discrimination to women. Beginning to look like the Jewish Taliban, OY!

But it takes 2 to make an argument. Why should Charedim have a monopoly on how Judism is performed. Please show me your personal letter from G-d and I do not remember a single word in the Tanach with any present day Charedim's name. Again an example of religious fanatics trying to control others lives.

I was there this morning as part of WOW. Yes, there were some Haredi people there who called us Nazis. (I guess they don't have a clue about recent Jewish history.) There was one other guy there -- he told me his name but I will not give it here -- who said that our group was responsible for the deaths of the Six Million. That's quite a feat, considering that most of us weren't born then. When I asked him where he got his ideas from, he said, "The Torah." Funny... I never saw that idea there. I was particularly distressed about the young boys. They threw trash and called it protest, and clearly were doing "monkey see, monkey do" without the slightest thought. I wanted to ask them, "If your friend told you to jump off a cliff, would you do that, too?" Someone told them that we were the enemy, and they accepted it without question or thought. The police were wonderful, however. I thank them with all my heart. Thanks to them, we had an excellent tefilla under "rains of blessing."

Prayer is prayer. It isn't politics. Obviously these women did not just want to pray to God. They had a thousand options to do that. They wanted, as they said, to make a political statement. If you think about it you'll see why it was so important to them to start this argument...

The ease in which this term is bandied about in this country: by haredim to policemen/non-haredim etc, by the "settler population" to soldiers/border policemen etc etc makes my blood run cold. How DARE they cheapen our history and desecrate the memory of six million of our people, not to mention the other victims of that dark period in our history whose lives were snuffed out so barbarically by the REAL Nazis...???????? Have we really lost so much in the last two generations that the term Nazi has come to mean next to nothing in common Israeli parlance????

Disappointing, that in Channukah, 21 centuries after Antiochus there are still forces that wish to forbid Jewish worship in the Land of Israel. Who are the Haredim to say they should dictate how these women worship Hashem?!? Hoffman and her group have done nothing but praise G-d and the Haredim react by constantly verbally, and sometimes physically harassing them. Shame