Tensions flared at the Kosel on Wednesday morning as members of the trouble-making Women of the Wall group arrived on Rosh Chodesh Av, prompting confrontations and renewed criticism from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which accused the activists of turning the site into a venue for protest.
According to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the group “turned the Western Wall plaza into a protest site – the likes of which have not been seen in hundreds of years, and acted in violation of the regulations and instructions from the court, when they brought the Torah scroll into the Western Wall plaza.”
Foundation officials expressed sorrow over what they described as a growing atmosphere of confrontation at the Kosel, saying the tensions reached a new level on Rosh Chodesh. They appealed to all parties to refrain from transforming the Kosel plaza into a site of demonstrations. The Foundation emphasized that the Kosel “is not a place for whistles and shouting, nor is it a place for provocations or for desecrating its sanctity.”
The Foundation also noted the significance of the day, pointing out that Rosh Chodesh Av marks the yahrtzeit of Aharon HaKohen, renowned for his love of peace and pursuit of harmony. “On Rosh Chodesh Av, which marks the anniversary of the passing of Aaron the High Priest, who loved and pursued peace, we call on everyone to give the Western Wall the proper respect and preserve its sanctity in accordance with Jewish tradition,” the Foundation said.
Women of the Wall, for its part, claimed its members were confronted by opponents during the gathering. The organization alleged that “male and female rioters surrounded the women, whistled, screamed, cursed, and pushed into them. Police distanced some of them.”
{Matzav.com}