On Thursday, a female military officer was stopped from attending the swearing-in ceremony at the Western Wall.
Israel Defense Forces said the reversal happened following a request from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. The government body is responsible for the management of the holy site and does so in accordance with Orthodox customs, such as maintaining mixed gender prayer areas.
“The female IDF academic officer who had planned to lead the ceremony was asked not to do so by the Citizens Foundation,” the IDF said. “Commanders on site accepted the request, which was an error in the judgment of those present” [and] who did not consult with senior commanders. ,
However, Hebrew media reports stated that the Western Wall Heritage Foundation explicitly demanded a female officer not to lead the ceremony.
The IDF said the incident would be investigated and stressed that it does not ban women from major official gatherings.
In its response, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation stated that military ceremonies at the site are conducted in accordance with IDF guidelines and framed the incident a “local misunderstanding”.
The foundation also said that it would conduct a joint investigation with the IDF.
Rabbi Samuel Rabinowitz of the Western Wall at the site’s plaza in 2017. (Yontan Sindel/Flash90)
The Women of the Wall, who advocate pluralistic prayer at the Western Wall and often conflict with the foundation, accused the site’s administrators of using religious law to “work to silence the women”.
“It is not a religious issue but a coercive supremacy,” the group said.
Religious pluralism group Israel Hofshit – Be Free Israel accused the Western Wall Heritage Foundation of acting like an Iranian ethics space and called for the resignation of the site’s top religious official, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich.
“The capital of Israel is not the capital of Iran and employees of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation are not purity defenders,” the organization said.
