11/3/2016 3 Comments The Wailing WallSome say the biggest existential threat facing Israel right now is not Iran, not terrorism, or anything of the like, but Jew on Jew hatred and violence. When we, as Jews, are not unified, our enemies will destroy us. On Wednesday morning, 30 of us from Kivunim went with the Women of the Wall to the Kotel (the Western Wall) at 6:30 in the morning with several Torahs. This marked the first time in history that multiple Torahs were brought to the Kotel, to the women's side to be read. As we walked through security behind the Torahs, the 200-some people sang their hearts out, singing ya'aseh shalom, He will make peace, and other songs of strength. Led by both American and Israeli leading non-orthodox Rabbis, the crowd burst past security to be met by Haredi (ultra orthodox) Jews, who tried to grab the Torahs from those holding the holy scrolls. One burly supporter of the Women of the Wall movement literally stood in front of some of the Torahs and acted as an offensive linemen, moving the Haredis as nonviolently as possible who were yelling and grabbing the Torahs. The Haredis were saying that these weren't real Torahs because of what they were being used for, which in their eyes was a giant middle finger to their religion. Once the Torahs made it into the women's section, constant Haredi whistling and yelling tried to drown out the women's prayer and torah reading. What was perhaps the most frightening part of the whole experience was that the loudest, angriest Haredis weren't old Rabbis, but young kids, sometimes younger than 10, who were yelling and screaming as loud as they could. They had no idea, it seemed to me, what exactly they were doing, but it was clear they were told what to do by their elders. In particular, one 20-something Haredi man would pull kids aside and point them where to go and what to scream, whether it meant going in the middle of the prayer circle or sliding between the police trying to block them off. The kids just yelled and whistled as loud as they could, running around with stickers; they looked like they were having a blast. When one little kid was asked why he wasn't at school, he said that his Rabbis and teachers told him to come here and protest what was going on. I would call that brainwashing young children. From the men's section, many Kivunim kids looked over the barrier to try and witness history. One friend, Matt, asked a girl on the Women's side to pass him a siddur because he didn't have one. One of the so called security guards, who could be seen in videos doing much of the shoving that occurred, quickly snapped, "assoor (forbidden)." When Matt asked why not, why he couldn't practice his Judaism, the security man quipped, "You are not Jewish." When we fight internally as a religion, when we call each other names and say this is the only way to truly be Jewish, we cannot do much of anything, let alone successfully run our own state. We must be accepting of each others' differences. My way is not the only, correct way of practicing Judaism. Just because you are secular does not mean you are not Jewish. Many of the Kivunim girls got a chance to hold the Torah during the service, some even carrying it out of the women's section into the main area of the Kotel. During the Egalitarian service, the police had to form a wall so that the kids and other Haredis wouldn't disrupt the service. When that same 20-something Haredi man showed the kids how to slip through the cracks of the police's wall, the little kids were met with a giant arm and shove from one of the police officers. The kids quickly toppled over each other and broke a chair, yet another example of Jew on Jew violence that should never occur. Of course, all of the blame does not fall on the Haredis, as the Women of the Wall knew this would provoke them, and the police also participated in Jew on Jew violence. We shouldn't have to be fighting amongst each other trying to fight for rights. Dialogue and conversation in theory should be enough; we should be standing side-by-side with our fellow Jews. After finishing the Egal service, the final step of the experience was to get the Torahs back out of the Kotel. As we walked out, each person carrying a Torah had what was more or less a body guard to protect their Torah from the Haredis. Ironically, the Haredis live every day of their life swearing by the Torah, yet there they were, trying to tear apart the very same words they hold so dear. One man carrying one of the Torahs didn't have anyone standing next to him to protect him, and the kids quickly took notice. After no one came to help, I quickly took action, walking next to the Torah and acting as its body guard and offensive linemen. It was a crazy rush of emotions as I was doing this: fear for my safety, pride in my protection of my fellow Jew, and most of all frustration that I had to protect a fellow Jew from another Jew. It's 2016. The Jewish nation has had its own democratic state for just under 70 years. Throughout its history, Israel has experienced hatred from all over the world, yet it has survived and even thrived. It has found a way to keep going, to modernize while keeping close ties to its incredible history. We cannot continue with the status quo, with fighting one another. Not now. We are at a tipping point right now in Israel, in America, and in the world. It's time to make friends and throwaway all the politics and media publicity. As the Torah says, it's time to love your neighbor as yourself.
3 Comments
Jeremy Gottsteinj
11/7/2016 01:42:59 am
Dan, I am very proud of the courage and action you took here. Jerry gottstein
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Marcia
11/7/2016 07:33:23 pm
Thanks for sharing this story! So glad y'all were there to support each other!
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AuthorDan Rosenzweig-Ziff Archives
June 2017
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