Source:
http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Historic-victory-in-court-for-Women-of-the-Wall-311127You may have heard about the long conflict between Women of the Wall, a group that organizes prayer events that the Western Wall while wearing prayer shawls (which are traditionally only used by men), and the backlash by Haredi Jews there. In the past when they pray there, they are almost always harassed and hauled away by the police, because according to a previous interpretation of the law, women praying near men with a prayer shawl is disruptive to the public order.
The Regulations for theProtection of Holy Places to the Jews, dating from 1981, forbid performing religious ceremonies that are “not according to local custom” or that “may hurt the feelings of the worshipers” at the site, where local custom is interpreted to mean Orthodox practice.
These regulations and their interpretation, which a Supreme Court ruling upheld in 2003 and a Justice Ministry directive reiterated in 2005, have been the legal basis for the regular arrests of women who perform Jewish customs at the Western Wall that are usually practiced only by men in Orthodox Judaism.
However, a new court ruling changed all that.
In a groundbreaking ruling, the Jerusalem District Court upheld an earlier decision of the magistrate’s court that women who wear prayer shawls (“tallitot” in Hebrew) at the Western Wall Plaza are not contravening “local custom” or causing a public disturbance, and therefore should not be arrested.
Naturally, the Haredim and other fundie Orthodox men have their panties in a twist because apparently the idea of women having the same religious expression as them is offensive. The "Rabbi of the Wall" plans to contest the ruling. As "Rabbi Maverick" whined,
A group called “Women of the Wall” is in the news again. For some time now they have been demanding the “right” to conduct feminist prayer services in the women’s section of the Western Wall. This includes the wearing of tallit, tefillin, and reading from a Sefer Torah (Torah Scroll); all of which violate Orthodox Jewish standards and are contrary to normative Orthodox prayer practices. It seems that for these women it is not enough to reach out to God with other Jews at the Wall in a way that does not cause friction and controversy. They are under the delusion that they can best serve God by offending other Jews, engendering disunity and disharmony, and most important of all: getting their pictures in the newspaper and on the nightly news. Who can argue with that logic? Everyone knows that what God wants most of all is for his children is to get good press by kicking up dust and provoking others to anger.
The dumbass himself