The new bill would give the country\u2019s two chief rabbis, both Orthodox, ultimate authority over Jewish holy sites, including the so-called Ezrat Israel plaza, which has been designated as an egalitarian prayer area. It would define any activity at the site contrary to their instructions, such as non-Orthodox worship, as a \u201cdesecration.\u201d<\/p>\n
The law currently states that desecration of a holy place carries a penalty of seven years in prison.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis proposed legislation is profoundly alarming,\u201d said Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, co-leads of the Movement for Progressive Judaism (MPJ) in the United Kingdom. \u201cThe Western Wall is not the property of one stream of Judaism, nor of one political coalition. It is a sacred national site that belongs to the entire Jewish people.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cSuccessive Israeli governments have already recognized this principle,\u201d they continued in a statement. \u201cAgreements were reached to ensure space for egalitarian prayer at the Kotel, and those commitments were reinforced through decisions of the World Zionist Organization and Jewish Agency institutions representing world Jewry.<\/p>\n \u201cAdvancing legislation that would effectively outlaw egalitarian worship does not simply change policy \u2013 it risks breaking faith with millions of Jews in Israel and across the Diaspora,\u201d the two concluded. \u201cReligious freedom and equality at holy sites are not marginal concerns; they are central to the relationship between Israel and world Jewry.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Rabbi Lea M\u00fchlstein, immediate past chair of Arzenu, the political wing of Reform and Progressive Zionists worldwide, charged that the legislation violates previous resolutions by Jewish bodies.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the World Zionist Congress in October, our coalition passed a resolution calling on the Israeli government to reopen the egalitarian section of the Kotel and allow all streams of Judaism to practice and pray at the Western Wall,\u201d she wrote. \u201cThe Israeli Supreme Court agrees with us, demanding in a ruling last week that the government fulfil its commitment to provide an accessible and adequate space for egalitarian prayer at the Kotel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe will not stand by and let this happen,\u201d M\u00fchlstein vowed. \u201cOur representatives in Israel\u2019s National Institutions, together with Progressive Jews from across the world, will continue our fight for religious pluralism in Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) president Sergio Bergman, meanwhile, expressed concerns about the broader implications of the bill.<\/p>\n \u201cThe issue at hand extends beyond the Kotel, representing a symptom of a deeper underlying concern,\u201d Bergman said. \u201cFor Israel to fulfil its role as a Jewish state for all Jewish people, it is imperative that it does not transition into a messianic fundamentalist theocracy. One can readily envision a scenario where the ultra-Orthodox Jewish fundamentalist ideology within Israel could lead to a governance structure akin to the current regime in Iran, where the ayatollahs govern and oppress their citizens.\u201d<\/p>\n \t MPJ, Arzenu, Arza, and WUPJ launched a campaign<\/a> calling on their members to contact Israeli Embassies in their country and demand action against the bill.<\/p>\n The American Jewish Committee said in a statement that the Western Wall and its surrounding prayer spaces \u201cbelong to the entirety of the Jewish people.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAJC long advocated for the creation of the egalitarian prayer space near Robinson\u2019s Arch, which has allowed all Jews to connect with Judaism\u2019s holiest site in accordance with their traditions,\u201d the organization said. \u201cPreserving this space\u2014and the promise of access, dignity, and inclusion it represents\u2014is essential to honoring both the diversity and unity of the Jewish people. We expect the Israeli government to uphold its previous commitments in this regard.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jewish Federations of North America, meanwhile, declined to make a public statement on the bill, but noted that it is \u201cfully engaged on the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\n\t\tA Jewish man prays at the mixed-gender prayer section at the Western Wall in Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, December 4, 2025 (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/WhatsApp-Image-2023-02-22-at-08.04.36-640x400.jpeg\")
\n\t\tReform rabbis and supporters of Women of the Wall march to the Western Wall with a sign protesting a bill that would criminalize women wearing prayer shawls at the holy site, on February 22, 2023. (Central Conference of American Rabbis)<\/p>\n
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