UK rabbis warn Western Wall bill could shut out non-Orthodox Jews
Knesset backs plan giving Chief Rabbinate control over Kotel prayer, prompting alarm from UK Progressive leaders
UK Progressive Jewish leaders have warned that a bill backed by Israeli lawmakers could exclude non-Orthodox Jews from meaningful access to the Western Wall and deepen divisions with the Diaspora.
The legislation, introduced by far-right MK Avi Maoz, passed its preliminary reading in the Knesset on Wednesday. The bill would give the Chief Rabbinate authority over prayer across the entire Western Wall plaza, including areas previously set aside for egalitarian worship.
Critics say the move would effectively end recognised space for mixed-gender and Progressive prayer at the Kotel and could criminalise forms of worship that do not follow Orthodox rules.
Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, Co-Leads of The Movement for Progressive Judaism in the UK, said the proposal breaks with long-standing commitments made to Jews outside the Orthodox world.
“This proposed legislation is profoundly alarming,” they said. “The 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.”
They warned that the bill risks undermining trust between Israel and Jews overseas.
“Agreements were reached to ensure space for egalitarian prayer at the Kotel, and those commitments were reinforced through decisions of the World Zionist Organisation and Jewish Agency institutions representing world Jewry,” they said.
“Advancing legislation that would effectively outlaw egalitarian worship does not simply change policy – it risks breaking faith with millions of Jews in Israel and across the Diaspora.”
The rabbis stressed that access and equality at holy sites are central to Israel’s bond with world Jewry. “Religious freedom and equality at holy sites are not marginal concerns; they are central to the relationship between Israel and world Jewry,” they said.
In Israel, Reform MK Rabbi Gilad Kariv warned that the bill’s impact would go far beyond the Western Wall. Speaking during the Knesset debate, he said: “The insane bill by Avi Maoz that passed its preliminary reading turns anyone who doesn’t obey the Chief Rabbinate into a criminal who should be thrown in jail.”
“This isn’t a law against Reform Jews – and the Western Wall is only the beginning,” Kariv added. “It’s a law against any Jew who isn’t Haredi or ultranationalist, and its impact will extend far beyond matters concerning the Western Wall.”
Rabbi Lea Muhlstein, Immediate Past Chair of Arzenu, the political wing of Reform and Progressive Zionists worldwide, said the bill directly contradicts recent rulings and resolutions.
“At 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,” she said.
“The 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,” Muhlstein added.
“Instead of following this ruling, Israel’s governing coalition wants to turn anyone who does not follow the Chief Rabbinate into a criminal,” she said.
The bill must still pass committee scrutiny and further Knesset readings before becoming law. But its early approval has already reignited a long-running and highly sensitive dispute over whether the Western Wall is a shared national site for all Jews – or a place governed by one religious authority.
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