Netanyahu Insists Western Wall Prayer Plan Isn’t Dead
Image by getty images
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the leaders of U.S. Jewish federations on Monday that any other premier would have given in to pressure from ultra-Orthodox political parties and completely canceled the plan for an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall, two senior Israeli officials involved in the meeting told Haaretz.
The meeting was called over the crisis stemming from the Israeli government’s decision to freeze the agreement for a mixed prayer space at the Kotel until further solutions could be found, and also a decision by ministers to back a bill limiting the recognition of non-Orthodox conversions in Israel.
Jerry Silverman, president of the Jewish Federations of North America, attended Monday evening’s meeting with Netanyahu, along with the CEOs of the New York, Chicago and Cleveland Jewish federations.
The prime minister claimed he did not cave in to pressure from the ultra-Orthodox parties, the two officials said.
Netanyahu told the U.S. Jewish leaders that, for him, all Jews are Jews, but some of his governing coalition partners do not see things the same way, said one of the officials.
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
