US envoy Nides attends Reform candle lighting at Western Wall egalitarian plaza

US Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides attends a candle-lighting ceremony hosted by the Reform movement at the egalitarian section of the Western Wall for the third night of Hanukkah.

During a short speech before the candle lighting, Nides proudly identifies himself as a Reform Jew, drawing applause from the crowd.

Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef had called for the chief rabbi of the Western Wall to cancel this year’s candle-lighting ceremony at the egalitarian section, as ultra-Orthodox lawmakers demanded that laws be passed to bar egalitarian and other alternative prayers services at the holy site as part of coalition negotiations.

Nides’ participation in the event, which was also attended by Labor MK Gilad Kariv, was taken by the beleaguered movement as a sign of support.

In a statement, the Reform movement says the ceremony sent “a clear message: The Western Wall belongs to everyone. Attempts to prevent Jews’ and Jewesses’ prayer at the Western Wall will not succeed because there is more than one way to be a Jew or Jewess.”

The movement adds that it was “happy to host US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides and to increase the light emanating from the Western Wall.”