Progressive Jews sound alarm over bill cementing Orthodox control of Western Wall

Progressive Jewish movements in the Diaspora are outraged about a bill that could ban and criminalize non-Orthodox prayer at the Western Wall.

Lawmakers voted 56-47 Wednesday afternoon in favor of a preliminary reading of a bill giving the Chief Rabbinate full control over prayer at all parts of the Western Wall. The bill, sponsored by far-right Noam MK Avi Maoz, is intended to undercut a ruling last week by the High Court of Justice that the state must move forward with the upgrade of the Western Wall egalitarian plaza, which would allow non-Orthodox prayers at a lesser-used portion of the holy site.

The new bill would give the country’s 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 “desecration.”

The law currently states that desecration of a holy place carries a penalty of seven years in prison.

“This proposed legislation is profoundly alarming,” said Rabbi Charley Baginsky and Rabbi Josh Levy, co-leads of the Movement for Progressive Judaism (MPJ) in the United Kingdom. “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.”

“Successive Israeli governments have already recognized this principle,” they continued in a statement. “Agreements 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.

“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 two concluded. “Religious freedom and equality at holy sites are not marginal concerns; they are central to the relationship between Israel and world Jewry.”

The Reform Movement in North America likewise protested the bill, calling it “a direct affront to Jews in Israel, North America, and across the globe who pray in egalitarian settings. ”

“The global implications of this bill cannot be overstated,” a statement signed by heads of several US Reform organizations read. “Outside Israel – especially in North America – 85% of Jews worship in egalitarian communities. Criminalizing those forms of prayer at Judaism’s holiest accessible site would alienate millions of Jews from the State of Israel at a time when Jewish unity is both fragile and essential.”

Rabbi Lea Mühlstein, immediate past chair of Arzenu, the political wing of Reform and Progressive Zionists worldwide, charged that the legislation violates previous resolutions by Jewish bodies.

“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 wrote. “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.”

“We will not stand by and let this happen,” Mühlstein vowed. “Our representatives in Israel’s National Institutions, together with Progressive Jews from across the world, will continue our fight for religious pluralism in Israel.”

World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) president Sergio Bergman, meanwhile, expressed concerns about the broader implications of the bill.

“The issue at hand extends beyond the Kotel, representing a symptom of a deeper underlying concern,” Bergman said. “For 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.”

MPJ, Arzenu, Arza, US Reform leaders, and WUPJ launched a campaign calling on their members to contact Israeli Embassies in their country and demand action against the bill.

The American Jewish Committee said in a statement that the Western Wall and its surrounding prayer spaces “belong to the entirety of the Jewish people.”

“AJC long advocated for the creation of the egalitarian prayer space near Robinson’s Arch, which has allowed all Jews to connect with Judaism’s holiest site in accordance with their traditions,” the organization said. “Preserving this space—and the promise of access, dignity, and inclusion it represents—is 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.”

The Jewish Federations of North America, meanwhile, has not made a public statement on the bill, but noted that it is “fully engaged on the issue.”