Rabbi Yehuda Getz withdrew his resignation as rabbi of the Western Wall on Thursday.
The rabbi had submitted his resignation earlier in the week in a dispute over plans for a coeducational ceremony at the plaza in front of the Wall by Gadna, a paramilitary youth corps.
Getz, who fiercely opposes the mingling of men and women at the Wall, said he was satisfied by a compromise worked out to ensure decorous behavior by the youngsters during a ceremony that will take place later this month.
The compromise calls for boys and girls to be segregated during the ceremony, and ensures they will not remain at the plaza after it ends.
It was worked out Tuesday by Religious Affairs Minister Avner Shaki; the Chief Rabbinate director, Rabbi Eitan Eisman; and the Gadna commander, Col. Yisrael Assaf.
Getz had said he would accept a solution if it were approved by the chief rabbis. Eisman’s presence at the meeting appeared to signify that the agreement did indeed enjoy the endorsement of Chief Rabbis Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliahu.
Getz, 67, said he would resume his position and continue serving “until the Messiah comes, speedily in our day.”
Sephardic Chief Rabbi Eliahu issued a statement welcoming Getz’s decision.
Much of the Israeli media had attacked the compromise as an unjustified concession by the army to the Orthodox establishment.
The Israeli daily Ha’aretz did not dismiss Getz’s original objections, but felt the Gadna command could be relied upon to ensure that past infringements of the sanctity of the site by its members would not be repeated at the ceremony.
Getz, who has previously come under fire for not allowing women to pray in groups at the Wall, is also the Religious Affairs Ministry’s chief supervisor of Israel’s holy places.
Government sources have stressed Getz’s long service. He became rabbi of the Wall when it was liberated in 1967.
One of his sons was killed during the battle.
In light of this episode, Jewish Agency guides who on Tuesday escorted some 2,000 recently arrived young Ethiopian immigrants on a tour of Jerusalem carefully made sure the boys and girls were separated during their visit to the Wall, where they were addressed by Knesset Speaker Dov Shilansky.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
