A group of women succeeded in conducting prayer services Friday at the Western Wall, without being assaulted or harassed by the ultra-Orthodox, as has occurred in previous attempts.
The group, which calls itself the Women’s Kotel Tefillah, recited the prayers for Rosh Hodesh, the new month.
They went to the Wall despite appeals by Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek and Religious Affairs Minister Zevulun Hammer to change their plans to avoid incidents.
Their worship was virtually undisturbed. A man who tried to break into the women’s section was stopped by police.
In past months, the women have been harassed by ultra-Orthodox men and women at the Wall, who cursed them, threw chairs and bottles at them and, in one case, reportedly bit them.
After their prayers Friday, the women went to the Horva Synagogue in the Old City, which they found locked in anticipation of their visit.
They held a short session at a nearby archeological site, where a church of the Byzantine period once stood.
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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.
