“We respectfully feel that immediate action must be taken to — at a minimum — ensure the safety, security and well-being of all who come to the entire Kotel area, as well as to ensure that all worshipers are afforded the same level of respect we would expect if this was our own family – because it is our own Jewish family!’ wrote the heads of the Jewish Agency, the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Federations of North America and Keren Hayesod. Last Thursday, several dozen Orthodox men and boys entered the even section of the Western Wall, an area south of the central square known as Robinson’s Arch, equipped with whistles and signs, as several families from the United States held bar. mitzvah ceremonies for their children there. The youths tried to disrupt the services, blowing whistles, calling worshipers “Nazis” and “animals” and at one point tearing up a prayer book, so one boy used a torn page to wipe his nose. Lapid spoke out on Tuesday against the incident in response to a reporter’s question. “I am against any violence at the Western Wall against people who want to pray as their faith allows. This cannot continue,” Lapid said, speaking to reporters in Paris after meeting French President Emmanuel Macron. Get The Times of Israel Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories By signing up, you agree to the terms In the letter, the heads of the four organizations said complaints were not an adequate response to this type of behavior. “Words of support are not enough and concrete action must be taken to make Jews of all stripes feel at home, safe and welcome at the Kotel and in Israel,” they wrote. The letter was delivered to Lapid on Tuesday, a spokesman for the Jewish Federations said. Pages torn from a siddur by young Orthodox men at the equality section of the Western Wall on June 30, 2022. (Masorti Movement) The organizations warned that such incidents are worsening the already close ties between Israel and Jewish communities abroad. “It’s about the basic ‘derech eretz’ — a Jewish term roughly meaning common courtesy — “of Israelis welcoming Jews from all over the world who come to celebrate their most cherished [celebrations] in the Jewish state, follow all the established rules for such an event, make no provocations, show nothing but “ahavat Yisrael” — love for Israel — and yet engage in behavior that should embarrass every Jew every level or style of Jewish practice. No effort to unite or strengthen ties between Israel and Diaspora Jews can be remotely successful while such behavior is allowed to continue,” they wrote. The letter was signed by Michael Siegal, the outgoing chairman of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency. Ya’akov Hagoel, president of the World Zionist Organization and acting head of the Jewish Agency. Mark Wilf, incoming chairman of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency; Doron Almog, the incoming head of the Jewish Agency. Julie Platt, president of the Jewish Federations of North America; Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America; Steven Lowy, chairman of Keren Hayesod’s global board of trustees. and Sam Grundwerg, president of Keren Hayesod. The letter was addressed to Lapid, but copies were also sent to Public Security Minister Omer Barlev, Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai and Deputy Minister of Religious Services Matan Kahana. World Jewish leaders have separated this issue from that of the so-called Western Wall compromise, an agreement largely negotiated by the Jewish Agency that would see non-Orthodox streams of Judaism represented in the administration of the holy site. Ultra-Orthodox youths disrupt a bar mitzvah ceremony at the equality section of the Western Wall on June 30, 2022. (Laura Ben-David) “We understand that there are differences of opinion within the Knesset and even within your government regarding the Kotel agreement. We appreciate your support for this deal. However, this is not about the Kotel deal,” they wrote to Lapid. The organization’s leaders wrote that they “look forward to hearing what the government can do to immediately address this issue.” “We stand ready to work with you in any way we can to help with this urgent matter,” they wrote. Yizhar Hess, the former head of the Masorti Movement – Israel’s equivalent of the Conservative Movement – and current vice president of the World Zionist Organization, reiterated the call for action, not words, in response to the violent protest at the equality department. An ultra-Orthodox youth wipes his nose with a page torn from a siddur at the equality section of the Western Wall on June 30, 2022. (Screenshot: Masorti Movement on Twitter) “This letter is incredibly apt — very kind but also very aggressive. “Statements won’t help anymore,” the letter read, and I couldn’t agree more, said Hess, who did not sign the missive. Hess called the actions of the Orthodox youth a “hate crime” and said that if they had happened anywhere else in the world, it would be called anti-Semitism, echoing a similar comment made on Tuesday by Deborah Lipstadt, a global authority on anti-Semitism and the current Special Envoy of the US on anti-Semitism. “These ugly actions hurt families celebrating bar and mitzvahs, desecrated the sanctity of the Western Wall, and at the same time undermined the position of the state of Israel as the national home of the Jewish people,” he said. “I hope that the government of Israel, even as an interim government, knows how to make the right decisions so that such incidents do not happen again,” Hess added. Next week, the heads of these organizations are to gather in Jerusalem for the meeting of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Agency, during which they are also expected to meet with top Israeli officials. You are a devoted reader We are really glad that you read X Times of Israel articles last month. That’s why we started the Times of Israel ten years ago – to provide discerning readers like you with the must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world. So now we have a request. Unlike other media, we have not set up a paywall. But because the journalism we do is expensive, we invite readers to whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community. For just $6 a month you can support our quality journalism by enjoying Times of Israel ADS-FREE, as well as access to exclusive content available only to members of the Times of Israel Community. 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