Why Jewish women had to smuggle a tiny Torah into the Western Wall

One of Israel's holiest sites is ruled by double-standards

Torah
(Image credit: (Facebook.com/WomenOfTheWall))

In one of their cleverest moves yet, the Women of the Wall recently pulled off a Bat Mitzvah service for a teenage girl at Israel's holiest site by using a tiny Torah and a magnifying glass. While countless boys have been Bar Mitzvahed at the Wall, this was the first time a girl has ever experienced the rite of passage there.

A remnant of the retaining wall that surrounded the Second Temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, the Western Wall is considered a sacred place by Jews around the world. The plaza in front has a partition separating the men and women's prayer spaces. On the men's side, you will find people reading from Torahs, praying with tefillin, and wearing prayer shawls. On the women's side you will find none of the above because the group that rules the Wall, which is comprised only of male Orthodox Jews, won't allow it.

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Elissa Strauss

Elissa Strauss writes about the intersection of gender and culture for TheWeek.com. She also writes regularly for Elle.com and the Jewish Daily Forward, where she is a weekly columnist.