An American teen was harassed during her bat mitzvah ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem Friday as haredi Orthodox protesters sought to interrupt non-Orthodox Jews’ prayer one month after a major incident drew attention from Israel’s political leadership.
No injuries or arrests were reported during Friday’s confrontation, which came during the observance of the start of the month of Av and after several months of escalating tensions at Rosh Hodesh prayers. But police and ushers hired by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the state-funded group that manages the holy site, also did not appear to enforce Israel’s law prohibiting the disturbance of prayers, a crime that can carry a penalty of up to three years in jail.
No injuries or arrests were reported during Friday’s confrontation, which came during the observance of the start of the month of Av and after several months of escalating tensions at Rosh Hodesh prayers. But police and ushers hired by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the state-funded group that manages the holy site, also did not appear to enforce Israel’s law prohibiting the disturbance of prayers, a crime that can carry a penalty of up to three years in jail.
Comment