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| Women of the Wall at the Western Wall |
In a blow to many ultra-Orthodox Jews the Women of the Wall group announced that they will be holding their first ever selichot prayer at the Western Wall, next month.
The Women of the Wall group usually holds prayers only once a month for 11 out of the 12 months of the year. The Women of the Wall group does not hold a prayer service on the first day of the Jewish month of Tishrei, or the Rosh Hashanah holiday. However, this year, selichot services will be held at 10:00 pm on September 1.
Selichot services are traditionally held daily, except for Shabbat, in the week before Rosh Hashanah. Sephardic Jews hold selichot prayers every day of the Jewish month of Elul. Selichot prayers are also had on the weekdays between the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur holidays.
The decision was made after the Women of the Wall received pressure of new members, who do not want to go two months without a prayer.
Meanwhile, Natan Sharansky said yesterday that he expects to announce his plan to address the competing needs of prayer in the holy place within two weeks.
Sharansky wants to see a joint authority comprising representatives of government, the Jewish Agency and non Israeli Jewish communities, establish rules of prayer for a new egalitarian prayer space. Orthodox Jewish rabbis will can continue to control the current prayer area, which would remain strictly segregated.