...This type of thinking assumes that men and women are different then they were for thousands of years. Can anyone find any evidence that women don't tease and gossip any less the they did one hundred years ago? Can anyone find any argument that men are any less distracted by these Divas? I suggest before we ask for change because of people that simply hate us for being Jews that we take a look at ourselves in relation to our codes and see for certain if these boundaries do or do not have a purpose. If these traditions do have a function then I suspect that we should respect them. That said I appreciate the great job Oren is doing representing the Jewish people, but I don't think being pressured into failure is prudent.
Michael Oren, Israel's Ambassador to the United States, seeks to use his position -- which is designed to maintain good relations with the U.S. government -- as a base for pushing for a revolutionary change at the Western Wall (Kotel) that may challenge Orthodox tradition.
Oren told the Jewish Council for Public Affairs in Dallas this week that the recent disruption at the Western Wall by a woman wearing a prayer shawl and demanding a Torah scroll for prayers will require compromise. Women and men traditonally pray separately to maintain modesty and prevent unnecessary mingling that could interfere with the sanctity of prayers. Limits in Jewish law also exist concerning the use of Torah scrolls by women.
Responding to a question about the woman's arrest for causing a disturbance by trying to change long-standing Orthodox tradition at the Western Wall, Oren stated, "I will only assure you that I think there are good solutions for the problems at the Kotel. They are at the top of my agenda. And that at the end of the day, it will require compromise on everyone's behalf."
The report was carried by the Jewish Telegraph Agency, heavily funded by the Jewish Agency and which often promotes the agenda of Conservative Jews. Oren grew up in the United States, was active in the Conservative movement and also attended Reform temples.
The JTA added that Steven Wernick, the president of the Conservative movement’s congregational arm, stated that Oren’s remarks “show he understands that the status quo isn’t working and that some changes and compromises need to be made."
Israel National News asked the Foreign Ministry why the ambassador to a foreign country made public comments on religious practices at the Western Wall, but no one was available to speak.
Oren (pictured) recently stated that he wants to involve all elements of American Jews. He told the Los Angeles Jewish Journal earlier this month, “I want to reach out to those parts of the Jewish community, especially the young American Jewish community, that have grown distant from Israel.”
He also specifically included the controversial New Israel Fund, a liberal group that has funded several pro-Arab groups that are blatantly anti-Israel and provided biased information for the Goldstone Report that accused Israel of committing war crimes in the war against Hamas terrorism.
“One of the first things I did when I took office is meet with New Israel Fund,” Oren told the Journal. “They were in my office. I want to be as inclusive as possible. With that, I also have to uphold what I see as Israel’s essential security interests. It’s a bit of a balancing act."
“And I thought coming myself from an American Jewish background, having gone to a Conservative synagogue and a Reform synagogue, that I would be a natural nexus between Israel and the American Jewish community…With the American Jewish community, I’ve been surprised by the complexity of it.”
