Anat Arrested at the Western Wall
October 17, 2012 
7 Comments
Last night Anat Hoffman, executive director of the Israel Religious Action Center and chairwoman of Women of the Wall, was arrested at the Western Wall. This occurred during a prayer service in the woman’s section with 250 other participants, including members of Women of the Wall and Hadassah.
Anat was detained and held overnight in police custody for disturbing the peace. She was arrested for saying the Shema, Judaism’s central declaration of faith, out loud at the Western Wall.
Anat was put through a terrible ordeal. The experience was both frightening and humiliating, simply for wanting to pray as a Jew at the Kotel. We are all so relieved that Anat is now back home. She also wants to express her profound gratitude to all of you for your support and good wishes.
Anat will be writing about this experience herself in the coming days. As we move forward we are more determined than ever to achieve equality for women, everywhere in Israel, including the Kotel. Please sign and share our petition, which calls on the Israeli government to end the ultra-Orthodox monopoly over the Western Wall.
Noa Sattath is the director of the Israel Religious Action Center.
Photo courtesy of Women of the Wall.
I applaud Ms. Hoffman and other women who go to the WALL and pray in the manner they
choose. It is their free right to do so under the flag of ISRAEL.
Bibi spoke at the Hadassah Convention and I wanted to shout at him. Maybe I should have. He pandered to the women telling them how important they are, yet he leads a secular government that allows the ultra religious to run the Wall as if it were an Ultra Religious synagogue. This is not democracy. He never should have been given the prize from Hadassah in my opinion
If these guys really think God disapproves of prayer in any circumstances they need their moral compass adjusted.