Praying at the Western Wall

Last week a group of liberal Jewish women attempted to pray at the Western wall in Jerusalem.  They were met by hundreds of Orthodox men who catcalled, whistled, and threw both water and plastic chairs.  It took 300 police to separate the groups.

The ultra-Orthodox, who depend on Israeli subsidies for their large families and avoid serving in the army, have real issues with gender.  They were the people who spit on an 8-year-old girl for wearing a dress that was considered “immodest.”  

When I taught the “Intro to Political Thought” class, I always included a reading from Theodor Herzl, usually considered the founder of modern Zionism.  Herzl advanced the idea of a homeland for Jews, at one time considering Uganda as a possibility.  The state he envisioned, from my reading, was more secular than religious.  I believe he would have been appalled at people who catcalled women trying to pray.

I’ve often thought how nice it would be if we could put all the “orthodox” believers--be they Jews, Muslims, Christians, Basque nationalists, Serb nationalists, 2nd Amendment wackos, Ayn Rand acolytes, Hindu fundamentalists, militia members, and Ted Cruz--on an island somewhere.  The whole world would be a much nicer place.