US Reform Jews Denied Western Wall Praying; Rip Israel Govt. for Not Having a Space to Pray

The president of America's Union for Reform Judaism blasted the Israeli government today (July 11, 2016) for delaying a plan to give liberal Jews a special space to pray at a Jerusalem holy site, and vowed to escalate his movement's struggle with public demonstrations and legal action, the Washington Post website reports.

"For the government to collapse would be the signal of a real rupture of the North American-Israel relationship," said Rabbi Rick Jacobs.

The liberal Reform Movement is the largest stream of Judaism, representing some 1.5 million people. Reform congregations hold mixed-gender prayers, employ female rabbis, and have members who drive to synagogue on the Sabbath -- all customs that go against Orthodox Judaic tradition.

Reform synagogues are common in the United States but are sparse in Israel, where Orthodox synagogues prevail. In January, Israel announced it would enlarge and officially recognize a special mixed-gender prayer area at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, but the plan to expand the egalitarian space has stalled. The Western Wall is managed by an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who opposes Reform customs on the holy site.