Last week, the Supreme Courts in the United States and Israel made some bold decisions. In America, the United States Supreme Court denied President Trump the right to levy tariffs at will. Tariffs were the cornerstone of the President’s economic policy in dealing with world trade. It is quite incredible that a court could interfere with the freedom of a president to choose his own economic tools. But the president was forced to deal with the new reality.
It also threw havoc into some of the countries affected by the halt in tariffs. Do they wait to see refunds of tariffs paid? Do they proceed with caution to see if the administration will find a way to overcome the SCOTUS decision? Currently, the situation is messy.
In Israel, the Supreme Court ruled that mixed-gender services must be implemented at the Kosel (Western Wall) as soon as possible. This is despite the fact that for centuries traditional Judaism has practiced prayer with a separation of men and women. Furthermore, since the liberation of the Kosel in 1967, it has been the accepted practice to separate men from women. It is held as a sacred practice in Judaism.
But thanks to a handful of agitators, backed by the Reform and Conservative movements, they claim to represent the majority of Jews in the Diaspora. Yet as Rabbi Pesach Lerner pointed out, in almost all the countries, Orthodoxy was clearly chosen as the majority in the WZO elections. It is false for the Reform to claim they are speaking on behalf of world Jewry.
Besides, it is with total hubris that the Israeli Supreme Court can insert itself into a strictly religious matter. Imagine if some Muslim supreme court ruled against a tradition in Muslim prayer. The judges on that supreme court would not live to see another day.
The Reform wrap themselves in piety as they claim to want an equal opportunity to pray as the Orthodox do at the Kosel. The Reform do not believe in the restoration of the Third Temple. They are totally uncomfortable with the concept of animal sacrifice that took place in the Second Temple. They certainly do not believe in the Messianic return of the Third Temple. So why fight to pray there?
It is obviously a ruse to arouse political acceptance for their cause. And what is their cause? Don’t forget that most of the Reform leadership has been constantly critical of Israel during their fights with Hamas over the years.
Hopefully, a coalition bill will be passed in the Knesset that will leave control of the Kosel’s sanctity in the hands of the rabbinate.
But it’s a shanda that it had to come to this.
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld is the Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, former President of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, and the Rabbinic Consultant for the Queens Jewish Link.
