Threats of Violence Against Orthodox Rabbi's Over Discrimination is Wrong

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

Resorting to threats of violence over discrimination is as wrong as the discrimination itself. The controversy was ignited by the Women of the Wall, a group of Jewish women pushing for the equal right to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. According to The Chicago Tribune:

Israeli police are investigating threats to hurt the rabbi in charge of Jerusalem's Western Wall if he does not allow a Jewish women's prayer group equal worship rights at the holy site, a police spokesman said on Monday. Micky Rosenfeld said that Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch received the letters late last week. An Israeli television station showed one of the notes including a picture of a pistol in the lower right hand corner. The Women of the Wall group has angered ultra-Orthodox Jews by wearing prayer shawls and reading from holy scriptures at the Western Wall, a revered remnant of the Biblical Jewish Temple.

Ritual can be a beautiful thing but not when there are threats of violence on either side. At A&O, we hope cooler heads will soon prevail in Isreal, just as cooler heads prevailed in the US religious battle over gay scouts and religious prejudice.