After a long and bitter struggle, an important women’s rights victory has happened in Israel: Egalitarian worship has been approved at the Western Wall!

For far too long, men and women haven’t been able to pray together at the Wall and women haven’t been allowed to pray aloud or use a Torah scroll (shocking, I know, to us American Jews who can’t even conceive of such nonsense).

While I fully respect Orthodox Jews, it’s important that all streams of Judaism, including those of us who are less religious, have equal access to worship in our own way. Just as we can worship together as a family in a reform temple, I believe we should have that right at the Western Wall—especially at such a sacred spot that’s supposed to represent Jewish unity.

This new prayer space will be funded by the Israeli government and could be built within a year. Three cheers goes to the Women of the Wall, whose tireless efforts were instrumental!