...while in New York's Capital District, respect and collegiality are deeply rooted

February 27, 2026

Two days ago, a huge ruckus was stirred up among world Jewry when a "private member bill" passed its first reading in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament). The bill would have officially given the (ultra-Orthodox) Chief Rabbinate the power to decide that mixed-gender prayer groups, or women reading from the Torah, was a "desecration" of Judaism's holiest site, punishable by up to seven years in prison.

Now, even without this legislation, there have been scores of arrests and detentions over the last 40 years of women trying to read from the Torah and of folks praying in mixed-gender groups. That's how long Women of the Wall has held (or attempted to hold) a monthly service at the Kotel on Rosh Chodesh (beginning of each month on the Jewish calendar). The most recent arrests/detentions happened a week before the legislation was introduced and, notably, a day after the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that the government must stop dragging its feet on infrastructure improvements in the Ezrat Yisrael -- the egalitarian prayer space at the wall -- agreed to ten years ago.

Apparently, there was never any likelihood that the legislation would recieve and pass the necessary three readings to become law. As The Jerusalem Post reported,

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly withdrew the bill from the Ministerial Committee for Legislation earlier this week, likely to avoid triggering a crisis with Diaspora Jewry. It returned as a private member’s bill, sponsored by Noam MK Avi Maoz, with coalition lawmakers granted a free vote, many of whom supported it.

"The legislative push comes in the wake of a High Court decision last week that, despite political rhetoric to the contrary, did not alter the prayer arrangements in the main Western Wall plaza. Instead, it ordered the state to move forward with long-delayed accessibility and development measures at Ezrat Yisrael, an area designated for mixed-gender and non-Orthodox worship under the now-frozen 2016 Western Wall compromise."

The private member's bill, and the freedom for coalition members to vote for it, was a form of pre-election grandstanding. Not official government policy.

Nevertheless, as you might expect, it generated a great deal of heat among Diaspora Jewry. Locally, the Capital District Board of Rabbis and Cantors issued the following response to the legislation:

"The Capital District Board of Rabbis and Cantors – a proudly pluralistic body comprised of Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and non-denominational Jewish clergy – is extremely disturbed by the recently proposed legislation regarding prayer at the Kotel. With deep respect for Orthodox halacha and those who live by it, we simultaneously affirm the diversity of the Jewish community.

"Israel is our eternal homeland and should be – of all places on earth – a place where all of Am Yisrael [the Jewish people] feels safe and accepted. All the more so now, when global antisemitism is on the rise and those, like us, who identify as Zionists, face additional pressure and risk for our support of Medinat Yisrael [the country of Israel]. Passing a bill that would ostracize massive swaths of the Israeli and global Jewish community, curtail access to our people’s holiest site, and threaten prison time for prayer would be profoundly wrong, sowing new seeds of division and fear. This proposal is already leaving many in our local community, of all Jewish denominations, feeling upset and isolated.

"We ask for the Jewish Federation of North America’s support and influence to help defeat this destructive legislation. We are hopeful that we may all soon pray together in

" ירושלים הבנויה כעיר שחוברה לה יחדיו — עיר שהיא עושה את כל ישראל חברים

"Jerusalem built up, a city knit together – a city that produces fellowship among all of Israel.

"(Tehilim 122:3, Y. Hagigah 3:6)"

A Reform and an Orthodox rabbi worked on the wording together, and we all endorsed it. Then Rob Kovach, the CEO of our local Jewish Federation, wrote about our mutual respect and collegiality in his weekly letter: "Rabbis and leaders from across the denominational spectrum—Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox—spoke together, listened to one another, and affirmed a shared commitment to Jewish peoplehood. Differences in practice and belief remain, but the willingness to stand united when core values are challenged is something to be deeply proud of." He also shared an email from the CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America which laid out mthe

I want to single out our Orthodox colleagues for a huge yasher koach (well done)! When news of this legislation broke, they immediately wrote a letter to the full membership of the CDBRC.  With permission, I reprint it here:

"Dear Rob & Esteemed Colleagues,

"Rabbi Bomzer, Rabbi Bauman and I join together to express to all of you our opposition to this extreme and divisive bill.

"While we may have important and meaningful halachic [Jewish law] and religious disagreements, about which we do not compromise, we are all Am Yisrael, and no Jew should be told by the government of Israel that they don’t belong in Israel or that they should not have the opportunity to seek G-d at the place He chose to cause His Presence to dwell. We rejoice in the fact that all Jews of all kinds seek to pray at this holy place.

"To our colleagues - it pains us to see this horrific bill that targets you. It pains us further that it’s being done in the name of my stream of Judaism and of Orthodox halacha.

"Rob - We fully support you taking this up with whomever you can to express how upsetting and isolating this is to Jews in our community locally - including many in our Orthodox community - and across our Jewish world globally.

"We pray that we may all soon pray together in ירושלים הבנויה כעיר שחוברה לה יחדיו — עיר שהיא עושה את כל ישראל חברים

"(Tehilim 122:3, Y. Hagigah 3:6)

"Respectfully,

"Rabbi Ben Kean"

I have said for years that we live in a very special Jewish ecosystem, here in the Capital District.  This is the fruit of it. May we continue to "make Shabbos together," as Rabbi Bomzer has said for years, while at the same time providing a rich and diverse set of doorways into Jewish living for our rich and diverse Jewish community.

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