JERUSALEM — The Western Wall is a unifying spiritual magnet for Jews the world over. It is also a place of contention over a rule by its Orthodox custodians that forbids women from standing beside men while praying there.
So how to worship was a sensitive question for 17 leading Los Angeles rabbis, including two women, as they strolled toward the sacred site one evening this week. The itinerary called for "private prayer," but as they entered the plaza one of the men quietly asked Rabbis Laura Geller and Sharon Brous to join him and others.
What happened next flowed easily from casual conversation. The entire group posed for photographs under an Israeli flag. Then the six who are Orthodox approached the ancient wall, on the male side of a partition, and prayed among a crowd of worshipers. The others, who lead Conservative and Reform congregations, found an isolated spot away from the wall, stood together and prayed aloud, defiant but deliberately low-key.
"Everyone respected each other's preference," said Elazar Muskin, an Orthodox rabbi who leads Young Israel of Century City, as the 17 reunited and walked to dinner.
That was the message of pluralism the high-powered visitors wanted Israelis to get.
Israel is constantly playing host to overseas Jewish groups to bolster its ties to the Diaspora and show how Judaism and politics are practiced here. The Los Angeles rabbis said their "unity mission" was an act of support for the Jewish state at a time of international criticism, but also a display of tolerance among streams of Judaism that often quarrel bitterly within Israel. Eighteen rabbis came, including one who wasn't present at the wall.
The diversity and stature of the group made the visit unusual.
"This is the A-list," said Jacob Dayan, Israel's consul general in Los Angeles, who organized the delegation and said he hopes it will serve as a model for missions from other Diaspora communities. "The idea was to bring a message that we are one people, united. Israelis don't often hear this tune."
Outsiders are often taken aback by the sparring in Israel, where coalition governments can fall over the slightest offense to one religious faction or another. The Orthodox tend to be more hawkish than their brethren toward the Palestinians. Tension is aggravated by a state-backed Orthodox monopoly over Jewish marriage, burial and conversion.
