Tensions erupted at the Western Wall as Women of the Wall clashed with guards after allegedly smuggling a Torah scroll in a baby carrier, igniting a fierce dispute over religious rights and site regulations.
Smuggled Torah, Shouts, and Shoves: Western Wall Erupts in Chaos Over Sacred Scroll Dispute
In a dramatic and chaotic scene Monday morning, the Women of the Wall movement clashed with Western Wall security personnel after sneaking a Torah scroll into the women’s section—hidden in a baby carrier.
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation condemned the incident as a “blatant violation” of long-standing site protocols and accused the activists of acting with deliberate disrespect and aggression.
“They brought a Torah scroll into the women’s section in clear defiance of the regulations—concealed in a baby carrier. Some members assaulted our staff,” the Foundation stated. One staff member was reportedly hospitalized after being injured in the scuffle.
⚖️ A Battle of Narratives
The group Women of the Wall, which advocates for equal prayer rights at Judaism’s holiest site, fired back with their own accusations—saying security personnel and ushers violently targeted them, forcibly attempting to confiscate the Torah.
“The scroll was brought into the women’s section for prayer, and ushers along with police used unjustified force, pushing women to the ground in an attempt to seize it,” the group stated.
📍 What Sparked the Clash?
The core of the controversy lies in the prohibition against bringing private Torah scrolls into the women’s section, a rule enforced by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation under traditional Orthodox customs. The Women of the Wall group has long challenged these limitations, seeking equal rights to read from the Torah and pray with religious items at the site.
Monday’s incident marks a new peak in an ongoing, decades-long dispute between religious authorities and Jewish feminist prayer activists.
🚨 Violence at a Sacred Site
While physical altercations are rare at the revered Western Wall plaza, this latest confrontation has sparked renewed public outrage and debate across Israeli society—pitting tradition against religious pluralism, and raising questions about equality, enforcement, and the role of state-backed religious institutions.
