In a Stunning Reversal: Court Permits Gender-Separated Yom Kippur Prayers, Slams Govt. for Discriminating Against Frum Jews

 Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled that public Yom Kippur prayers in Tel Aviv can take place with mechitzos to separate men and women.

The court ruled that the Tel Aviv authorities must allow gender-separated services. In a stunning turn of events, the court, which is notoriously left-wing, slammed the municipality of Tel Aviv for discrimination.

The court said that the matter “should not have reached the court, certainly not an issue of prayer on Yom Kippur. With goodwill, it can be resolved outside the court walls.” The judges also said that “a municipality in the State of Israel seeks to discriminate against Orthodox worshippers.”

The judges repeatedly criticized the city and questioned its staunch opposition to holding prayer in a public space. They proposed a compromise to hold the service in Meir Garden instead of Dizengoff Square, rejected by Tel Aviv because the city is against gender segregation in public spaces.

Judge David Mintz told the city’s attorney, Shmuel Zinger, “These are difficult times. In any case, the issue should not have reached the court. Certainly not an issue of prayer on Yom Kippur. With goodwill, it can be resolved outside the court walls.” The judges were frustrated with the city and said that “what emerges is that a municipality in the State of Israel seeks to discriminate against Orthodox worshippers.”

Judge Grosskopf said, “should we allow the Tel Aviv municipality to determine which prayer is legitimate? The public will decide for itself.”

Judge Kasher said: “Tel Aviv Municipality says – ‘Orthodox no, everyone else yes’, while there is ‘relevant diversity’ that allows for gender segregation in prayer. You say: ‘I am not against prayer, only against the partition’, but that’s like saying, ‘I only have a problem with a kippah’.”

One of the city’s representatives argued that the service blocks the public space, and Judge Kasher replied sarcastically: “Any event in a public space blocks it. Even a demonstration. So let’s declare it will be a ‘Yom Kippur prayer demonstration’.”

The Rosh Yehudi outreach association, which had appealed to the court to permit its services, welcomed the decision. It was quoted by Israel’s Channel 12 as saying: “Tel Aviv is part of the Jewish state, and those who wish to pray separately with a partition will be able to do so…Judaism is stronger than any municipal regulation and more than the unfortunate decision of the Tel Aviv municipality to exclude the traditional public and Judaism itself from the public sphere.”