Those who say that Natan Sharansky supports women reading from a Sefer Torah in the women’s section have completely misunderstood what he said.

When Anat Hoffman and other WOW board members mistakenly compare Israel to Saudi Arabia, claim that women here are oppressed and have no rights, and that Conservative and Reform Jews get arrested for praying in their way, it’s doing irreparable harm to our nation.

“The fact that the Women of the Wall — the supposedly more open-minded group — refused to have anything to do with or any conversation or dialogue with Women for the Wall, I found amusing, and somewhat off-putting.”

The Israeli government was respectful enough to offer Reform Jews their own location at one of the holiest sites in Judaism in order to pray as they please.

Women For the Wall condemned today the Women of the Wall’s demand that the government prevent traditional women from praying at the Kotel, contained in WOW’s list of demands for negotiating moving to a new, third section.