Israel Religious Action Center - IRAC

28/05/2026

Wishes of Peace, Health, Equality Eid Saeed

27/05/2026

“This is a bill of divorce between the State of Israel and Diaspora Jews.”

In a dramatic Knesset hearing, IRAC Executive Director warned against legislation that would effectively ban and criminalize egalitarian and non-Orthodox prayer at the Western Wall.

Instead of fixing years of discrimination, harassment, and unequal access at the Kotel, this bill would go even further — turning millions of Jews into criminals for praying according to their egalitarian tradition at Judaism’s holiest site.

The Kotel belongs to the entire Jewish people.
Not to one stream.
Not to one rabbinate.
Not to one political coalition.

We will continue fighting for religious freedom, equality, and the right of every Jew to pray according to their tradition.

20/05/2026

Some thoughts about the Kotel (Western Wall) and Shavuot! We wish all of our followers and friends a peaceful and meaningful holiday... The tradition is to remain awake all night and study Torah... We know how important this is... Torah is the path of peace and of Justice... We will continue to study, practice and pursue peace and justice!

Orly Erez-Likhovski writes:
>>> The fact that the only public place in the Western world where women are forbidden from reading Torah is at the Kotel, in the capital of the Jewish state, is simply outrageous. Once again, Women of the Wall succeeded in smuggling in a Torah scroll and reading from it in the women’s section, since they are not allowed to read from the 100 Torah scrolls reserved for use in the men’s section for any group of men to use, or to bring in an outside Torah scroll. As I write these words, I still cannot believe that this is what is required to exercise freedom of religion at the Kotel — to smuggle in what belongs to us by right, given to us at Sinai as our sacred inheritance.

And as if the harassment of all who do not conform to the Rabbinate’s dictates were not enough, this week the Knesset’s Constitution,Law and Justice Committee will discuss a bill imposing up to seven years in prison for egalitarian prayer at the Kotel. That's right. This extremist government is not content merely to normalize violence against women reading Torah or liberal Jews in an egalitarian prayer; it now seeks to criminalize our worship itself.

Would they also have condemned us for standing at Sinai? >havuot commemorates the revelation at Mount Sinai and the giving of the Ten Commandments, which we read in our services. In Exodus, the Torah is given to all of us, the entire people of Israel standing together at Sinai. As Rabbi Dr. Tamara Cohn Eskenazi, Professor at HUC-JIR teaches: The foundational promise in Exodus 19:8—"All that the Eternal has spoken we will do"—is uttered by kol ha'am (all the people), a term that consciously encompasses the women.

This inclusiveness is unqualified, bringing together all who choose to join in this pivotal moment that defines us as a people. Inclusiveness is inherently pluralist. Yet the message that the Torah belongs to us all stands in painful contrast to the reality of today's Israel, where extremists, backed by the government, have taken hold of Judaism, excluding everyone who disagrees with them.>Twenty-three years ago this week, the Supreme Court wrote these powerful words in the case of Women of the Wall: The Kotel was given to the entire Jewish people, not merely to one part of the people. And the entire Jewish people — not merely one part — acquired rights in the Kotel.

In the face of this hatred, we must offer a tikkun – a repair, a different path. We will not rest, and we will not be silent until this dangerous bill is shelved and the Kotel becomes a place for everyone: a place like Sinai, where kol ha'am — all the people — are included and respected.

We wish you a meaningful and joyous Shavuot, where we join together to celebrate our diversity.

19/05/2026

This week, the Knesset Constitution and Law Committee will debate a shocking new bill that could impose up to *7 years in prison* (yes, you absolutely read that right) for egalitarian prayer, woman and men together, at the Kotel (Western Wall).

Let’s clear up some of the fake news surrounding the Kotel:

❌ Fake #1: “There has always been gender separation at the Western Wall”
✅ Truth: The gender partition was only introduced after 1967.

In 1967, after the Six-Day War, after 19 years during which Jews had no access to the Kotel, Israel gained authority over it. It was now open to Jews of all backgrounds and perspectives from all over the world. At least, it was supposed to be. Government ministers initially opposed building a partition, and the site was supposed to be managed by the National Parks Authority like any other national heritage site. But under pressure from religious politicians and the Chief Rabbinate, control was transferred to the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Only then was the partition erected, followed over the years by increasingly strict “modesty” rules.

❌ Fake #2: “The Supreme Court handed the Kotel over to the Reform movement”
✅ Truth: In 2016, Netanyahu’s government itself approved the Western Wall compromise, which included a shared entrance leading to the separate men’s and women's sections and to an egalitarian prayer space. Under pressure from ultra-Orthodox parties, the government froze the agreement in 2017 and decided only to renovate the egalitarian plaza.

Yet bureaucratic maneuvering between successive Netanyahu-led governments dependent on Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox coalition partners and the Orthodox dominated Jerusalem municipality have stalled renovations. Currently, there is no direct access to the stones of the wall itself from the egalitarian plaza. You cannot touch or kiss the wall there. You cannot participate in the tradition of placing notes between the stones.

IRAC has filed multiple successful petitions with the Supreme Court to press the authorities to fulfill their commitments. It has time and again demanded explanations from the state and ordered progress. To no avail.

Three months ago, the Supreme Court again instructed the government to implement its own official decision — a decision the government still claims it supports — to upgrade the egalitarian plaza and improve access to the Kotel.

❌ Fake #3: “Most Israelis support gender segregation at the Kotel”
✅ Truth: The data shows the exact opposite.

A majority of Jewish Israelis (52%) oppose a bill by the extremist right-wing MK Avi Maoz’s bill, which would give the Rabbinate sweeping authority over the Kotel. Only 31.5% support this legislation. In addition, 53% of the public prefers holding bar/bat mitzvah ceremonies in the egalitarian plaza rather than the segregated section. This bill would empower the Rabbinate to close down the egalitarian plaza altogether and criminalize people who try to worship and celebrate without gender segregation, throwing them into prison, even though the majority of Jews around the world pray this way.

The Kotel is sacred to the entire Jewish people. It is also a national and historic site belonging to all Israelis and Jews of every denomination. This bill is not just about prayer at one location — it is about the future of Israel as a democratic state and as the homeland of the entire Jewish people 🇮🇱✡️

Don’t let them take over the Kotel.

19/05/2026

Orly Erez-Likhovski writes about hope, even in these convoluted times!

What gives you hope these days? 🕊️

For us, the answer is walking together — for peace, for tolerance, for human rights.

Just a few days after Jerusalem Day, where we witnessed horrifying scenes of racism and violence, yesterday we showed that another path is possible when we joined the Interfaith March for Peace and Human Rights, led by our friends at Rabbis for Human Rights. We marched shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, Jews from different streams, Muslims, Christians, and Druze.

Our message was clear: we refuse to give up hope for a better future for everyone living in this land. In the face of voices of hatred, we choose to raise a clear Jewish voice for shared society, justice, and equality for all. We will continue to act in every arena — in the Knesset, in the courts, and in the streets — for a better future based on trust, justice, hope and peace!

17/05/2026

*What gives you hope?*

*The Interfaith March for Human Rights and Peace.* May 18, gathering at the International YMCA Jerusalem at 5:00 PM.
Inviting you to join us this coming Monday, the day when we don't have to imagine how we would like to see Jerusalem - it just happens.
Men and women of faith and belief from all religions and denominations, secularists, activists and more - we will all march together and gather to restore hope.
Gathering at 5:00 PM at the YMCA Jerusalem - where prayers will be offered, we will sing together with Achinoam Nini and more
Waiting to march with you:

הצעדה הבין-דתית בירושלים לזכויות אדם ולשלום 18.5.26 יום שני, 17:00 ימק״א הבינלאומית ירושלים ◀️ שער יפו מוסלמים, יהודים, נוצרים, דרוזים ואחרים - דתיים, חילונים ואקטיביסטים ...

14/05/2026

The Pluralist Podcast - with Orly Erez-LikhovskiRabbi Josh Weinberg
Jerusalem Day is supposed to celebrate the unity of Jerusalem. But what is the reality of the city in 2026?

In this episode of The Pluralist Podcast, Orly Erez-Likhovski and Rabbi Josh Weinberg sit down with Haaretz Jerusalem correspondent Nir Hasson for an honest and deeply important conversation about the realities shaping Jerusalem today: the growing extremism surrounding the Flag March, the unequal realities between East and West Jerusalem, the changing demographics of the city, and the surprising places where coexistence and shared life still exist.

Drawing on years of reporting — and after covering the devastation of Gaza throughout the war — Nir reflects on why Jerusalem remains both one of the most painful and one of the most hopeful places in Israel.

Together, they discuss:
• Why Jerusalem Day has become so controversial
• The reality of life in East Jerusalem for Palestinians
• The rise of racism and violence during Jerusalem Day’s Flag March
• The growing “Israelization” and shared daily life between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem
• The changing character of Jerusalem and tensions inside Jewish society itself
• Why Nir still finds hope in Jerusalem despite everything

The Pluralist Podcast: From Both Sides of the Ocean is hosted by Orly Erez-Likhovski, Executive Director of IRAC, and Rabbi Josh Weinberg, Vice President for Israel and Reform Zionism at the URJ and Executive Director of ARZA.

14/05/2026

Orly Erez-Likhovski talks about how the power of the flower march can overcome the power of the violence of the flag march...

14/05/2026

The flower march is about flower power in opposition to the power of violence. That is what IRAC stands for and what we marched for today!

12/05/2026

Orly Erez-Likhovski invites you to join us for the Interfaith March fir Human Rights and Peace.

May 18,gathering at YMCA at 5 PM.

Details and Registration: https://www.interfaithhumanrights.com