JERUSALEM — MK Gilad Kariv, a reform rabbi, has no qualms about using his immunity to cause controversy and strife at the Kotel, the holiest Jewish site. Kariv continues every Rosh Chodesh to flagrantly violate the Justice Ministry’s rules and regulations at the holy site, which stipulate that no Sifrei Torah can be taken to the women’s section.

A small group of about twenty Women of the Wall arrived at the Kotel as they do every Rosh Chodesh and Kariv utilized his immunity to bring them a Sefer Torah. The Western Wall Foundation’s attendants tried to dissuade Kariv from causing tensions but he insisted on bringing the Sefer Torah despite catcalls and angry gestures from other worshipers.

The Western Wall Foundation said that “we have an extremely complex challenge and invest huge efforts to enable the Rosh Chodesh prayers to continue as usual and we request that all disputes and demonstrations should be removed from the Kotel plaza and it should remain a holy and uniting place.”

Kariv said that he “gave the Women of the Wall a Sefer Torah due to the illegal directive of the Officiator of Holy Sites, Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, who prevents taking Sifrei Torah to the Kotel plaza.

“The Kotel belongs to all of us and not just to Netanyahu, the rabbi of the Kotel and the chareidi parties who derailed the historic compromise deal. The prayer service this morning reminds us that most of the Israeli public opposes the attempt to legislate a monopoly of the Chief Rabbinate over Kotel prayers, ” Kariv added.

As reported by VINnews