Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, rov of the Kosel and mekomos hakedoshim, has called on the Israeli Home Front Command to reconsider current restrictions limiting access for mispallelim at the Kosel following a recent High Court ruling regarding public gatherings.

In a letter addressed to Home Front Command chief Major General Shay Klapper, Rav Rabinowitz requested a reassessment of the guidelines governing entry to the Kosel plaza.

At the opening of his letter, Rav Rabinowitz expressed appreciation for the work of the Home Front Command, writing: “At the outset, I would like to express deep appreciation for your dedicated work and that of your personnel. The responsibility for protecting the home front and safeguarding every individual is a sacred mission, and on behalf of the entire Jewish people, I thank you for the devotion and professionalism that saves lives each and every day.”

He went on to reference the High Court ruling that directed authorities to allow large-scale gatherings for protests and demonstrations, while restrictions at holy sites—including the Kosel—have remained unchanged.

“I cannot understand why the right to protest is perceived as more important or more urgent than the right to pray,” Rav Rabinowitz wrote. “The Kosel is the beating heart of the Jewish people. Especially now, when our soldiers are fighting with great courage and under significant danger, the public needs to come to the holiest place that remains to us since the destruction of the Temple.”

Rav Rabinowitz argued that if the current security situation permits large public gatherings elsewhere, it should also allow for tefillah at the Kosel. “If the security reality allows hundreds of people to gather in public squares for protest, then all the more so Jews should be allowed to gather at the Kosel plaza!”

In closing, he called on authorities to revisit the restrictions and enable access for those wishing to daven, stating: “I ask that the guidelines be reexamined and that the faithful public be allowed to come to the Kosel and pray for the peace of our people, our land, and our soldiers, at least under the same conditions in which other gatherings are permitted. And even more so. Especially in these days, we must not forgo prayer, the source of strength and hope for all of us.”

{Matzav.com}