Following the District Court's decision to uphold the Tel Aviv Municipality's position of not approving gender-segregated prayer on Yom Kippur, Deputy Mayor Haim Goren said that the court's decision is very disappointing.
"For two thousand years the religious freedom of Jews has been preserved, and precisely today - in Tel Aviv, the first Jewish city this basic right has been violated. Although this is a bad decision, I will continue to work with all the relevant parties to ensure that the Yom Kippur prayers in Tel Aviv are held in peace and safety, and in accordance with Jewish law and tradition".
The members of the lobby for ultra-Orthodox and religious women also strongly attacked the court's decision, the chairman of the lobby, MK Limor Son Har-Melech, said that "days before Yom Kippur, it is impossible to contain the fact that the court of the State of Israel accepts decisions of exileness. The whole desire of the women in the city of Tel Aviv is to continue our heritage as a people, to continue to preserve the chain of tradition, and to pray as our ancestors, Sarah, Rivka, Rachel, and Leah prayed."
"It is difficult to understand and to hear that in the State of Israel, there are those who try to educate women on how to pray while acting in a distinctly patronizing manner as if only they know what is good and right for women. It is the basic right of every person to live according to his beliefs, and no person is given the right to desecrate this holy place, and certainly it is a holy day like Yom Kippur, and every woman has the right to pray in a way that matches her lifestyle. Unfortunately, there are those who are trying to change the order of the world. This will not succeed."
