Guards at Western Wall search worshippers for prayer shawls after women wearing them try to enter

(15 Dec 2012) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of Western Wall
2. Pan of members of group called Women of the Wall praying at Western Wall
3. Mid of Israeli police officers watching from a lookout Women of the Wall praying
4. Wide of members of Women of the Wall praying
5. Various of woman wearing skullcaps (traditionally only worn by men) praying at Western Wall
6. Mid of Israeli police officer taking away woman
7. Various of police officers taking away women
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Shulamit Magnus, founding member of Women of the Wall:
"In the beginning we were attacked physically, you know; that has stopped but our basic right to go is being impeded as we speak. And they are turning this into a political issue and it's not, they are making it one, we just want to doven (= Yiddish word for pray). If they would ignore us, we would just go about our business and that would be it. And they turn it into this absurd issue, and as you well know, there is no halachic (referring to Jewish law) basis to stop us. This all political and absurd."
9. Pan of woman taken away by Israeli police officer
10. Various of Israeli police officers stopping women at entrance of Western Wall, confiscating shawls
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Laura Geller, a rabbi at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills in Los Angeles, US:
"There is no need for this, it could happen, it will be over and it wouldn't necessarily interfere with other people's religious experience. ?The Wall needs to be big enough for us to find a way to share it, as it means so much to all of us."
12. Wide of men praying at Western Wall
13. Wide of fence dividing women's and men's section at Western Wall
14. SOUNDBITE (Hebrew) ?Shmuel Rabinowitz, ?Western Wall rabbi:
"?We try to follow the customs that our grandfathers did. What was done 100 years ago, 200 years ago, and we try to keep extremism away."
15. Various of Women of the Wall dancing and singing at Western Wall
STORYLINE
In addition to searching people for weapons, security guards at the Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray, were on Friday preventing women from entering wearing prayer shawls.
The shawls are ubiquitous at the holy site but under Orthodox Jewish tradition are only to be worn by men.
When members of a group called Women of the Wall attempted on Friday to enter the area wearing shawls, their multicoloured garments were confiscated.
Women of the Wall is an Israel-based group who want women to have the right to pray at the Western Wall in the same way as men can, specifically to be able to wear a prayer shawl, a skullcap and phylacteries (small black leather boxes bearing religious script), as well as to be allowed to read the Torah collectively and out loud.
The women hold a monthly gathering at the Western Wall, at which they attempt to wear or smuggle in prayer shawls to wear.
Members of the group have endured arrests, heckling and legal battles in their 25 year battle to attain what they say are their inalienable rights, to pray and worship at the Western Wall wearing garb which, according to Israel's predominantly Orthodox Jewish tradition, only men can wear.
"In the beginning we were attacked physically, you know, that has stopped but our basic right to go is being impeded as we speak," said Shulamit Magnus, a founding member of Women of the Wall, as fellow members were being taken away by police on Friday.
Liberal Reform Judaism, which is marginal in Israel but which is the largest denomination in the US, allows women to be ordained as rabbis, read from the Torah, the Jewish holy book, and wear prayer shawls.
"There is no need for this," Geller said.
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