We are responding to your letter last week against the Am Echad efforts (“Save our Kotel,” February 24, 2022). Please understand that everyone is welcome at the Kotel and everyone feels comfortable. It’s only a small group of activists who sadly are manipulating the Kotel as an avenue for their agenda. Anat Hoffman, one of the main founders and leaders of this group, is an avowed atheist and preaches against the sanctity of the Wall. The Kotel’s uniqueness is that it is the main remnant of the Beit Hamikdash where the service was done almost exclusively by men.

Women did pray there, as in the story of prophetess Chana who invented the silent prayer format for Shemoneh Esrei. She spoke from “her heart” in the Mishkan, which was the forerunner of the Beit Hamikdash.

Likewise, women at the Kotel typically pray with more heart than men as is the way of women. The vast majority of women praying at the Wall are extremely disturbed by the handful of activists who publicly and provocatively do masculine mitzvot while they are not particularly religious in other ways.

We did participate in the petition to maintain the status quo at the Wall and hope you will understand. May all our prayers be answered “l’tovah” (for the good).