Court Allows Yom Kippur Prayers Amid Tensions

The Israeli High Court ruled in favor of the Orthodox outreach group Rosh Yehudi, allowing gender-separated Yom Kippur prayers in Tel Aviv's Meir Park, despite opposition from the Tel Aviv Municipality, which cited a municipal ordinance against public gender separation. The court criticized the municipality's stance as discriminatory toward Orthodox worshipers, as it allows non-Orthodox mixed-gender prayers in public spaces. Despite the legal victory, Rosh Yehudi canceled the event due to concerns about potential provocations and chose to pray in a synagogue instead. The decision follows previous tensions, including confrontations at Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square last year over similar issues. The municipality's rejection of a Supreme Court compromise to hold the prayer in Meir Park instead of the originally planned Dizengoff Square further highlights the ongoing conflict between religious practices and municipal regulations. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid has urged the liberal public to avoid confrontation and ignore instigators of these gender-separated prayers.