At the Western (or Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem, men and women soon will be allowed to worship together in a designated space. In addition, at the wall, women will be allowed to lead prayers and wear religious clothing traditionally meant for men.
The new rules were approved by the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, in January. Construction of the special section was expected to take two to three months. (Separation of the sexes is not practiced at other public sites in Israel, though some bus lines are segregated.)
Previously at the Western Wall, men and women were forced to pray out of sight of each other. According to the beliefs of Orthodox Judaism, men and women are not to worship together and women may not lead prayers.
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