Left-wing protesters prevented a Yom Kippur prayer service with separate seating for men sand women Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv.
The organizers of the prayer tried to use Israeli flags as a partition after the court accepted the municipality's position that gender segregation in prayer in a public space should be prohibited.
Residents who arrived at the place confronted the worshipers, destroyed the partition, and removed the chairs that the organizers had placed.
The prayer was eventually stopped and moved to a side street, and one of the demonstrators was detained for questioning. A group of protesters demonstrated outside the police station where the protester was being questioned.
Just before the blowing of the shofar at the end of the holiday, the head of the Rosh Yehudi organization, Yisrael Ze'ira, took the stage and said that he forgives the handful who prevented the prayer and that he only acts out of a desire for unity.
Prime Minister Netanyahu commented: "The people of Israel sought to unite on Yom Kippur by asking for forgiveness, repentance, and unity within us. To our astonishment, precisely in the Jewish state, on the holiest day for the Jewish people, left-wing demonstrators rioted against Jews during their prayer. It seems that there are no borders, no norms and no boundaries for hatred on the part of the extremists on the left. I, like the majority of Israeli citizens, reject this. Such violent behavior has no place among us."
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai responded to the incident: "Unfortunately, last night, religious and messianic extremists decided to trample on the court's decision and established a partition between men and women at the Yom Kippur Eve prayer."
"A crowd of protestors and residents of the city, prevented the prayer in Dizengoff Square from taking place in its illegal form. Since the Yom Kippur War, 50 years, I have not been called during the holiday. I want to make it clear - I will not let the character of our city change! In Tel Aviv-Yafo, there is no place for gender segregation and exclusion in the public space."
Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir wrote "On this Yom Kippur we saw haters who are trying to expel Judaism from the public sphere. Israel is a Jewish country, and a democratic one. Next Thursday I will hold an evening prayer in the square, the public is invited!".
Opposition Chairman Yair Lapid published a post on Facebook at the end of the holiday in which he wrote: "It's a shame that in God's name Yom Kippur was spoiled. For years I have given Yom Kippur as an example that Judaism does not need to be enforced. It becomes ours only when we consider each other. Until this year. Until the haredi core that came to the neighborhood decided to bring the war to us as well. They insist on gender segregation outside as well. They make sure to explain to us that there is only one version of Judaism, their version."
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