The Tel Aviv Police issued an official statement today (Monday) ahead of the upcoming High Holidays, stipulating that all special requests for holding hakafot celebrations and processions on Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles), and so-called “sensitive prayers” must be submitted no later than this coming Thursday.
The notice stressed that requests submitted after this deadline will not be processed.
According to the statement, events must be coordinated with the station’s operations officer. The use of the term “sensitive prayers” in the announcement drew criticism from religious figures in the city.
Community leaders in Tel Aviv told Arutz Sheva: “Mayor Huldai has pushed Tel Aviv to the extreme in silencing the religious public, excluding it from the public sphere, and attempting to take over synagogues while imposing a progressive agenda. It is no wonder that the police call legitimate prayers ‘sensitive prayers.’”
It should be noted that about two weeks ago, following a Supreme Court ruling on public-space prayers, the Tel Aviv Municipality permitted the Rosh Yehudi organization to hold gender-separated prayers in Gan Meir on Yom Kippur. This came after the group refrained from doing so last year in order to avoid confrontations.
The police explained their choice of terminology, stating: “Following incidents and protests in previous years that disrupted prayers in the public domain and disturbed worshippers, the police are preparing in advance to ensure that Tel Aviv residents can pray in public spaces without interference.”