Israel has suspended plans for a mix-gender prayer area at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Reform Jews wanted the changes to go into effect, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sided with Orthodox Jews in halting the implementation of the plan. “Today's decision signifies a retreat from that agreement and will make our work to bring Israel and the Jewish world together increasingly more difficult,” said Natan Sharansky, the chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel. The prayer spaces at the wall have been separated by gender for centuries.
