Yedioth Ahronoth Journalist Responds to Train Prayer Controversy: "It Breaks My Heart"

Following the harsh comments written about the worshippers on Israel Railways by someone who presented herself as 'The Righteous One' — hundreds of anti-comments were received on social media. 'The Righteous One' posted a photo showing worshippers adorned with tefillin in one of the train cars, alongside which she wrote: "A synagogue car to Tel Aviv, what is this? Don’t people have homes? And why, as a woman, am I excluded from an entire space on the train because it was taken over for a 'men's section'?"

Among all the responses received, we also found the remarks of journalist Amichai Etali, who tweeted the following on his Twitter account: "As a Jewish worshipper, I often find myself praying in the prayer car on the train, and this tweet breaks my heart. I believe in Hashem, and I pray to Him. I do so separated by gender because it is the right way for me, and also because it is the tradition of my ancestors for generations."

According to him, he has never encountered the situation she describes, where a woman was expelled or asked to leave the car during prayer. "By the way, a regular part of the worshippers in these cars are working Haredi men. Observant Jews on their way to a law office or a high-tech company. What are you aspiring for? That we not pray on the train in the Jewish state? What’s the point? What are we looking for — all day to open more and more spaces of conflict?", he concluded.