A woman stripped off her clothes at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Sunday and ran from the women’s section toward the men’s section of the holy site.
The 23-year-old, said to be a resident of the Jerusalem area, was quickly stopped and covered up by security personnel and guards, who then detained her, police said in a statement.
The woman was escorted away from the Western Wall plaza and was questioned by police. She will also be sent for a psychological evaluation.
“She came in clothed and at some stage took off her clothes. She seemed to be determined, as if she wanted to cause a provocation,” a witness told Channel 2.
“People started to scream and cry and when she started moving toward the men’s section she was stopped by force,” the witness said.
In (NSFW) video of the incident, the woman can be seen from behind walking calmly toward the men’s section.
Another woman runs up and tries repeatedly to cover her with a shawl, but she pushes her away, before starting to run.
She makes it into the entrance of the men’s section before she is roughly grabbed by the arms by two men who pull her up to the area where there are public bathrooms and a police station.
All the while, people can be heard yelling, “This is a modest place.”
Police later detained her and said she was taken for a psychological evaluation.
Her parents told police that she suffered from mental health issues, Channel 2 reported.
The Western Wall, part of the retaining walls of the Second Temple compound, is the closest point of prayer for Jews to the site of the Temple itself and thus the Jewish people’s holiest place of prayer.
The young woman who stripped naked in front of the Western Wall Sunday was not seeking to cause an uproar at the popular prayer spot, the woman’s mother claims, adding that the family is horrified by the videos and images of the incident now circulating on the news and social media networks.
On Sunday, the 23-year old woman in question visited the Western Wall in Jerusalem. During her visit, the young woman suddenly began to undress, to the shock of worshippers gathered in the Western Wall Plaza.
“She came in [to the Plaza] fully-dressed,” a witness told Channel 2. “Then at one point she started to undress, acting as if she had a purpose, like she wanted to make a provocation.”
“People started to shout and cry out, and as she headed towards the men’s section, she was stopped by force.”
The young woman walked out of the women’s section and headed towards the men’s section – only to be accosted by plaza security guards, who removed her to a nearby restroom and detained her there until police arrived. Officers covered the young woman up and took her in for questioning and psychological evaluation.
Police say the woman appears to be suffering from a mental disorder.
On Monday, the woman’s mother, while not confirming if her daughter does in fact suffer from mental illness, told Channel 2 that the incident Sunday was not intended as a provocation.
The woman said the family had suffered greatly from the unwanted attention following the incident, and begged news outlets to cease publicizing photos and video clips of their daughter.
“We are begging, please leave us alone, this wasn’t a provocation. I’m asking for the spreading of these images to stop.”