THE EXISTENTIAL THREAT IS INTERNAL:

The ultra-Orthodox have the democratic right to keep disagreeing with the non-Orthodox movements' customs. But they do not have the right to use their political power and the state's laws to exclude these movements. Democracy requires that adherents of the non-Orthodox movements be allowed to follow their customs too, and the members of these movements deserve praise for choosing not to insist on their right to do so in the Western Wall plaza and agreeing to compromise on the Wall's southern section.

From a national standpoint, it will also be very bad for the Jewish State -- which is supposed to be a home for all members of the Jewish people -- to exclude major Jewish groups that comprise the vast majority of American Jewry. It is wrong in principle, and it is also a blatant practical error.

At a time when the State of Israel is being attacked by much of the international community, causing possible offense to the steadfast support of American Jewry is a kind of national suicide.

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