6 steps in response spur criticism

• Families and experts have criticized Malaysia's handling of investigation


• The latest example is shift in sign-off language from cockpit


• The frequent shifts call the investigation's credibility into question, analyst says


• Officials have been "speaking off the hymn sheet," one analyst says

(CNN) -- Malaysian officials coordinating the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 have been battered by criticism that they have mishandled the investigation into the plane's fate and the public response to the crisis.

Communication issues hurt plane search?

Here's a look at some of the notable issues raised by critics:

Malaysian military radar captured signatures of a plane that is believed to have been Flight 370, but it wasn't immediately noticed.

The radar signatures offered evidence that the flight had turned west after its last contact with air traffic controllers, and that contact was lost over the Strait of Malacca. But radar operators did not see it in real time, meaning an opportunity to track the plane while it was in flight may have been lost. While the radar data was the key reason for expanding the search west of Malaysia, it took officials until March 11 -- three days after the disappearance -- to explain why they were looking so far off the plane's expected course. All the while, search efforts continued in places where data showed it could not have been -- the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea.

What were the final words from MH370?

Sources call MH370 turn a 'criminal act'

Early briefings seemed chaotic; it was unclear who was in charge.

"Well, I think they didn't have a proper plan in place for such an accident like this," aviation analyst Alastair Rosenschein told CNN's Isa Soares. "They were speaking off the hymn sheet, if you like, and they were making things up as they went along. And they said things, and then they withdrew them without actually saying they withdrew them."

Early on, an official inaccurately described two men traveling on stolen passports as resembling a black Italian soccer player.

"Do you know of a footballer by the name of Batolli?" Malaysian Civil Aviation Director Azharuddin Abdul Rahman asked reporters at an early briefing. "He's an Italian. Do you know how he looks like? Battoli, Battoli, Balloteli, Balloteli."

He was trying, in a roundabout way, to say the men were black, like Italian soccer player Mario Ballotelli. The men turned out to be Iranians seeking asylum, according to investigators. They are not believed to have had any links to terror.

From "none of those on board survived" to "hoping against hope"

On March 24, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the plane's flight had "ended" in the southern Indian Ocean. Not long before that, Malaysia Airlines sent a text messages to some relatives, telling them that "beyond any reasonable doubt ... none of those on board survived."

But on Saturday -- after family members had angrily blasted the conclusion as premature and lacking hard evidence -- acting Minister of Transport Hishammuddin Hussein told reporters that he had not entirely given up hope of finding survivors.

"Even hoping against hope, no matter how remote, of course, we are praying and we will continue our search for the possible survivors," he said.

On Monday, Hishammuddin further seemed to further walk back the account offered by the government-owned airline, noting Najib's carefully worded statement that did not mention a crash or a lack of survivors.

A glaring error emerges in the last words from the cockpit

On March 17, Malaysian authorities publicly confirmed the final words from the cockpit as "all right, good night."

The innocuous bit of radio banter became yet another headache for investigators when, after days of prodding from reporters and family members, they released a transcript showing the final words were actually, "Good night Malaysian three seven zero."

It's not that the new language was suspect -- it's not. It's that Malaysian officials got the original wording wrong, let it stand for nearly two weeks, and then -- after saying they wouldn't release the transcript because of its role in the investigation -- suddenly reversed course.

"Now it's just one thing, one day it's the next. It's truly kind of an amazing roller coaster ride," said CNN aviation analyst Mary Schiavo. "That would be bad enough just for a civil aviation investigation and a criminal investigation, according to Malaysia. But there are 239 families involved. So high criticism is in order at this point."

She says the shifts call the investigation's credibility into question.

Confusion over who spoke those words

Initially, officials indicated that it appeared it was co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid who was speaking to controllers. But on Monday, they seemed to waver on that claim.

Previously, Malaysia Airlines had stated initial investigations indicated that the voice which signed off was that of the co-pilot," Hishammuddin said in a written statement. "The police are working to confirm this belief, and forensic examination of the actual recording is ongoing."

Switching search zones delayed

On Friday, the search area in the Indian Ocean suddenly shifted more than 600 miles northeast after authorities announced further refinement of radar and satellite data had showed the plane couldn't have flown as far south as previously thought.

But the Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous people familiar with the matter, reported Monday night that "lapses in coordination among countries and companies" led to a three-day delay in making that move.

What happened? Andy Pasztor, one of the reporters who wrote the story, said it boiled down to poor coordination between two parts of the investigation: One dealt with satellite data, and the other with fuel consumption and aircraft performance.

"And so what we're left with is sort of a three-day gap where it's clear that folks were definitely looking in the wrong place," he said.

The tools used in the search

CNN's Jim Clancy and Mitra Mobasherat contributed to this report

Godzilla vs. Hello Kitty at SFO

Japanese Toys! From Kokeshi to Kaiju is the the most popular exhibit ever at San Francisco International Airport's in-house museum. Its run has recently been extended through mid-May.

Japanese toys makers began producing tinplate toys around 1914, modeling the first after their German counterparts. Many early Japanese tin toys were made with rejected tin from canning plants, which is why the interiors of some toys are printed with brand labels.

After World War II, Japanese toy makers were the first to replace wind-up mechanisms and friction-driven mechanical toys with mini-electric motors powered by batteries. From the mid-1940s to 1960s, nearly 90% of battery-operated toys were produced in Japan, most destined for Western markets.

In 1966, Tatsuo Yoshida published the manga "Mach Go Go Go." Gô Mifune, the show's teenage star, aspires to be the world's top race car champion. In 1967, "Mach Go Go Go" was syndicated for TV in the United States and retitled "Speed Racer."

Karuta cards were used to play a traditional game. In one version, a person reads a poem or well-known proverb. The first player who identifies the card with the corresponding character wins the card.

The exhibit features a dress made entirely of Hello Kitty dolls. Hello Kitty celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2014.

Ultraman has many super powers: he flies, shoots spacium rays to ward off attackers and fires rings from his hand that can slice opponents in half. Despite these powers, many of his battles with various monsters involve a fair bit of old fashioned wrestling.

Debuting in 1966, the television series "Ultrama"n featured a cornucopia of colorful kaiju (monsters). Red King made two appearances in the series. He can easily tear the limbs off of other monsters and is strong enough to lift large boulders.

"Kamen Rider" debuted on television in 1971 and has evolved into yet another Japanese franchise with fans around the world.

Astro Boy captures the attention of an SFO Terminal 3 traveler. Museum exhibits are becoming the norm at many U.S. airports, but San Francisco's is the only one accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

• Current exhibition at the SFO Museum at San Francisco International Airport features Japanese toys


• "Seen through the lens of social media, this exhibit is our most popular to date," says museum


• SFO Museum is the only airport museum accredited by the American Alliance of Museums

(CNN) -- What's the best thing you could stumble upon when transiting through a major international airport?

A Cinnabon passing out free samples?

A security checkpoint with no line?

Not bad choices, but for unexpected pleasure they hardly measure up to a dress made entirely of Hello Kitty dolls or a Kamen Rider escorting your humdrum slog to the departure gate.

Those last two items are part of Japanese Toys! From Kokeshi to Kaiju, the current exhibition at the SFO Museum inside Terminal 3 at San Francisco International Airport.

MORE: Cinnabon, MOS Burger and other best franchises for travelers

Debuting in November 2013, the exhibit has become such a success -- the most popular exhibit ever for the museum -- that its run has recently been extended through mid-May.

"Travelers love it. Many people have really been caught by surprise as they walk through the terminal and see the colorful kaleidoscope of Japanese toys," says Nicole Mullen, curator of exhibitions at SFO Museum.

Kokeshi dolls are characterized by lack of arms and legs and brightly painted floral or geometric designs.

Atomic dragon meets world-conquering cat

With dozens of colorful items, the exhibit presents the evolution of Japanese toys, from kokeshi (wooden dolls dating at least to the 1800s) to Godzilla to everyone's favorite mouthless cat.

Popular items also include vinyl kaiju (monster) figures and novelties from the futuristic TV series "Ultraman," which premiered in 1966.

"For a show such as this one, some people will have a memory of a particular character from their childhood, such as Hello Kitty or Godzilla, that they get particularly excited about," says Mullen.

MORE: Inside Toyota Kaikan, world's most fascinating factory tour

The toys supply a window into Japanese customs, legends and history.

Early Japanese folk toys were made by local craftsmen.

After Japan opened to the West, however, toys that emulated their German and American counterparts began to emerge, such as classic wind-up and battery-operated toys.

The thriving Japanese movie, television and manga industries that followed World War II spawned a legion of iconic characters.

According to Megan Callan, assistant curator of museum affairs for SFO Museum, more than 4.6 million passengers have walked through SFO Terminal 3 since the exhibit premiered.

"Seen through the lens of social media, this exhibit is our most popular to date, with daily references through sites like Twitter and Instagram," says Callan.

The museum has created the hashtag #JapaneseToys.

MORE: America's 11 new sandwich heroes

From the mid-1940s to 1960s, nearly 90% of the world's battery-operated toys were produced in Japan.

Airport museums thriving

Exhibits of art and cultural pieces are becoming the norm at many U.S. airports, with some 20 or more airports regularly hosting exhibits.

San Diego International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport are noteworthy among airport exhibit aficionados.

But SFO Museum is the only one accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

Since opening in 1980, SFO Museum has grown from one gallery space to more than 20 galleries hosting 40 exhibits each year.

Dewey Blanton of the American Alliance of Museums calls SFO Museum the "most ambitious one" among all airports with exhibition programs.

"The great works of art the San Francisco Airport museum showcases send the message to visitors and travelers that San Francisco is a center of culture, they value culture and art," says Blanton. "This is a very educated and sophisticated city you are coming to."

MORE: 13 scary but awesome viewing platforms

For non-travelers, one chance to see it

For those not traveling through SFO before the Japanese toys exhibit closes in mid-May, the Japan Society of Northern California is organizing a panel discussion and guided tour on April 22.

Registration is open to anyone -- for non-travelers, the tour is the only chance see the toys in person.

Among other speakers, toy collector Mark Nagata will talk about the history of Japanese toys and their influence on contemporary culture.

Japanese Toys! From Kokeshi to Kaiju ; on display in SFO Terminal 3 until mid-May.

Exhibition tour registration here ; April 22; 6-9 p.m.; registration deadline 11:59 p.m., April 14; advance registration required, no walk-ins permitted due to security restrictions.

11 across: A380's new seating

Like many other airlines, Lufthansa's Airbus A380 economy-class formation has 10 seats per row. The plane's manufacturer says that next week it will unveil a more neighborly 11-seat-row economy-class configuration.

The proposed new seating plans are unlikely to affect the A380's business-class passengers.

Airbus says the blocks of five seats could actually prove popular with families. (Because kids are so good at sharing tight spaces with their siblings for hours at a time.)

The A380 is the world's largest passenger plane, capable of carrying more than 600 passengers. Even with all extra seats filled, the plane still wouldn't be carrying its full load capacity, Airbus says.

• Airbus says it will unveil new economy class seating configuration that puts 11 seats in a row of its A380 superjumbo


• Extra seats will be added by partially raising the floor of the cabin to maximize fuselage width


• Analyst says extra seats show economic realities have caught up with luxury plans for the huge aircraft

(CNN) -- It's already capable of carrying more passengers than any other commercial aircraft, but the Airbus A380 could be about to squeeze in a few extra.

In a move that adds a dose of economic reality to airline dreams of luxuriously pimped superjumbos, the plane's manufacturer says that next week it will unveil a new 11-seat-row economy-class configuration.

By raising the three seats next to each window a few inches to take advantage of extra fuselage space, Airbus says it will create enough room to accommodate five people in the middle of the plane.

While the prospect of spending a long haul flight stuck in the middle seat might be unappealing for passengers, Airbus says it makes sense for airline revenues.

Experts say sales of the A380 have been disappointing since it was launched in 2007.

"Several customers are saying they are interested in looking at ways of making the aircraft more productive," Airbus spokesman Justin Dubon tells CNN.

Murdo Morrison, editor of Flightglobal magazine, says the new configuration indicates that financial realities are catching up with airlines, which once promised to fill their A380s with casinos and double beds.

He says sales of the European manufacturer's flagship have been disappointing since the plane was launched in October 2007.

"With the price of fuel going up so much, the focus for airlines is economizing and trying to get as many passengers as possible into an aircraft," he tells CNN.

Raised capacity

Dubon says the extra seats, which won't compromise on the existing 18-inch width of current chairs, would raise economy-class capacity by 7%.

This would mean 30 more seats in a standard cabin layout, but even when full would put the A380 well short of its maximum load capacity.

"The middle seats will be the last ones filled," he says, adding that the center seats could prove popular with families.

Airbus declined to reveal which airlines were pushing for increased capacity, but says 11-seat mockups will go on display at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, Germany, from April 8-10.

Airbus says it's been approached by airlines looking for ways to make the A380 more cost effective.

Morrison says that while few passengers will rush to claim the center seats, there will be no significant increase in discomfort.

"The drawback of any five-seat block is, if you are in the middle, you've always got two people to climb over, but you've already got that if you're in the window seat of a block of three," he says.

"Ultimately it is the airline's decision -- they have to get the balance between adding seat capacity and what the passengers will put up with.

"If you pack in too many it becomes claustrophobic and that could have a detrimental affect on the airline."

Sonic wonders of the world

British acoustic engineer Trevor Cox has toured the world for its best sounds. Here are some favorites, starting with singing sand dunes in California's Mojave Desert. When slid on, peculiarities in the sand produce deep parping sounds resembling propeller aircraft or sousaphone accidents. Hear it here.

Bearded seals "don't really sound like animals, they sound like UFOs coming in to land -- they make this extraordinary noise that lasts about a minute," says Trevor Cox. Hear them here.

Clap your hands in front of this 1,100-year-old structure and you'll hear an echo not unlike the sacred quetzal bird. Hear it here.

Iceland's volcanic landscape is a raging source of unusual sounds, and noxious fumes. Hear Hverir's bubbling mud pots here.

The world's longest echo -- 75 seconds -- has been heard in a vast, empty World War II oil tank built into a Scottish hillside near the town of Invergordon. Hear it here.

When cars drive over a series of grooves gouged into a stretch of the westbound Avenue G in Lancaster, California, the "William Tell Overture" -- also known as the "Lone Ranger" theme -- starts to play. Hear it here.

• British acoustic engineer Trevor Cox gathered sounds from the world for "The Sound Book"


• Sliding down certain sand dunes can produce sounds like a propeller plane


• Cox has recorded sounds from Temple of Kukulcan in Mexico to bubbling mud pots in Iceland

(CNN) -- Modern travel is an intensely visual experience.

We feast our eyes on glossy guidebooks before bombarding Facebook and Instagram with our oh-so stylish shots of footprints on empty beaches, stunning sunsets and that weird thing we found in the pool.

But in our efforts to soak up the sights and stuff our hard drives with selfies, we may be neglecting another vital element of the travel experience -- sound.

That's the worry of Trevor Cox, a British acoustic engineer who, armed with a microphone and digital recorder, has spent several years earwigging his way around the planet in search of what he calls its "sonic wonders."

"We're used to going on our travels and looking out for beautiful vistas and wonderful architecture, but we tend not to think about the sound," says Cox, who was struck by the notion of exploring a wider world of sound while investigating echoes in, of all places, a London sewer.

"So then I began to think about where I would go if you wanted listen to the most remarkable sounds in the world and I was surprised to find there was relatively little information," he tells CNN. "That's when I thought I should gather it myself."

More: Big thrills -- 50 ways to be a daredevil

Cox has documented his adventures in audio in the newly published "The Sound Book" (released as "Sonic Wonderland" in the UK) -- a fascinating journey which, over several years, takes him from scorching desert sands to slimy subterranean chambers.

He also runs a website aimed at encouraging others to explore sonic wonders and engage in "sound tourism," and points out that since most travelers carry cell phones, they're already equipped with powerful recording devices.

"It's all about making yourself aware and thinking as you wander around about what you are going to catch -- but all you really need to do is listen."

It's about time to make some noise about sound tourism.

With the aid of Cox, we've compiled a list of the world's best sonic destinations.

Singing sands (California)

Where: Kelso Dunes in California's Mojave Desert

What: When in contact with sliding humans, peculiarities in the sand produce deep parping sounds resembling propeller aircraft or sousaphone accidents.

Cox says: "This one was always high on my bucket list. You need the right sort of dune with the right size sand grains. When you scoot down on your backside you get this weird droning."

Stay: Hotel Nipton. Rustic but charming establishment that offers rooms with shared bathrooms and eco-lodges. 107355 Nipton Road, Nipton; +1 760 856 2335

Hear the sands

Bearded singing seals (Norway)

Where: Svalbard, a bleak Norwegian archipelago of ice-capped mountains and fierce polar bears way out in the Arctic Ocean

What: Mind-bending, sub-aquatic sci-fi effects produced by hairy-faced sea mammals to woo their mates -- a soundscape worryingly similar to the tinnitus hangover of a Motorhead gig.

MORE: 49 journeys that'll change your life

Cox says: "They don't really sound like animals, they sound like UFOs coming in to land -- they make this extraordinary noise that lasts about a minute."

Stay: Polar Hotel. Efficient chain hotel with spectacular fjord views and even more spectacular prices (this is Norway). Longyearbyen 9171, Spitsbergen; +47 79 02 34 50

Hear the seals

Next best thing to hearing the quetzal bird itself.

Chirping Mayan pyramid (Mexico)

Where: Temple of Kukulcan, Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico

What: Clap your hands in front of this 1,100-year-old structure and you'll hear an echo not unlike the sacred quetzal bird.

Only disturbing if you've seen the 2008 film "The Ruins," in which sound-mimicking vines devour feckless tourists atop a Mayan pyramid.

Cox says: In his book, Cox asks whether the echo was a Mayan design reflecting sophisticated acoustic knowledge: "Imagine an ancient Mayan priest presiding over a ceremony and, with great theatricality, summoning the sound of the quetzal bird by clapping his hands."

Stay: If you want to avoid staying with the crowds in Chichen Itza, the Yucatan's culturally lively capital of Merida is just down the road. The Villa Merida is a tranquil converted colonial mansion set around an airy courtyard. Merida-Uman, Merida; +52 999 928-8466

Hear the pyramid

Gong rocks (Tanzania)

Where: Moru Kopjes, Serengeti National Nark, Tanzania -- and other sites across Africa

What: Not a prog rock group, but one of several eons-old boulders that produce mellow notes when whacked with smaller stones.

Tonally, their range can be a bit on the monotonous side, but the fact that it probably resonates back to the dawn of civilization helps raise neck hairs.

MORE: Doh! 20 biggest travel mistakes

Cox says: "Among the earliest evidence we have of what our ancestors might have listened to is left over bits of musical instruments like these rock gongs."

Stay: You'll need pockets big enough to hold a gong rock to afford to stay in the swanky safari camps of the southern serengeti. Asanja Africa (+255 78 822 1440) is typically luxurious.

Hear the rocks

Whispering gallery (India)

Where: Gol Gumbaz mausoleum, in Bijapur, a town in southwestern India's Karnataka state

What: This majestic, rose-domed structure built in the 1600s features one of the best examples of a whispering gallery -- an elevated architectural echo chamber that seems to sample human voices and loop them repetitively in the style of a 1960s horror flick.

Hugely entertaining.

Cox says: In "The Sound Book," Cox writes: "With children enjoying yelling and listening as their voices repeat over and over again, the atmosphere is like a crowded day at the swimming pool."

Stay: Humdrum hotels abound in Bijapur, but head south and you'll find Badami. The Krishna Heritage looks like a retirement village but pulls in good reviews. Ramdurg Road, Badami; +91 99 01 91 21 27

Hear the gallery

Iceland's volcanic landscape -- source of unusual sounds and noxious fumes.

Bubbling mud pots (Iceland)

Where: Hverir, Namafjall, northern Iceland

What: A sulfurous volcanic landscape where noxious gas belches forth from roiling cauldrons of primordial gunge with the fury of a waterfall.

MORE: Gallery: Extreme Iceland by daredevil photographer

Cox says: "Tumultuous pools of battleship-gray mud bubble at a low simmer," Cox writes in his book. "They seem almost alive; some belch like a thick, gloppy lentil soup while others rage and splatter like an unappetizing gruel on a fast boil."

Stay: Cape Hotel (Laugarbrekka 16, 640 Husavík; +354 463 3399) is in the tiny fishing town of Husavik. Here you can also pay a visit local museums dedicated to Icelandic history, whales and, of course, penises.

Hear the mud pots

World's longest reverberations (Scotland)

Where: Inchindown oil storage complex/Glasgow's Hamilton mausoleum -- Scotland

What: Cox crawled down slippery pipes to access a vast, empty World War II oil tank built into a Scottish hillside near the town of Invergordon to measure the reverberations within.

Using a starting gun (and a saxophone), he pegged them at a record-breaking 75 seconds.

Sadly, since Inchindown is rarely open to the public, sonic tourists will have to make do with a trip to the previous Guinness record holder, also in Scotland. The grand Hamilton Mausoleum, just outside Glasgow, clocks in at 15 seconds.

Stay: Classy B&B action at 15 Glasgow, in the middle of Scotland's vibrant second city. 15 Woodside Place, Glasgow; +44 141 332 12 63

Hear the Inchindown oil tank echo

How many miles would you drive for 30 seconds of bad song?

Musical road (California)

Where: Avenue G, Lancaster, California

What: A series of grooves gouged into the pavement renders a stretch of the westbound roadway into an instrument that plays the "William Tell Overture" -- also known as the "Lone Ranger" theme -- when vehicles drive over it.

The rhythm is recognizable, but the tune sounds like someone gargling with water in an adjacent room.

Cox says: "It is a very bad rendition of the 'William Tell Overture' -- but it makes you laugh."

Stay: Overnight stays are only for fans of underwhelming chain hotels or tired motels.

Keep driving and you'll hit California's I-5 highway for a drive north for stellar scenery and, you never know, some amazing sounds.

Hear the musical road

Pray for peace, not settlements

Daily life in Jerusalem: A boy plays with a soccer ball in front of the Dome of the Rock. It's one of several key religious sites, all contained within a tiny area, making anyone's first visit to the Old City unforgettable.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews look out over the Dome of the Rock. Israel took control of the eastern part of the ancient city in 1967 and considers Jerusalem its capital, but the international community doesn't recognize its claim of sovereignty over East Jerusalem. Palestinians maintain that the eastern part of Jerusalem should serve as the capital of a future Palestinian state.

A man sticks a note into the Western Wall. This is part of the original Jewish temple complex in the Old City.

People look at the Isaiah Scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls, in the vault of the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum. With more than 200 museums, Israel has the highest number of museums per capita in the world. Here is a list of 10 of the best.

Christian pilgrims hold a wooden cross as they take part in the Good Friday procession along the Via Dolorosa. The Via Dolorosa leads to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where Christian tradition says Jesus was crucified and buried.

Jewish men attend the Kohanim prayer, or priest's blessing, for Passover in April 2011. The city has its own medical condition, Jerusalem Syndrome. About 100 tourists each year succumb to the psychiatric disorder linked to the city's atmosphere of intensity.

In among the holy sites, daily life roars on: Souks crowd the narrow, stone-flagged alleyways; children go to school; libraries jostle with restaurants. Here, a soldier buys candy at the Mahane Yehuda Market.

Children play in a fountain at a park in Jerusalem.

Israeli police stand guard as Palestinian Muslims perform Friday prayers outside Jerusalem's Old City. Palestinians are mostly Arab and chiefly Muslim, but there are substantial minorities of Palestinian Christians and others.

Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock are seen in March 2010.

A child walks through a gap in the concrete blocks of a security wall in the West Bank village of Eizariya, east of Jerusalem, in 2003. Take a walking tour of East Jerusalem or a pilgrimage to the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, and you'll run into Israel's infamous security barrier.

A Palestinian woman and a teenager collect laundry in their home as ultra-Orthodox Jews attend a funeral in 2010.

Worshipers gather in the rotunda of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the eve of Easter Sunday in April 2011.

Tombs sit covered in snow at the Jewish cemetery at the Mount of Olives. There are spectacular views at the summit.

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• Prayer space at Western Wall may become politicized, Rabbi Jill Jacobs writes


• She says a portion open to both men and women is being ceded to a settler group


• Jacobs says people who want to pray together don't want to be endorsing settlers


• She says Israeli authorities, North American Jews should oppose the move

Editor's note: Rabbi Jill Jacobs is the executive director of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, an organization of rabbis that advocates for human rights, and the author, most recently, of "Where Justice Dwells: A Hands-on Guide to Doing Social Justice in Your Jewish Community." The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) -- In January, I brought my 4-year-old daughter to Robinson's Arch, the section of Jerusalem's Western Wall reserved for egalitarian prayer without gender segregation. My husband and I, both Conservative rabbis, explained to her that this sacred space once formed part of the ancient Temple compound, and we helped her to place a folded-up prayer note in the cracks between the stones.

It was a sweet moment and one made possible by lengthy negotiations between the Israeli government and the Reform and Conservative denominations of Judaism, as well as the women's prayer group known as Women of the Wall.

While the Orthodox authorities who govern the main plaza of the Wall mandate gender segregation, the agreement to create an enhanced prayer space at Robinson's Arch allows Jews of all denominations to pray at the Western Wall without compromising our egalitarian beliefs.

But at the end of February, the Jerusalem District Court approved an agreement between two government subsidiaries to transfer management of Robinson's Arch to an organization of religious right-wing settlers, Elad, posing a new threat to the ability of liberal Jews to pray at this site without checking our values at the door.

Today, the Jerusalem district court will hear a complaint by the Israeli Attorney General's Office that the Housing Ministry organized the transfer without authorization. North American Jews must join in this opposition.

Elad exists in order to move Jewish settlers into Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, so as to establish facts on the ground that will obstruct any peace agreement.

For this, Elad raises $6 million a year from American Jews. This money funds legal maneuvers to evict Palestinian families from their homes and the establishment of Jewish settlement compound in Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. Elad also manages the City of David archaeological site in East Jerusalem. Leading Israeli archaeologists have complained about the use of this site for ideological propaganda tourism. There is little question that if Elad takes over the archaeological park connected to Robinson's Arch, per the current agreement, our prayer space will similarly be used as a settler propaganda mill.

I recently visited Silwan, the neighborhood that has suffered the most from Elad's activities. New fortresses, with Israeli flags flapping over barbed wire barriers, now tower over the humble homes of longtime Arab residents. Armed guards accompany the settlers wherever they go.

Those who argue that Jews must be permitted to move into any area of Jerusalem must understand: This is not a question of diversifying the neighborhood. It's a hostile takeover. It is aimed at ensuring that East Jerusalem will never become part of a Palestinian state and, in fact, that no such state will ever come to be.

The Reform and Conservative movements, as well as Women of the Wall, responded swiftly and furiously to the announcement that Elad may take control of Robinson's Arch. In a strongly worded joint statement, they argued that an Orthodox organization cannot be trusted to maintain the area as a place for egalitarian prayer.

This anger is justified. The very suggestion that an Orthodox group would manage the prayer space reserved for non-Orthodox prayer reveals how tone-deaf some sectors of the Israeli government have become to the voices of North American Jews, the vast majority of whom believe that men and women should be equal in prayer as in other parts of life.

But the danger of transferring power to Elad goes far beyond the question of who may pray where. This organization seems to have little stake in the debate over egalitarian prayer and in fact has announced its intent to respect existing agreements.

More concerning is the possibility that those of us committed to egalitarian prayer at the Western Wall will end up supporting the expansion of settlements and the erosion of the peace process through our donations and entrance fees.

The endless negotiations over religious pluralism in Israel have exposed the fissure between North American Jews, who are Israel's greatest financial and political supporters, and the Israeli religious establishment. On issues such as the right of women to lead services at the Wall, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and even Orthodox American Jews have been willing to issue strong statements and even protest at the Israeli Embassy.

The current crisis over ceding control of an egalitarian prayer space to an organization of right-wing settlers has blown apart the delusion that North American Jewish leaders can criticize Israel on issues of religious pluralism while staying away from criticisms of settlement policy. The two are too deeply intertwined. Rejecting the Orthodox hegemony that has placed the main plaza of the Wall off-limits to egalitarian prayer services also means loosening the grip of settlers on Israeli politics.

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