The Western Wall, the holiest place where Jews can pray, has become the crucible of a fight over rituals and a sense of belonging. Together with their Israeli counterparts, North American Jews, who overwhelmingly identify with the liberal, non-Orthodox Reform and Conservative streams of Judaism, have challenged the strictly Orthodox authorities who enforce the traditional practice at the site, in which scores of Torah scrolls are restricted for male use.

With Orthodoxy dominating many other aspects of Jewish life here, many liberal Jews abroad say they feel increasingly alienated from Israel.

After years of negotiations, the rancorous dispute over the wall was supposed to have been resolved in January, when the Israeli government approved the creation of an upgraded egalitarian prayer space where men and women would be allowed to worship together. Liberal Jews hailed the decision as historic at the time, but the government has failed to advance the plan because of opposition from the ultra-Orthodox parties that Mr. Netanyahu relies on for his governing coalition.

Frustrated by the lack of progress, and with a petition pending before Israel’s Supreme Court, non-Orthodox rabbis and lay leaders defied traditional convention by marching to the Western Wall holding 14 Torah scrolls. Despite some violent pushing and shoving by orderlies and ultra-Orthodox counterdemonstrators, they broke through the security barriers.

Activists with Women of the Wall, a Jewish feminist group that has for decades fought the male-dominated establishment for equal prayer rights in the sacred space, held a prayer service with the scrolls at the women’s section of the wall. The non-Orthodox rabbis then led a joint egalitarian prayer service in the upper plaza, where men and women read from the Torah.