Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protest as members of Women of the Wall pray Friday near the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews flooded the Western Wall early Friday morning, creating a tense standoff with a pluralistic group of women that has for years prayed at the holy site once a month wearing garments traditionally used by men.

Heeding calls from their rabbis, hundreds of teenage girls crammed into the women’s section in front of the wall before 6:30 a.m., forcing the group to conduct their service farther back, in the plaza, as black-hatted Orthodox men whistled, catcalled, and threw water, candy, a rock and other items at them. But after months in which several women were detained by the police for using the traditional garments, officers Friday protected them, after a court ruling saying they should be allowed to pray as they wish.

Instead, three ultra-Orthodox men were arrested and two were detained for questioning for trying to attack the women, according to a police spokesman, as hundreds of uniformed officers locked hands in cordons to keep the religious throngs away from the pluralistic group of perhaps 100.