9 thoughts on “When Israeli Jews Defile Islam’s Third-Holiest Site, and Diaspora Jews Say Nothing – Tikun Olam תיקון עולם إصلاح العالم
task-attention.png
Comments are published at the sole discretion of the owner.
 

    1. The analogy of the Israeli police actions against the violence people that throw rocks from the mosque area into the Wall square , the place where other people , non muslim (Jews ) are worshiping God , is indeed an excellent example. An example of twisting the facts. An example where telling half of the story is a full lie. None of the people, (Jews )hunted by the nazis threw stones and tried to harm any of their neigbors. Frankfurt’s Great Synagogue burning on Kristallnacht was a pure act of hate. The same hate which motivates those people whom the Israely police must stop , in order that this mad minority will not put us all in fire.

      1. @ Nesher Lea: Not so fast. Israeli police have no place on Haram al Sharif. It is not in their jurisdiction. Their presence incites defenders of the mosque to resist them. They have every right to defend their holy site with any means available to them. Just as Jews would have a right to defend the Kotel if violent thugs invaded and desecrated it.

        None of the people, (Jews )hunted by the nazis threw stones and tried to harm any of their neigbors.

        NOnsense, the Nazis called Jewish partisans terrorists. Those partisans did far worse than throwing rocks. They planted bombs, they killed Nazi officers. They resisted in precisely the same way the mosque worshippers are defending their holy shrine.

        The same hate which motivates those people whom the Israeli police must stop , in order that this mad minority will not put us all in fire.

        As for whose hate must stop, you stop your hate first and the Muslims will follow. The Border Police thugs and the state that sent them are responsible for the hate. Muslims are only responding to it and resisting it.

        You may not publish any further comments in this thread.

  1. In order to keep the peace, Israel has arrested Jewish religious extremists bent on sacrificing lambs on the Temple Mount and has blocked a Rightist ‘flag day’ demonstration in Jerusalem’s Old City.

    https://www.timesofisrael.com/hamas-threatens-israel-over-extremists-plans-for-passover-sacrifice-on-temple-mount/

    And finally, Israel has banned all Jews from the Temple Mount for the next ten days in order to prevent further violence.

    These are not the actions of a government intent on destroying the Haram al Sharif and the Islamic holy sites, but rather, these are the actions of a government intent on maintaining the status quo and gh religious freedoms of all.

    1. Israel arrested a handful of the most extreme, messiah-crazed loonies. While it physically thrust 35,000 Jews all of whom wanted to restore the Temple. As for banning Jews for ten days, it already did the damage. It thrust 750 messianice nutcaes down Muslim throats beforehand. No Jews should be permitted on Haram al Sharif at all, but certainly none during Ramadan.

      Nor did I say the government currently has a formal policy to destroy Al Aqsa. Even if it did, like Ben Gurion & the Nakba, it wouldn’t announce it.

      I agree that this Israeli government is intent on maintaining the status quo: of Israeli terror attacks on the holy sites and increasing encroachment on Muslim worship and prerogatives.

      As for “religious freedom,” don’t get me started. How can you use the term with a straight face. Israel is a Jewish-dominated state. Islam is derogated in every possible way: mosques are defiled (not just Al Aqsa), the State regularly rejects Muslim imams while approving virtually all rabbis, and now a Palestinian murdered by Border POlice. Is that your idea of religious freedom?

      No more comments in this thread. A warning: I view your comments as pallid regurgitations of Israeli hasbara. Not worth my trouble in responding. Take that as you wish.

  2. No Jews should be permitted on Haram al Sharif at all, but certainly none during Ramadan

    History says otherwise.

    St. Jerome portrayed with evident relish how the Jews had to bribe the Roman soldiers for permission to lament at their holy site on Tisha B ‘av, and how a whole people came mourning, women feeble with age, old men burdened with years, etc. .  

    From the Babylonian Talmud we have instructions to those who go up on the Temple Mount, issued by Rabbi Bibi, a late fourth century sage: “do not spit, do not carry a walking stick, do not wear shoes, do not carry a coin purse, and do not use the Temple Mount as a short cut –– because all these behaviors degrade the holiness of the place.”
    The Christian Empress, Eudocia, issued a proclamation allowing Jews to return to the Temple Mount, prompting rabbis to send letters to Jewish communities throughout the world, informing them of the good news and asking them to come on pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the coming Sukkot festival.

    In 439, More than one hundred thousand Jews came to Jerusalem on that Sukkot festival and there was great enthusiasm because once again Jews were permitted to ascend the Temple Mount. However, in the end the ascent did not take place because of the aggressive opposition of the Christian mob.

    And in a halakhic ordinance that was included in the sixth century Midrash Shir Hashirim Rabba; this midrash instructs Jews on the direction they are to face when praying. 
    When praying outside the Land of Israel, one should face the Land … Those who pray in the Land of Israel should turn toward Jerusalem …those praying in Jerusalem should face the Temple site… and those who pray on the Temple Mount should turn to the Holy of Holies.
    See-The status quo on the Temple Mount during the Byzantine Empire (300-618), by

    By Meir Loewenberg

    Bar-Ilan University

    1. @ Off Pitch: Two can play at this game. Isn’t is grand when people invoke “History” as the source of their claim. However, history doesn’t always bear out their claims. Rather, it often refutes them or demands far greater context–which is true in your case.

      Before I get into details, my main point is that at no point in the historic past of which you speak, did a visit to the Haram al Sharif endanger either Jewish or Muslim lives. Now such visits endanger both. Not only was a Muslim defender of the mosque murdered yesterday, but Yehuda Glick was nearly murdered for leading of such groups to the Mount. Visits to the Noble Sanctuary never in the past endangered a delicate relationship between religious communities. They never threatened to provoke major religious conflict and even war itself. So whatever may’ve happened 1,000 years ago has little bearing on the current situation. Not to mention the number of Jews during the historical periods you mention who did visit this space was minuscule compared to the overwhelming number of Jews who would not and did not do so.

      Another point to bear in mind is that the Ottoman authorities prohibited from the mid-19th century all non-Muslims from entering the Noble Sanctuary at all. So this prohibition has been in effect for nearly 200 years.

      Though there is some debate about whether Jews are permitted to visit, the predominant view of the majority of authorities is that it is prohibited. Yes, there are those who say it is permitted. But the Chief Rabbis going back to 1967 all prohibited it. And the isur was renewed in 2005. Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Jewish authorities almost universally prohibit it.

      Of course, settler rabbis and those with their political/religious orientation permit and even encourage it (usually tacitly or covertly). But they are a minority of the Israeli Orthodox population, an even smaller number among all Israeli Jews, and even smaller number among Diaspora Jews.

      But my main criticism of almost all halachic considerations I’ve read, is that none take into account the provocation and violence that such visits cause. The level of communal unrest they stir up. And the actual war they provoke. A Muslim defender of the mosque was murdered yesterday. Yehuda Glick a former leader of the visits was nearly murdered by a Muslim. The BOrder POlice attack not only incite a violent response from Muslim worshippers, they provoke Hamas retaliation, which last year led to an actual war.

      Only one of the rabbinic discussions I’ve read even mentions this dimension of the question. Rabbi Manning is a UK Orthodox rabbi. Not only does he raise important issues, but he has the rabbinic gravitas to do so:

      Consider how the halachic aspects of this issue are intertwined with the politics and hashkafa including:-
      • should we be pushing the rebuilding of the Temple?
      • should Temple Mount be in our hands
      • how do we keep Jewish control of Temple Mount/Jerusalem
      • how does Temple Mount impact upon the Middle East peace process
      • should we have a shul on Temple Mount now
      • is this part of what it means to be Religious Zionist or is it Messianic

      IT seems to me that balancing the purpose/value/benefit for Jews in visiting the sacred area and the violence that such actis cause, that halacha should include this danger a major part of its considerations, the value of human life.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *