Today, we celebrate the 43rd anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem, after 19 years of division at the hands of the Jordanians. During that time, despite assurances, no Jews were permitted to access the Western Wall, to say nothing of visiting the Temple Mount. Since 1967, Jerusalem has been an open city, where all faiths can visit their holy places, worshiping as they see fit.
Except for the Jewish faith.
Only Jews are forbidden from praying at their holiest site, and even visiting is a complicated effort. Can one imagine the outcry if Christians could not pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, or Muslims from al-Aqsa? The cries would be deafening. But it is taken for granted that Jews may not even utter the smallest prayer, let alone read from the Torah, on the Temple Mount.
It is time for this outrage to end. למען ציון לא אחשה, ולמען ירושלים לא אשקוט. For Zion's sake, I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake, I will not be silent. Now is the time to make these words a reality. Let us all stand up for Jerusalem, and sign this petition asking that the Netanyahu government designate the Temple Mount a National Heritage Site. If Rachel's Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs deserve such recognition, does the Temple Mount deserve any less? It should not matter where one's political leanings are. This is an issue of simple fairness, for Jews to have equal access to their holy sites, just as Christians and Muslims have to theirs.
Will this action anger the United Nations? Will the Obama Administration express its concern, even outrage? Undoubtedly yes, on both accounts. But it is time for the Jewish people to stand with its head held high, ready to accept whatever criticism may be forthcoming from a world which regularly turns a blind eye to genocide and terrorist attacks, yet still finds the time to issue scathing critiques of the Jewish State's attempts to protect its citizens, and its decision to approve building apartment units. Such a world has no credibility, and we should not care what they think anymore.
The Western Wall is special, but it is a second prize compared to the Temple Mount. Help make the joyous shout of the paratroopers back in 1967, "The Temple Mount is in our hands!" a reality again. We declare at every Jewish wedding that we will never forget Jerusalem. Here is an opportunity to put those words into action.
Except for the Jewish faith.
Only Jews are forbidden from praying at their holiest site, and even visiting is a complicated effort. Can one imagine the outcry if Christians could not pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, or Muslims from al-Aqsa? The cries would be deafening. But it is taken for granted that Jews may not even utter the smallest prayer, let alone read from the Torah, on the Temple Mount.
It is time for this outrage to end. למען ציון לא אחשה, ולמען ירושלים לא אשקוט. For Zion's sake, I will not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake, I will not be silent. Now is the time to make these words a reality. Let us all stand up for Jerusalem, and sign this petition asking that the Netanyahu government designate the Temple Mount a National Heritage Site. If Rachel's Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs deserve such recognition, does the Temple Mount deserve any less? It should not matter where one's political leanings are. This is an issue of simple fairness, for Jews to have equal access to their holy sites, just as Christians and Muslims have to theirs.
Will this action anger the United Nations? Will the Obama Administration express its concern, even outrage? Undoubtedly yes, on both accounts. But it is time for the Jewish people to stand with its head held high, ready to accept whatever criticism may be forthcoming from a world which regularly turns a blind eye to genocide and terrorist attacks, yet still finds the time to issue scathing critiques of the Jewish State's attempts to protect its citizens, and its decision to approve building apartment units. Such a world has no credibility, and we should not care what they think anymore.
The Western Wall is special, but it is a second prize compared to the Temple Mount. Help make the joyous shout of the paratroopers back in 1967, "The Temple Mount is in our hands!" a reality again. We declare at every Jewish wedding that we will never forget Jerusalem. Here is an opportunity to put those words into action.
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