PRESS RELEASE | DECEMBER 22 2014

Today (Tuesday 22.12) rabbis from Rabbis For Human Rights lit a Hanukah menorah in the rubble of a demolished Palestinian home as a statement of solidarity and our aspiration for peace and human rights. Like hundreds of other homes every year, this house was demolished because of a military planning system that doesn’t allow for even basic Palestinian development on lands that all acknowledge to be privately owned Palestinian lands.

Pictures from the event are below. Additional pictures can be found here.  The use of these pictures and video can be used freely, giving credit to Guy Butavia-Rabbis For Human Rights.

PHOTOS:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.800667643328329.1073741882.117581211636979&type=1

VIDEO:
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=800689553326138

On Hanukah we celebrate the rededication of our Temple. May it be God’s will that every human being will be able to dedicate their private home. Certainly we shouldn’t be demolishing hundreds of homes every year.

Rabbi Arik Ascherman, President and Senior Rabbi of RHR:

“We lit the menorah in the rubble of the most recently demolished Palestinain home in the Palestinan village of Dirat. This village has suffered greatly from army demolitions because they don’t have a proper building and zoning plan. As we lit the menorah, Rabbi Yehiel Grenimann reminded us that Hanukah is a holiday of freedom, celebrating the fact that the few stood up to the many to demand their rights. Later, at the home of one of the village council members,  I quoted Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch on the obligation to give a voice to the poor and weak in society in order to ensure justice. Rabbi Hirsch says that it is forbidden to leave this task to the wealthy and powerful.”

The visit included a meeting between the rabbis and the village residents. Dirat is a co-appellant with RHR and several additional NGOs to Israel’s High Court of Justice to return planning authority to Palestinian hands in communities located in Area C of the Occupied Territories.

Additional information on RHR’s High Court Appeal

Upon departure, Rabbi Ascherman acknowledged that next time we return to Dirat we could find it with a proper building plan or we could find everything demolished. He offered the prayer that justice would be served.

The post Rabbis Light Hanukah Menorah in Rubble of Demolished Palestinian Home appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

PRESS RELEASE | DECEMBER 22 2014

Palestinians who entered into farmland near the Nokdim settlement with coordination from the IDF report they were attacked by the settlement security officer who subsequently attempted to run them over with his car.

Today’s event took place in restricted area that is closed for Palestinians and Israelis; entrance is only permitted with the coordination and approval of the army. Palestinians indeed entered the area with approval and coordination of the IDF. They report they were attacked by the settlement security coordinator of Nokdim while the police and DCO present did nothing to prevent the attack.

The security coordinator beat a number of elderly people present, and then tried to run over the major of the communities Jannata and Palestinian Teqoa who were present on the field.

Various officials in the DCO expressed outrage towards the behavior of the security coordinator and encouraged the Palestinians to file a complaint.

Rabbis for Human Rights will handle the legal aspects of this incident, plan to get to the root of what happened and will demand the prosecution of the the people responsible with the immediate suspension of the Security Officer. Palestinians will submit a complaint to the police this evening with Advocate Quamar Mishirqi Assad, of Rabbis for Human Rights.

Include photos from the scene down – for free use under the credit Palestinian Municipality

The post Palestinians report attack by security coordinator of Nokdim settlement appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

The Shomron Division commander and the DCO officer in charge of Palestinian agriculture have gone back on their word because they don’t have the forces to deal with the settlers of Eish Kodesh and their friends.

Fawzi Ibrahim has been trying for over a month to coordinate with the army to plow and sow his land. Last week he simply began, fearing to lose a great amount of money. After Israelis began to interfere, the army finally arrived. As you can see in the picture, they began urgent consultations in the field, and the Division Commander decided the work would continue tomorrow.

However, suddenly this evening we were told that they didn’t have the forces required to keep their promise and protect Fawzi. This happens twice a year, forcing us to apply legal, media and on the ground pressure. And maybe it also has something to do with the fact that today we were pressing for the army to keep several other commitments, like finally allowing farmers to finish this year’s olive harvest before it is too late.

The link between the Hebrew and the English is a Hebrew article from “Kol HaYehudi” that quotes the spokesperson from Eish Kodesh saying that Rabbi Ascherman will cause bloodshed by helping Fawzi plow, and then tells how in fact two years ago Israelis fought with security forces, olive trees were cut down etc. after settlers from Eish Kodesh had warned that the army allowing Fawzi to work his land would “ignite the area.”

Hebrew article from Kol HaYehudi –> http://bit.ly/1sUWenL

The post Commander Goes Back On His Words Because He Doesn’t Have The Forces To Protect Farmer From Settlers appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

After months of failed attempts, Palestinian farmer Fawzi Ibrahim of Jalud was able to successfully coordinate with the army permission to access and plow his land just before the ending of the agricultural season, and his last chance to properly work his land.

This comes after a number of incidents previously where he had coordinated with the army permission to plough his land only to have them cancel at the last moment and close the land. This caused Fawzi great economic loss, as he had already hired a tractor to do the anticipated work. These closures and cancelations happen again and again because Fawzi is continually threatened with violence and threats from extremist settlers living in the outpost Esh Kodesh. The army, rather than protect Fawzi as they are mandated to do by the High Court, chooses instead to block him from entering his land. Rabbis for Human Rights have been accompanying Fawzi in this on-going struggle with army bureaucracy and settler extremists so that he may tend his land.

However, this time the security forces responded in a satisfactory manner to the situation. The authorities acted to prevent extremists from Esh Kodesh from interfering with Fawzi’s work. Additionally, a number of cars belonging to the security forces had their tires punctured during the course of their work, and a settler who was involved in harassing Fawzi during the day was arrested on suspicion of committing the crime.

Additional past updates on Fawzi Ibrahim

Photos by Zakaria Sadah and Guy Batavia of Rabbis for Human Rights

The post Palestinian farmer permitted to plow field at last moment below Esh Kodesh outpost appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

Israeli Channel 2 news last night (December 31 2014) exposed recordings of racist death threats made to RHR’s Palestinian field worker, Zacharia Sada:

“We will murder you and all your family,” “your life is finished,” “you are not a person,” “you are inferior,” “shut up when I’m talking to you” – these are just some of the gems said by the anonymous caller to Zacharia.

It is very sad to see such young boys brainwashed and controlled by a theory of racial hatred that distortion and blasphemies Judaism.

President and Senior Rabbi of Rabbis for Human Rights, Rabbi Arik Asherman also received similar threats against himself and his family.

The threats came in the wake of assistance we gave a Palestinian farmer named Fawzi Ibrahim against extremists from the Esh Kodesh outpost who harass him when he tries to work his land. Unfortunately, the security forces rarely allow him to enter his lands and have admitted to restricting him because they lacked the security forces needed to protect him from the extremists of Esh Kodesh.

Fawzi was able to successfully plow yesterday, with the coordination of the army.

Despite the threats, Rabbis for Human RIghts will continue to fight for human rights in light of Judaism without fear.

To watch the full report (Hebrew) –> http://bit.ly/1xwyVI9

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January 1: Thousands of olive tree saplings reported uprooted or destroyed between the Palestinian village of Turmos Ayya and the outpost Adei Ad. 

Initial estimates believed the number of trees destroyed to number around 5,000.

The post Estimated 5,000 olive trees destroyed between Palestinian village Turmus Ayya & outpost Adei Ad appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

 A car belonging to the convoy of the US Consulate was stoned by right-wing extremists near the outpost of Adi Ad and the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya on January 2 2015. The convoy was accompanied by Palestinians.

The day prior, thousands of Palestinian olive trees were discovered uprooted and cut in the same area. Initial estimates numbered the destroyed trees at 5,000.

Photos: Zakaria Sadah of RHR

The post US Consulate car stoned by right-wing extremists near Adei Ad outpost appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

The second week of January 2015 has brought with it unusually low temperatures, rain and even snow to our region. Tragically, for the most vulnerable populations among us, this is not merely an inconvenience but a serious and life threatening danger. Reports from Gaza reveal that two infants have lost their lives due to the freezing temperatures, while the African asylum seekers in Holot have been denied heaters and report a lack of warm blankets and clothing. RHR remains extremely concerned for the Bedouin in general, and for our friends at Al Arakib specifically, where cold and rain penetrate the frail structures that stand between demolitions. Nevertheless, a small act of kindness on Thursday January 8th has helped to alleviate the cold for some Jahalin Bedouin while sewing goodwill among neighbors. 

From Rabbi Yehiel Grenimann, RHR’s Director of Human Rights in the Occupied Territories:

“Attached are some photos of a small act of kindness performed yesterday morning (Thursday, 8th January) in three Jahalin Bedouin encampments in the Judean desert, just east of Jerusalem.

The initiative came from some residents of Maale Adumim (one of whom is pictured) who contacted RHR with a request for help giving out blankets to Bedouin. They were very aware that the Jahalin Bedouin in their vicinity had suffered terribly in the storm the night before. The strong winds had knocked over tents and huts leaving the people in their communities with wet bedclothes to face the next night of the big storm.

I went out with one of them to my friend Abu Suleiman and we delivered 31 blankets to some of the needy families in the communities with which RHR has been working over the years.”

Certainly, it is the small acts of kindness that sustain the world.

The post RHR helps in distribution of blankets to Jahalin Bedouin during winter storm appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

PRESS RELEASE | January 11th 2015

Estimated 50 mature olive trees were discovered felled in the Palestinian village Yassuf on January 11th.

Images: Zacharia Sadah, RHR

The post Mature olive trees felled in Palestinian village Yassuf appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

RHR has launched a new Indigogo campaign raising funds to donate olive trees to Palestinian farmers. $10 buys one sapling for a Palestinian farmer who has either had his trees damaged or destroyed by Israeli extremists, or lives in an area in danger of being taken-over or expropriated by settlement expansion.

For the last ten years Rabbis for Human Rights has planted olive trees with our Palestinian partners in the Occupied Territories in what has become one of our most notable traditions.  As we witness new levels of vandalism against these ancient and precious trees, we see our mission as more urgent and valuable than ever. More than an international symbol of peace, our olive trees also represent the mending of  injustice and wrongs between Israeli Jews and Palestinians. Hope coming alive, these trees will one day bear beautiful olives that will benefit generations of Palestinians to come.

Please visit and donate to the campaign page by clicking here

In Israel? You can also take action by helping us plant the trees themselves!

February 4th – RHR’s annual Tu B’Shevat planting day event

February 6th – International student (but all are welcome) planting

The post New Campaign: Donate an olive tree to a Palestinian farmer! appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

The following was written by Naama, a volunteer completing her National Service with Rabbis for Human Rights. Part of her responsibilities include supporting Ibtisam, a local Jahalin Bedouin woman, twice a week in her work organizing the after school program for the children in al Jabel (outside of Maale Adumim).  

For a long time Ibtisam has wanted to paint the classroom where she teaches the Jahalin children English and art crafts.  The room was concrete grey and both her and I wanted to make it look nice and joyful for the kids. We first painted the outside and inside white. Next, we painted an unused room  which we plan to use as a second classroom for the smaller children – although we still need to get a few chairs and tables for it. We really need this second classroom since so many children are coming to Ibtisam’s center and they are at varying levels of English.  After we finished painting it all white with the help of  Yehiel (Rabbi Yehiel Greinmann, RHR’s Director of Human Rights in the Occupied Territories) and Ibtisam’s younger brother, we scheduled the last part with the kids for Tuesday right before they were supposed to go back to school from their winter break. When I came with Natanya, whose been volunteering to take me with her car, the girls were so excited to start. We let them choose what they wanted to paint on the wall and we started working. We drew Sponge-Bob, Dora, Tom & Jerry, and a few other drawings they choose from a book.

One day as we were painting together, I asked Ibtisam about the school that the kids go to.  She described it saying, “If you see the children in the morning walking their way to school they would be stooping and frowning, and when they leave school at noon, they are running and cheerful.”  This made me realize how amazing it is then that the kids are coming to Ibtisam to learn after school! There they are, every week,  sitting proudly with their notebooks, gobbling up every word Ibtisam teaches them. Even if they don’t remember everything they learn, their drive to study astonishes me.

NOTE: On request of the families, the children were only photographer from the back.

RELATED:

More on the Jahalin Bedouin and our work protecting their rights

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Photo for demonstrative purposes only

Rabbis for Human Rights expresses concern over this unusual wave of demolitions while an appeal to the High Court on the policy of planning for Palestinians is still being heard. In addition to being morally unacceptable, an increase in home demolitions during sensitive times can lead to higher levels of anger and despair.

In addition, the Supreme Court yesterday heard the petition of eight families against the demolition of their homes in Jamaa Jabal Mukaber. About 100 people in total, many of them young children, stand to become homeless.

 RELATED:

Additional information on RHR’s High Court petition demanding planning rights be returned to Palestinians

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Please join RHR on Wednesday, February 4th as we plant trees in a Palestinian village for Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish version of Arbor Day.

Already this year over 5,000 trees belonging to Palestinian farmers have been uprooted or hacked down by Jewish extremists.

Show a different, more compassionate face of Judaism to our Palestinian neighbors & help them plant new olive saplings on Tu B’Shevat, the Jewish version of Arbor Day. Not only is the solidarity so important, the trees themselves will benefit Palestinians for generations to come!

WATCH: FOOTAGE FROM LAST YEAR’S PLANTING!

WE ARE ALSO HOSTING A TU B’SHVAT SEDER! DETAILS TO COME!

*For those concerned about Jewish law surrounding the Sabbatical year (Shmita), there are halakhic opinions allowing planting on lands owned by non-Jews. Additionally, we are also happy to have you come and help prepare the trees for planting, but not do the actual planting itself.

RSVP is a must! Transportation available from Jerusalem and Rosh HaAyin. Please see the flier for details.

Can’t make it in person? Donate a tree instead! $10 purchases one olive sapling, and makes a real investment in the future of generations of Palestinian to come. Help us reach our goal of donating 2,500 trees!

The post Tu B’Shevat: Join us as we plant trees in a Palestinian village! appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

Rabbis for Human Rights has signed onto a joint statement with a number of other NGOs  to Acting Prime Minister Benjamin and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman condemning the government’s decision not to grant entry visa to the UN Special  Rapporteur.

Rashida Manjoo, the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, denied entry visa to Israel. PHOTO: OHCHR

To read the full letter, please click here  

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PRESS RELEASE| FEBRUARY 4 2015

Rabbis for Human Rights and the Olive Harvest Coalition send message of hope and solidarity in joint Israeli-Palestinian tree planting

The main event was held yesterday (February 4 2015) in the northern West Bank village of Yassuf to mark the holidays of Tu Bishvat and Eid al Saja’ra. The event was initiated by Rabbis for Human Rights and the Olive Harvest Coalition.

Hundreds of people including rabbis, volunteers, politicians from various parties, residents and village leaders came out to plant hundreds of “trees of hope” to replace those that were damaged by extremists just last month. The photos from the day reflect the truth of universal solidarity and the reality that simple acts like planting trees bring us together in powerful, joyful ways. In addition to the trees donated yesterday, hundreds more will be planted throughout the Occupied Territories over the next few weeks.

Unfortunately, the joy of the holidays and the atmosphere of peace could not eclipse the fact that the army refused the planters entry into an area designated for planting under the pretext of a lack of advanced coordination. Such an incident is contrary to the ruling of the High Court of Justice, and part of the effort to dismantle that ruling. In the coming days, RHR will demand the military to explain why they neglected to enforce the court’s ruling on the ground.

It should be noted that during this year’s olive harvest in October and November, extremists cut down, burned, uprooted and looted hundreds of fruit trees owned by Palestinian farmers in the Occupied Territories. Rarely does the army takes significant action against the perpetuators, and sometimes it even indirectly aids them by failing to prevent border incursions and trespassing into Palestinian agricultural land.

The planting was followed by small group learning sessions on the topic of shmita and human rights work.

Upon return to Jerusalem, RHR held a Tu B’Shevat social justice seder with the Ma’abarah, a housing collective comprised of activists and those in need of public housing in Jerusalem’s Katamonim neighborhood. The seder focused on the parallels between the four cups, the four seasons, the four categories of fruits (traditional elements of the Tu B’Shvat seder) and four stages of activism.

Statements from the event:

Rabbi Arik Ascherman, president and senior rabbi of RHR, on the shmita year:

“What does [shmita] mean, according to Rav Kook, for the Jewish people and our connection to the land? [Smita] is about strengthening the connection in our souls between justice and equality, and letting go of our urge to own and to control. We need to understand that it isn’t all ours.”

Osama Muslah, Head of DCL, Yassuf resident:

“We thank RHR for this event. It was a beautiful and historic day for the farmers here. These actions gives power and strength to Palestinian families to protect and be in their own land. We hope the settlers will not come back and uproot these trees – this is a “hot” area where they often attack the farmers and the crops.”

Pam Berger, first time RHR volunteer, originally from New York, lives in Jerusalem:

“You come here to do something very practical, very concrete – to plant trees, and then you look around and see all these different people involved: Palestinians, children, farmers, the army, volunteers, the settlement… and you get caught up in this very emotional, political and cultural event. And it’s really just not what you expected at all.”

The post RHR sends send message of hope and solidarity in joint Israeli-Palestinian tree planting appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

Zakaria, RHR’s Palestinian field worker, and farmers from Turmos Aya were forced to flee (or use force themselves) when settler women with their children in strollers came from the direction of the Adei Ad outpost, blocked tractors and began banging on Zakaria’s car.

“You woke up too late… Look at all the land that used to belong to Arabs that we are working now.”    –Settler from outpost Adei Ad who pressured the army to expel Palestinian farmers from working their land in Turmos Ayya on February 2 2015

On Monday (February 2 2015), Zakaria and Rabbi Ascherman arrived as the army was expelling Palestinians, at the request of setters,  from the same area where this most recent incident occurred (photo above). The unit commander said he was doing so to “prevent a confrontation” (Our High Court ruling forbids the army from expelling Palestinians “for their own good.”) and because, according to him, they needed to receive advance permission to be there. However, the army said they could come with protection on Tuesday. On Tuesday the army rescheduled for today (February 5 2015), claiming that they didn’t have the forces to protect them. However, yesterday they called the farmers to say that they really didn’t need permission and could go without protection.

The post Settler women with children prevent Palestinian farmers from plowing their land appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

Video and photos below  from a tree planting and plowing yesterday near the settlements of Nokdim and Kfar Eldad. After a legal battle, RHR’s legal team was able to help Palestinians work their land with army defense after years of abuse.

In the video and photos, the settlement of Kfar Eldad is visible in the background.

The post Palestinian farmers plant trees and plow land near Nokdim and Kfar Eldad after years of abuse appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

WATCH: Excellent interview with Rabbi Arik Ascheman on our rabbinical petition to urge Netanyahu to withdraw state opposition to our High Court planning appeal against home demolitions!

For more on our High Court appeal and how it could end the humanitarian tragedy of home demolitions –> http://bit.ly/1mxZtir

To read the rabbinical petition and see the signatures –> http://bit.ly/1BWJv7y

The post WATCH: Rabbi Ascherman interviewed on RHR’s appeal to restore planning rights to Area C appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

In recent days and months, RHR has made several significant gains returning land to Palestinian land owners that had either been taken over by settlers, or where settlers made access extremely difficult. A list of several of these gains appears below. In light of the fact that the takeover of agricultural land is proceeding today at a much faster pace than the building of settlements, these successes are very important indicator that it is possible to stop settler encroachment where there is willingness by Israel to honor Palestinian land ownership.

Palestinian farmers planting and plowing near Nokdim and Kfar Eldad with Kfar Eldad settlement visible in the background

Correction: Many of the articles covering the RHR letter signed by over 400 rabbis asking PM Netanyahu to withdraw State opposition to RHR’s High Court appeal to return to Palestinians zoning and planning authority for their communities in Area C mistakenly said that the letter was in response to the Prime Minister’s declared intent to demolish some 400 buildings in the so called Palestinian outposts. The letter was written because one of the High Court judges indicated that there would be no problem should the State voluntarily accede to our petition. Please click here for an updated list of signatories, after we have removed the non-rabbis (or cantors) who signed.

1.    On 21.12.14 the Arrny Appeals Committee rejected an appeal by Zvi Struck (Son of MK Orit Struck), originally made from his jail cell, of a decision by the Israeli army’s Legal Advisor in the Occupied Territories to order the removal of a vineyard he had planted on lands underneath the Akhia and Esh Kodesh outposts.  The lands are owned by Fawzi Ibrahim from the village of Jalud.  In 2012 RHR’s Legal Department returned Mr. Ibrahim to 256 dunam of lands in the area, where he had faced increased threats and harassment since the Second Intifada. However, he was not able to return to work the 13 planted dunams because of the appeal.  A second vineyard was also discovered, but removed last year. Unfortunately, the Israeli army drags its feet every time there is a need for them to provide protection for Mr. Ibrahim to safely work his lands.  Generally, RHR pressure has solved this problem at the last minute. However, this last month Mr. Ibrahim was not able to plow and sow 30 dunam in time.

2.   On February 3^rd,  the farmers of the Musa family whose property lies near the Shilo settlement, in between the unrecognized outposts of Adi Ad, Akhia, Havat Yeshuv, Hadaat, and Kedah, managed to enter and plough some their lands after years of harassment and threats. Pictures

The family used to raise sheep, grow olives and plant crops on their 110 dunam farm. However, during the Second Intifada, Jewish extremists threw rocks at their homes, injured their children, and fired bullets at their home. It became increasingly difficult for the family to work their land and eventually the farm became surrounded by outposts. Fearful of the growing anger and violence, the Palestinians left their residence.

Settlers moved into the Musa family’s cement home, painted it red, and called it the Red House. Over the years, numerous additional structures were built on the land.

RHR filed a High Court of Justice petition demanding  the structures be removed, and that the family be returned to their home and protected by the army when working on their land.  As a result, last week,  Palestinians were able to work part of the land with assurance of protection by the army. As far as the other demands, the petition is still pending.

Right after the farmers left, a Jewish adult with some children came by and declared Arabs shouldn’t be there. Rabbi Ascherman told them they were trespassing, and that is forbidden by the Torah.

3.   On Tuesday (February 10^th) farmers near the settlements of Nokdim and Kfar Eldad were able to successfully plant trees and plow  with army and police protection.  Pictures. Palestinian access to their lands has been severely limited for years because of army backed settler harassment. Due to the intervention of RHR’s Legal Department, and accompaniment by RHR and Ta’ayush field activists, farmers managed to harvest olives in October. This month they are plowing and planting in their fields in the area that do not have trees.

4.   Last Friday RHR helped Aqram Abu-Reidi from Qusara replant trees where they have been uprooted 4 times. Based on the opinion that it is permissible to plant trees during the Sabbatical Year on lands owned by non-Jews, rabbincal students and other students from abroad joined the Palestinian farmers. We planted approximately 200 saplings. Pictures

5.   On February 4^th, the Jewish tree holiday of Tu B’Shvat, RHR and the Harvest Coalition assisted farmers from Yassuf to plant trees in an area between the village and the Tapuakh settlement, where the army has severely limited the ability of farmers to access their land, ever since the “Tapuakh West” outpost was created in 2001, and a road was built between the two settlements.  Recently a gate was set up, further blocking access. Last week we were still not able to access all of the lands on the Yassuf side of the gate. We planted approximately 550 saplings. Pictures

For More Information, Additional Pictures and Video, and Contact Information for Palestinian Landowners:

Advocate Quamar Mishirqi – Assad  Director of RHR’s OT Legal Department  050-8283106, quamarm@gmail.com.

Cindy Katz (Replacing RHR spokesperson Yariv Mohar, who is on vacation)  050-857-4536, cindy.katz@gmail.com

Information on the rabbis’ letter:

Rabbi Arik Ascherman RHR President and Senior Rabbi  050-5607034,info@rhr.israel.net

The post Press release: Recent gains by RHR in returning lands to Palestinian owners appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.

This piece by Rabbi Arik Ascherman on the Temple Mount originally appeared in Israeli publication Makor Rishon.

By: Rabbi Arik Ascherman

Years before I made aliyah, I first visited Israel with my family in 1977. I remember the great excitement with which I prayed at the Kotel with my father (may his memory be a blessing) and my brothers. (In those days, it was impossible for me to also pray alongside my mother.) I grew up with the stories of Yehuda Ha-Levi, and “Jerusalem of Gold” was as known to our lips as “Hatikvah,” and was a part of our tefilah.

Sometimes, it is difficult for Israelis to get why Women of the Wall garnered so much attention and support from outside of Israel. The reason is that for a significant portion of Diaspora Jewry, the Kotel is the beating heart of the Jewish people.  The right to pray there is representative of the belonging of the Jewish people. My wife the “sabra,” along with her family, waited in a long long line, enormously excited, so that they could approach the Kotel on Shavuot 1977. Today though, for most Israelis the Kotel no longer is a site of pilgrimage, although it remains as such for many Jews from the Diaspora, and so too the Temple Mount attached to it.  This weakened attachment is true even though many Israelis tend to internalize “militant catchphrases” and respond reflexively to any rumored threat to our sovereignty over the Temple Mount.

I (still) share the strong excitement that olim have when they touch the stones of the Kotel. My daughter prayed there when her time to be Bat Mitzvah arrived, and b’ezrat Hashem (with the help of G-d), my son, too, will pray there. I can understand how the words, “The Temple Mount in our hands!” are so moving, and I know well that the things that excite us the most provide the greatest platform for the demagogues among us – even running the risk of avodah zarah/idol worship. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (z”l) noted that Shabbat and the holidays were our truest cathedrals, not structures built of stone.

From a religious perspective, it’s known that on the one hand, Rambam writes in the Mishnah Torah that the Messiah will one day rebuild the Temple and herald a return to the sacrifice service (Halachot Malachim 11:1). But Rambam sparked riots when he wrote in Guide for the Perplexed, in accordance with the midrash, that God commanded the worship service in the Temple only because it was difficult for the children of Israel to free themselves from what was already known to them. Maybe it was even a hint that one day we won’t have a need for prayer at all:

“In a similar manner did God provided for all mammals. When such an animal is born, it is extremely tender, and cannot be fed with dry food. Therefore breasts were provided which yield milk, and the young can be fed with moist food which corresponds to the condition of the limbs of the animal, until the latter have gradually become dry and hard.

Many precepts in our law are the result of a similar course adopted by the same Supreme Being. It is, namely, impossible to go suddenly from one extreme to the other: it is therefore according to the nature of man impossible for him suddenly to discontinue everything to which he has been accustomed. […] But the custom which was in those days general among all men, and the general mode of worship in which the Israelites were brought up, consisted in sacrificing animals in those temples which contained certain images, to bow down to those images, and to bum incense before them; religious and ascetic persons were in those days the persons that were devoted to the service in the temples erected to the stars, as has been explained by us. It was in accordance with the wisdom and plan of God, as displayed in the whole Creation, that He did not command us to give up and to discontinue all these manners of service; for to obey such a commandment it would have been contrary to the nature of man, who generally cleaves to that to which he is used; it would in those days have made the same impression as a prophet would make at present if he called us to the service of God and told us in His name, that we should not pray to Him, not fast, not seek His help in time of trouble; that we should serve Him in thought, and not by any action” (Guide for the Perplexed, Part III, Chapter XXXII).

Sometimes we hear that the prophets were against the sacrifices, but that’s an exaggeration. Nonetheless, many times the prophets came out against the ritual’s empty content. The sacrificial service – korban, the root of which (K.R.B.) connects it to the word for “nearness” – was meant to draw us nearer to the way of God:

“To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me? says the LORD; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats.

When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand, to trample My courts?

Bring no more vain oblations; it is an offering of abomination unto Me; new moon and sabbath, the holding of convocations–I cannot endure iniquity along with the solemn assembly.

Your new moons and your appointed seasons My soul hates; they are a burden to Me; I am weary to bear them.

And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide Mine eyes from you; yea, when you make many prayers, I will not hear; your hands are full of blood.

Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes, cease to do evil;

Learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:11-17).

Following the prophets, Rambam says that to understand the intention behind the sacrificial service, we must go back to the command to sacrifice the Paschal lamb in Egypt:

“Because of this principle which I explained to you, the Prophets in their books are frequently found to rebuke their fellow men for being over-zealous and exerting themselves too much in bringing sacrifices: the prophets thus distinctly declared that the object of the sacrifices is not very essential, and that God does not require them. Samuel therefore said, “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord” (1 Sam. 15:22)? Isaiah exclaimed, “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord” (Isa. 1: 11); Jeremiah declared: “For I spake not unto your fathers, nor commanded them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offering or sacrifices. But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my, voice, and Iwill be your God, and ye shall be my people” (Jer. 7: 22-23). This passage has been found difficult in the opinion of all those whose words I read or heard; they ask:  How can Jeremiah say that God did not command us about burnt-offering and sacrifice, seeing so many precepts refer to sacrifice? The sense of the passage agrees with what I explained to you. Jeremiah says [in the name of God] the primary object of the precepts is this: Know me, and serve no other being – “I will be your God, and ye shall be my people” (Lev. 26: 12).

[…] I have another way of explaining this passage with exactly the same result. For it is distinctly stated in Scripture, and handed down by tradition, that the first commandments communicated to us did not include any law at an about burnt-offering and sacrifice. You must not see any difficulty in the Passover which was commanded in Egypt; there was a particular and evident reason for that, as will be explained by me (chap. xlvi.). Besides it was revealed in the land of Egypt; whilst the laws to which Jeremiah alludes in the above passage are those which were revealed after the departure from Egypt. For this reason it is distinctly added, “in the day that I brought them out from the land of Egypt.” The first commandment after the departure from Egypt was given at Marah, in the following words, “If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and wilt give ear to His commandments” (Exod. xv. 26).” There he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them” (ibid. ver. 25). According to the true traditional explanation, Sabbath and civil laws were revealed at Marah: “statute” alludes to Sabbath, and “ordinance” to civil laws, which are the means of removing injustice. The chief object of the Law, as has been shown by us, is the teaching of truths; to which the truth of the creatio ex nihilo belongs. It is known that the object of the law of Sabbath is to confirm and to establish this principle, as we have shown in this treatise (Part. II. chap. xxxi.). In addition to the teaching of truths the Law aims at the removal of injustice from humanity”- (Guide for the Perplexed, ibid.).

Far be it from me to decide between the Mishnah Torah and Rambam’s Guide for the Perplexed to know if the will of God is such that we should rebuild the Temple and renew the Temple service, but when the poskim write that one of the reasons we should not ascend to the Temple Mount is because we are insufficiently pure, my mind goes to the “purity of qualities,” or what we would call integrity. God forbade King David to build the Temple because he had blood on his hands.

The worthiness necessary to build the Temple must come from a desire to know the Creator and to draw near to God’s way. This means that the place and all that occurs in it must serve the purpose of “removing injustice from humanity”: all of humanity regardless of religion, gender, or race, because all of us are created in the Image of God.

Of course, in “all of humanity,” we include our own people. In the 1980s, when I did not even have an inkling of the prohibitions on ascending to the Temple Mount or the suspicions felt by Muslims regarding the matter of the site, we innocently decided, myself and a friend, to walk around the Temple Mount after prayer one day. With my tallit and my siddur still in my hands, I suddenly noticed many young Muslims following after me, and their hostility was plain on their faces.

Today, as President and Senior Rabbi of the organization Rabbis for Human Rights, one that demands that  Muslims and Christians have the right of access to their holy sites, it would be hypocritical for me to be fine with the denial of prayer on the Temple Mount to those Jews who believe that we are permitted to pray there. One must not accept the destruction of archaeological finds that attest to our ancient roots on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif any more than one should accept the erasure of the evidence of non-Jewish roots in Silwan/Ir David (the City of David).

So we must ask why, despite all this, there is enmity towards us? There is not one simple answer. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch teaches that we must not trust ourselves to do justice when all the power lies in our hands, especially to do right by those who are powerless. It “borders on crime” (interpretation of Leviticus 23:22), when the Palestinian people live in a reality in which we exclusively determine the laws of the country; when they live under the oppression of our military regime, this hostility – which has a number of sources – only grows. It’s very similar to the hostility among us towards Arabs when terror and violence increase.

I didn’t pay attention to any public discussion until, a little more than a year ago, the police changed their policy and began accompanying Jewish groups to the Temple Mount for prayer and ceremonies. I wonder if there was some effort to arrive at an agreement or at least an understanding with the Waqf? The several clashes [last week] week were entirely predictable. True, one cannot make peace with or accept Muslim violence or the fact that Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount is automatically considered a “provocation,” but to exploit our overwhelming power just to throw a match into a barrel of explosives is not the solution. “Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6).

“Who will ascend the mountain of Hashem?”

I’m not so naïve as to believe that overnight, something can lead over 100 years of hostility to fade away, but I do believe that the Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary should be owned by God alone, and that the way to earn the right to ascend to the Temple Mount and pray there is firstly to be upright and pure of heart. This means, to possess great integrity and to respect all of God’s creatures and their rights. Instead of saying “it is all mine,” we must act towards an agreement and actualize the vision of our prophets on behalf of all those that believe – in their own way – in the God of Jacob:

But in the end of days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the LORD’S house shall be established as the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and peoples shall flow unto it.

And many nations shall go and say: ‘Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths’; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

[…] and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; and none shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken.

For let all the peoples walk each one in the name of its god, but we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever (Micah 4:1-5).

Rabbi Ascherman Photo: Dimid Duchov-Korovev

Rabbi Arik Ascherman is president and Senior Rabbi for Rabbis for Human Rights 

The post House of my Dreams: Rabbi Ascherman on the Temple Mount appeared first on Rabbis for Human Rights.