Police arrested an 18-year-old female for disturbing the peace after she tried entering Har Habayis. The young lady claims she was just walking around the gates and she never tried to go onto the holy site. She was compelled to spend the night in jail nonetheless and was arraigned in the Jerusalem Magistrate Court on Monday morning 25 Menachem Av.
The girl was arrested with a friend who is under 18 on Sunday afternoon 24 Menachem Av. The minor was given an arraignment date and released. However, police decided the older girl would remain in jail. Honenu was quick to act on her behalf, seeking an urgent hearing to determine the grounds for keeping her locked up. The court rejected the Honenu petition, citing the young lady was in violation of an order distancing her from the area and therefore, she would remain locked up.
At the arraignment on Monday, police asked the court to distance both young ladies from Har Habayis and the general area for 15 days. Justice Miriam Kaslasi accepted the request in part, issuing an order barring the minor from Har Habayis and the Old City for seven days and the older girl for 15 days. They were not required to forfeit personal or third party bond however despite the state’s request to do so.
Honenu feels an injustice is taking place explaining that police are unable to protect Jews as they should to permit them to enjoy religious freedom on the one hand and on the other hand, the Jews are being prosecuted for trying to visit Har Habayis while police routinely abuse their authority to prevent citizens from exercising their basic rights.
The two young ladies in this case are active with the “Returning to the Mount” organization, which decries how police regularly and routinely ignore the basic rights of Jews wishing to visit Har Habayis.
Gedolei Yisrael over the generations and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel prohibit visiting Har Habayis.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Always the statement at the end. But it’s not ALL Gedolai Yisroel. Should one not seek the council of THEIR rav?
Why would ANY rav give a psak that its OK for a woman to daven on har habayis while it is asur and chayav kores for a man to go up to har habayis?
These girl should learn to listen to the poiskim.
First of all, not all poskim hold that it is assur to go up to certain areas of Har HaBayit. There are poskim who say there are places that are mutar however the ultra charadi press seems to censor any mention of these dissenting rabbonim by use of the nebulus phrase “all gedolim say…”
Secondly, why should a Jew be denied the right to go up to Har HaBayit from a secular legal view point? Doesn’t equality and freedom to worship equally exist in Israel?
Rabbosai, there is a machlokes haposkim. Yes, many poskim from across the halachik spectrum forbid going up to Har Habayis in the present state. And while I personally do not go up, there are chashuva rabbanim and roshei yeshiva who allow going up to specific places. There are even some who tayna that it is a mitzvah. This isn’t a pashut machlokes and this should not be discussed in blog comments.
All I’m asking is that we have respect for others who follow the psak hallacha of their rabbanim and roshei yeshiva – even if ours don’t agree with it.