[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]
People walking by Jaffo Gate were in for a surprise as they passed a truck near the gate distributing holiday trees. People gathered to receive their free trees from local workers, compliments of the Jerusalem Municipality. Security forces were on site to make sure that the distribution was completed without incident. Tourists and passing locals alike stopped to take photographs or pose with the trees while many passed by with indifference.
Credits: C. Schvarcz – Kuvien Images – www.kuvienimages.com
YWN PHOTO LINK: Click HERE to see the photos.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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7 Responses
The frum community only has themselves to blame. A pagan mayor was elected, because people who call themselves shomer mitzvos divide themselves over shitos and power. Meanwhile, avodah zara comes out the winner.
As Bob Grant used to say, “It’s sick out there & getting sicker.”
What a ‘Jewish State’
why is the yeshiva world writing in an amblivient way about such a chilul hakodesh
Clearly, none of the knee jerk protesters above stopped to consider – even for a couple of seconds – that there is a Xtian minority living in Yerushalayim. That group includes a lot of foreigners (see below) and native Xtians.
The city fathers, in conjunction with the Keren Kayemet, gain considerable kudos, both in Israel and abroad, by being seen to help those minority Xtians to observe its religion and customs.
Another point is that, by giving trees away for free there is no incentive for thieves and/or vandals to damage the forests around Yerushalayim by wantonly chopping down trees and dragging them home.
Aside from that, had the naysayers engaged their brains they might have remembered that there are foreign consulates in Yerushalayim, not to mention the foreign embassies in Tel Aviv, and the international organisations operating in Israel, such as the UN peacekeeping and truce supervision groups.
C’mon you guys, try to think just a millimeter further than your own daled amot.
While I need to agree that it is dumb for Israel to be handing out X-mas trees, I do need to question the need of YWN to publicize this. Oh. I forgot. The need is to provoke as much loshon horah against E”Y as possible…
Although I am not pleased to read about this, I will give the benefit of the doubt and hope that these trees will be replanted, growing more beautiful trees in Eretz Yisroel. Secondly, lets call it christmas tree not Holiday tree. The same same secular progressives in the US that want to change the name to “Holiday” want to get rid of the open demonstration of the menorah in public. I will never title the menorah as a holiday candelabra nor will I title the christmas tree a holiday tree.