Yerushalayim…Units of Yatar (Yechidat Hatraktonim) have begun patrolling Har Hazeisim as yet another layer of security in the ongoing efforts to secure the 3000-year old cemetery and mokom kodosh. The unit is the analogous to auxiliary police, although they are armed and work closely with the Israeli police. In most cases, volunteers of Yatar are teamed up with regular units of the police.

In making the announcement, Avraham Lubinsky, chairman of the International Committee for the Preservation of Har Hazeisim (ICPHH), said that “we continue to work diligently to bring maximum security to Har Hazeisim so that it is completely safe for visitors and mourners.” In fact, it was the ICPHH that brought the Israeli Police and Yatar representatives together to arrange the joint patrols.” Co- Chairman Menachem Lubinsky met with both Chief Inspector Chaim Shmueli and Yatar representatives who subsequently met to conclude the arrangement in which the Yatar units will have their units patrol the cemetery as well as the access roads.

An important aspect of the new patrols is that Yatar volunteers use ATV’s (All-Terrain Vehicles) for their patrols. This allows for quick access to all areas of the cemetery and can foil most attempts at escape in case where there is an incident. Mr. Lubinsky believes that the Yatar deployment will add significant force to the police garrison already on the mountain as well as a unit of the Border Police. “Along with the network of 173 surveillance cameras, a police station and the recently completed wall/fence, the introduction of Yatar ushers in a new era of safety and security which could not have been dreamt of only several years ago,” said Mr. Lubinsky.

According to security sources, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of visitors to Har Hazeisim. In just 18 months, the average number of daily visitors has increased from 400 to well over 2000. Mr. Lubinsky added that a number of new projects are in the planning stage which will help restore “the historic international cemetery of the Jewish people” to its ancient glory.

The announcement about the deployment of the Yatar units comes on the seventh anniversary of the founding of the ICPHH. The organization was founded in May 2010 in the aftermath of a shocking report by the then State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss about the shameful condition of the cemetery including the destruction of graves, routine stoning of visitors, donkey races, drug trade and more. In the seven years of the ICPHH, there has been a dramatic reversal of these despicable conditions. Working closely with the local and national governments, over $25 million was invested in security and infrastructure projects.