Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has declined an invitation to participate in a dedication of the Churva Shul in the Old City of Jerusalem, many feeling due to his concerns over possibly inflaming relations with the White House. Organizers explain that the prime minister’s message will be aired by video feed.

The ceremony its set for Monday (14 March), marking the refurbishing of the shul 62 years after it was desecrated by the Jordanians in the 1948 War of Independence.

Expected to attend will be Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger Shlita, Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar Shlita, Kosel Rav Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Housing Minister Ariel Atias, Minister of Diaspora Affairs Yuli Edelstein, Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, MKs and other public officials.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)