Tensions rise ahead of opening of mosque in Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old CitySidna Omar mosque in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, close to the Hurva synagogue on its right, Nov 20, 2019. (Elron Zabatani/TPS)
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This is a “blatant effort to stir up religious tensions and challenge Israeli sovereignty and legitimacy in the Old City,” says the founder of non-profit Keep Jerusalem.
By Aryeh Savir, TPS and World Israel News
Residents of the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem are preparing for widespread protests following the renovation and reopening of the Sidna Omar mosque in the heart of the neighborhood.
The mosque, located on the main road to the Western Wall and in close proximity to several Jewish educational institutions, has been closed for decades and will open to Muslim worshipers in the coming weeks after undergoing renovations paid for by Jordan. This development has become a source of great concern in the Jewish Quarter and among Jewish communities in Jerusalem and abroad.
Over the weekend, representatives of a newly established action committee and rabbis convened for a meeting in which they concluded that “the evil of decree must be annulled, and efforts should commence to hold a dialogue with Waqf to prevent an outburst.”
‘What will happen on Yom Kippur and Ramadan?’
Residents of the Jewish Quarter told Tazpit Press Service (TPS) they are outraged at what they say is the incompetence of the Israeli authorities, and especially the Jerusalem municipality, which they said has known about the renovations but has taken no action. Likewise, the police admitted that they knew about the renovations but did not comment or act on the matter, they said.
“It is unthinkable that when tens of thousands of Jewish worshippers come to pray at the Jewish Quarter, prayers will be held in the mosque, especially during Ramadan,” committee members told TPS. One member of the committee asked at the meeting, “What will happen on Yom Kippur and Ramadan prayers?”
On Sunday morning, World Israel News (WIN) contacted the Jerusalem Municipality, asking why the opening of the mosque is permitted, considering that no Muslims live in close vicinity to the site as well as the serious security considerations. The media spokesperson did not provide an answer by deadline – late Monday afternoon – although he said he has been trying to get information from the police and other authorities.
A spokesperson for Ministry of Jerusalem Affairs showed little concern, telling WIN that the renovations are being done by a private company and it has nothing to do with them – “the same as if you needed renovations for your home.”
“We certainly have to assume the security risk is greater,” Rabbi Eli Deutsch, a resident of the Jewish Quarter and father of six, told WIN.
“However, if you’re asking if I’m petrified and living in fear, certainly not,” he added. “But you have to assume there will be incidents that will occur that would not have occurred otherwise. And this will cause periods of higher tension.
“In addition to the security factor,” he continued, “we have to ask ourselves why we are proactively assisting those whose clear agenda is our destruction.”
“The State of Israel has a national case of the ‘Exile Jew’ complex, Deutsch said, “where the Jew in exile twists himself into a pretzel to get approval from the non-Jewish world. In the end it is merely a sign of the Jew’s own lack of sense of self, and it signals fear and weakness.”
Moshe Kempinski, owner of Shorashim Biblical Shop in the Old City, told WIN that the reopening of the mosque is “definitely an attempt to show control. I wouldn’t have any problem with it if they would allow Jews to open a synagogue on the Temple Mount.”
In the meantime, mediation efforts and talks with Muslim public figures and representatives of the Waqf have commenced. The action committee hopes that the efforts will bear fruit in the coming days and prevent the deterioration of the situation in the Quarter and other parts the Old City.
More Muslim sites in the Old City?
TPS has learned that Jordan intends to renovate more Muslim sites in the Old City, assisted by the Al Quds Commission, which is sponsored by the King of Morocco, including the Yaaqubi Mosque and the Omar Ben-Khatab Mosque adjacent to the Holy Sepulcher.
Chaim Silberstein is the founder of Keep Jerusalem, “a non profit, non partisan organization founded to educate the public at large as to the importance of a United Jerusalem under Israeli Sovereignty,” according to its website.
“It is clear that this effort by the Muslims to reopen this mosque in the heart of the Jewish quarter is a political, not religious, move,” Silberstein told WIN. “There is a plethora of mosques and religious institutions in the areas where the Muslims live in the Old City and elsewhere. There are no Muslims living in the immediate area this mosque.
耶路撒冷旧城犹太区的清真寺开放之前，紧张局势加剧。耶路撒冷古城犹太区的锡德纳·奥马尔清真寺（Sidna Omar清真寺）在其右边的赫尔瓦犹太教堂附近，2019年11月20日。（Elron Zabatani / TPS）
非营利组织“保持耶路撒冷”的创始人说，这是“公然努力，挑起宗教紧张局势，挑战以色列在旧城的主权和合法性”。
耶路撒冷旧城犹太区的居民正在为邻里中心的Sidna Omar清真寺进行改建和重新开放而准备大规模抗议活动。
这座清真寺位于通往西墙的主要道路上，紧邻几家犹太教育机构，已经关闭了数十年，并将在约旦进行了翻新后的几周内向穆斯林信徒开放。这种事态发展已成为犹太人区以及耶路撒冷和国外犹太人社区极为关注的问题。
上周末，一个新成立的行动委员会和拉比的代表召集了一次会议，在会议上他们得出结论：“必须废除法令的邪恶，并应开始与Waqf进行对话以防止爆发。”
“赎罪日和斋月会发生什么？”
犹太区居民告诉Tazpit Press Service（TPS），他们对以色列当局，特别是耶路撒冷市政府的无能为力感到愤怒，他们说他们知道有关翻新工程，但未采取任何行动。同样，警方承认，他们知道装修情况，但未对此事发表评论或采取行动。
委员会成员告诉TPS：“当成千上万的犹太信徒来犹太区祈祷时，将在清真寺内进行祈祷，这是不可想象的，尤其是在斋月期间。”委员会的一位成员在会议上问：“赎罪日和斋月祈祷会发生什么？”
周日早上，世界以色列新闻社（WIN）与耶路撒冷市政府联系，询问为什么允许开放清真寺，因为考虑到没有穆斯林居住在该地点附近，并且出于认真的安全考虑。媒体发言人没有在截止日期前（周一下午晚些时候）提供答案，尽管他说他一直在试图从警察和其他当局那里获得信息。
耶路撒冷事务部发言人几乎没有担心，告诉WIN装修工作是由一家私人公司进行的，与他们无关。“就像您需要对房屋进行装修一样。”
“我们当然必须承担更大的安全风险，”犹太区居民，六岁的父亲拉比·埃利·德意志（Rabbi Eli Deutsch）告诉WIN。
他补充说：“但是，如果您要问我是否被吓呆了并且生活在恐惧中，那肯定不是。” “但是您必须假设将要发生的事件本来不会发生的。这将导致一段时间的紧张局势。
他继续说：“除了安全因素，我们还必须问自己为什么我们要积极协助那些明确议程被摧毁的人。”
德意志说：“以色列国有一个’流亡犹太人’情结的国家案例，”流亡的犹太人将自己扭曲成椒盐脆饼，以得到非犹太世界的认可。最后，这仅仅是犹太人自身缺乏自我意识的标志，它标志着恐惧和软弱。”
旧城Shorashim圣经商店的所有者Moshe Kempinski告诉WIN，重新开放清真寺“绝对是显示出控制权。如果他们允许犹太人在圣殿山打开犹太教堂，我对此不会有任何问题。”
在此期间，与穆斯林社会人士和穆斯林宗教组织的代表进行了调解努力和对话。行动委员会希望，这些努力将在未来几天取得成果，并防止该地区和旧城其他地区的局势恶化。
旧城区有更多穆斯林遗址吗？
TPS获悉，约旦打算在由摩洛哥国王赞助的Al Quds委员会的协助下，对旧城区的更多穆斯林遗址进行整修，包括Yaaqubi清真寺和与圣墓教堂相邻的Omar Ben-Khatab清真寺。
查姆·席尔伯施泰因（Chaim Silberstein）是“保持耶路撒冷”的创始人。“保持耶路撒冷”是一个非营利性，无党派组织，旨在向广大公众宣传联合耶路撒冷在以色列主权下的重要性。