Haredi paper against ascending the Temple Mount


Rachel Kaplan,

Jewish visitor on the Temple Mount (Illustration)
Jewish visitor on the Temple Mount (Illustration)
Sliman Khader/Flash 90

Haredi newspaper Yated Ne'eman published a vicious attack on Friday against haredim who legitimize ascending the Temple Mount through "halachic (Jewish law) wordplay," calling them "Judaic speculators for the needs of politics."

The issue of ascendancy to the Temple Mount today is controversial among religious Jews. Most haredim believe that without the purification processes of a restored priesthood, people are too spiritually unclean to rightfully ascend the Temple Mount. In contrast, most religious zionist rabbis believe that sections of the Temple Mount were not part of the Temple property of old, and are therefore open for visitors.

Around 400 Jews took a full tour of the Temple Mount on Tisha B'av (the Jewish day of national mourning) on Sunday, prompting Jordan's King Abdullah to call for the Waqf to prevent Jews from "taking over" the Mount.

"In response to Jews who have not listened to the words of the prophet that 'when you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts?' (Isaiah 1:12), and ascended the Temple Mount on Tisha B'Av, the Jordanian King Abdullah worsened his decrees," Yated wrote, blaming the visits for the verbal response of the king after Tisha B'av.

The news outlet raised a concern that visually haredi people may lead to incitement against the whole sector. "It is true that Ishmael is 'a savage beast,' with a 'sword drawn from his scabbard,' but people who try to ascend the Temple Mount are those who provide excuses to the bloodthirsty vampires to attack Israel.

"Those same Jewish speculators for the needs of politics, who speak of 'prayer in the most holy place of the Jews,' do not intend to pray," the news outlet wrote, accusing Temple Mount activists of ulterior motives.

"They present their political plan as a religious wish, yet use their 'Torah' as a pawn for political achievements. As such, it is...pouring oil on the fire."

According to the paper, past and present rabbis are in agreement on a ban against ascending the Temple Mount. "Even though there was agreement without dissent...even though religious zionist rabbis forbade unequivocally the ascent, even though the Chief Rabbi also ruled thus, those same [religious] activists will not be stopped from ascending the Mount, from violating the strict prohibition."

The paper goes on to attack haredim who ascend the Mount, claiming they are not true haredim. "Lately, even secular media joined in celebration of the mountain. After surreal images appeared of marginalized members of the haredi community, who were deliberately recorded in the camera lenses of the Waqf, the liberals began to talk as if there are growing cracks of dissension among haredim about ascending the Mount."

For a haredi paper, such "accusations" would be virtual slander.

"This places us directly in the crosshairs of evil, hateful plotters, because of them. They chase us and endanger us! The evilness of those uncounted [Jews], is endangering everyone, and among them the true Judaism which is completely faithful to the greats of Israel, who are completely against, legally and philosophically, ascendance to the Mount."