Keep up the fight Brothers and Sisters!

First, watch the shocking video.



Then sign the petition:

http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/tmount

Our Brothers and Sisters are risking their lives in non-violent protest to have equal access to OUR OWN HOLY SITES! Watch how the Muslims and Israeli Police treat them!

O enemies of Israel, we will win! With determination. With heartfelt prayer. And finally when Mashiach Tzidkeinu comes, we shall rebuild.

If you want a tragic (yet humorous) insight into the Muslim mind, I invite you to read this: http://tinyurl.com/muslimlies

Rabbi calls for sacrifice on Temple Mount

Jews evading Passover mitzvah are risking supernatural punishment, warns Safed's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu. 


Read the full article HERE.

"In order to overcome the greatest obstacle, beyond the political problem, an altar must be erected, the rabbi said. He also called for the preparation of "priesthood clothes", which are the only ones in which Kohanim (priests) can perform their work at the Temple."

Let's do it already!  Why do the Samaritans get a free pass to practice their religion and we don't?

"May it be your will, O my G-d and G-d of my Forefathers, that the Beit Ha-Mikdash be rebuilt speedily in our days, and give us our portion in your Torah and there we will worship you with reverence as in ancient days and former years. And may the Korban Mincha of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing to God, as in ancient days and former years."

Just empty words?



And now for a little prophecy...

Stop the Desecration of the Temple Mount!

Read more about it HERE.

We need an international outcry!  Hoe can the world shed tears for the so-called Palestinians while out Holiest Shrine is being desecrated?  What would the world say if Jews or Hindus did this to the Kaaba?

Speak out!  Repost!  Raise the issue!

I am also looking for a holy brother and sister who lives in the Old City to establish a Temple Cam.  While the Kotel Cam is wonderful, the world should also have a window on Judaism's HOLIEST place!  Perhaps Shuvu Bonim will allow a camera on their roof?  Anyone want to help?

Anti-Jewish Racism on the Temple Mount

From Arutz Sheva:

“There is basic, racist discrimination on the Temple Mount. Jews are discriminated against on the Temple Mount, period. That's the situation.” So says Michael Fuah of the Likud's Jewish Leadership faction, which recently compiled its own report on discrimination on the Temple Mount after a State Comptroller's report was censored.

The Knesset has taken an interest in the Jewish Leadership faction's report, and the Internal Affairs committee plans to discuss its findings in a special hearing on Tuesday.

The Temple Mount discrimination “deals a blow to the values on which the state of Israel was founded, as a Jewish, democratic state,” Fuah told Arutz Sheva's Hebrew-language news service. The situation has worsened in recent months, he added.

Fuah described the discrimination: “Everyone who has attempted to ascend the Temple Mount knows the reality, in which everyone with a 'Jewish look,' a beard and kippah, experiences discrimination. He is pulled aside for extra checks while everyone else passes by unimpeded.” In addition, Jews are prohibited to pray at the site.

 Read the full article HERE

For those who are confused, I will boil it down.

• Islam occupies Judaism's Holiest site, the Temple Mount and turned it into a mosque.  Jews are forbidden to pray there.
• Islam turned the burial place of OUR Forefathers and Mothers into a Mosque and forbade Jews from worshiping there.  One has to ask why the grave of Isaac and Jacob would be important to Arabs and Muslims as they claim descent from Ishmael, Isaac's brother.
• Islam occupies the seat of Eastern Christianity's holiest site, the Hagia Sophia, and turned it into a mosque.  Christians are forbidden to pray there.
• Jews and Christians are not allowed within 50 miles of Islam's holiest shrine, the Kaaba, because, according to their prophet "Two religions cannot exist within Arabia."  Arabia has been ethnically cleansed of Jews and Christians though they ruled there and predated the Arabs.  I suggest reading this great book:

• The exact "hadith" is:  "Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "Two deens (religions) shall not co-exist in the Arabian Peninsula."

  Malik said that Ibn Shihab said, ''Umar ibn al-Khattab searched for information about that until he was absolutely convinced that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had said, 'Two religions shall not co-exist in the Arabian Peninsula,' and he therefore expelled the Jews from Khaybar."
  

• Muslims destroyed two ancient Buddha statues in Afghanistan.
• HUNDREDS of Hindu temples have been destroyed by Muslims or converted into mosques.  See THIS SITE. 
• For a nice summation, see HERE.

THIS IS THE DEFINITION OF OCCUPATION! 
THIS IS APARTHEID! 
THIS IS ETHNIC CLEANSING!

First-Temple Building Remains Found Near Temple Mount

(IsraelNN.com) The Israel Antiquities Authority announces the first time in the history of the archaeological research of Jerusalem that building remains from the First Temple period have been exposed so close to the Temple Mount – on the eastern slopes of the Upper City.

A rich layer of finds from the latter part of the First Temple period (8th-6th centuries B.C.E.) has been discovered in archaeological rescue excavations near the Western Wall plaza. The dig is being carried out in the northwestern part of the Western Wall plaza, near the staircase leading up towards the Jaffa Gate.

The Israel Antiquties Authority has been conducting the excavations for the past two years under the direction of archaeologists Shlomit Wexler-Bdoulah and Alexander Onn, in cooperation with the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. The remains of a magnificent colonnaded street [i.e., lined by columns] from the 2nd century C.E. were uncovered; the street appears on the mosaic Madaba map, and is referred to by the name Eastern Cardo. The level of the Eastern Cardo is paved with large heavy limestone pavers that were set directly atop the layer that dates to the end of the First Temple period. This Roman road thus “seals” beneath it the finds from the First Temple period, protecting them from being plundered in later periods.

The walls of the buildings found in the dig are preserved to a height of more than two meters.

Ring Seal Found, Inscribed with Owner's Name
Another impressive artifact found in the salvage excavations is a personal Hebrew seal made of a semi-precious stone that was apparently inlaid in a ring. The seal is elliptical and measures approximately 1 by 1.4 centimeters.

The seal's surface is divided into three strips separated by a double line: in the upper strip is a chain decoration comprising four pomegranates, and in the two bottom strips is the name of the owner of the seal, engraved in ancient Hebrew script. It reads: "[Belonging] to Netanyahu ben [son of] Yaush." Though each of the two names are not unfamiliar, no one with that name is known to scholars of the period.

A vast amount of pottery vessels was also discovered, among them three jar handles that bear similar stamped impressions. An inscription written in ancient Hebrew script is preserved on one these impressions, reading "Belonging] to the King of Hevron."

Earthquake on the Temple Mount!

And so it begins?

Earthquake Damages Temple Mount and Shechem

(IsraelNN.com) An earthquake shook Israel at 12:37 PM Friday. The only damage reported in Israel was on the Temple Mount and near Shechem (Nablus).

The earthquake measured 5.3 on the Richter scale; its epicenter was located in northeastern Lebanon. Earlier last week an earthquake measuring 4.1 was felt in northern Israel, also originating from Lebanon, near its northern city of Tyre.

A large hole opened up on the Temple Mount during Friday's earthquake (click here for pictures), which was soon covered by officials from the Wakf Islamic Authority that administers the mosques built atop Judaism’s holiest site.

The only other reported damage in the Holy Land was incurred between Palestinian Authority-controlled Shechem (Nablus) and Jenin, where an old home collapsed, blocking the main road to the village of Khufin. The village is not far from the site of the Biblical Joseph’s Tomb, which was set ablaze by Muslim vandals last week.

At least five people were injured and two homes were destroyed in southern Lebanon as a result of Friday’s quake.

Wakf Officials Blame Israel
Wakf officials tried to blame Israel for the 6-foot by 5-foot hole, which is about three feet deep, claiming it was caused by Israel, which it accuses of tunneling beneath the Temple Mount. They demanded an end to all Israeli excavations in the area.

Though several excavation projects are taking place around the Western Wall Plaza, none of them entail tunneling past the wall itself and beneath the mount. The Wakf’s official position is that there was never a Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount and has gone to great efforts to erase archaeological evidence of Judaism’s historical ties to the site.

Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz issued a statement rejecting the Muslim claims. "These are mendacious reports without a grain of truth," he said, adding that work in the Temple Mount compound would be contrary to Jewish law. “Such claims are a desecration and cause hatred and incitement for no reason whatsoever,” Rabbi Rabinowitz said. He stressed that work on the Rambam (Mughrabi) Gate ramp to the Temple Mount is vital for the safety of those who visit the Western Wall and called on the authorities to finish the work speedily.

Read more about it below.

My Right Word

Dreaming of Moshiach

"And on that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem from the east. And the Mount of Olives shall split in the midst thereof-toward the east and toward the west-a very great valley. And half the mountain shall move to the north, and half of it to the south.

And you shall flee to the valley of the mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach Azal. And you shall flee as you fled because of the earthquake, in the days of Uzziah the King of Judah. And the Lord,my God, shall come; all holy ones with you."

-Zecharya

First Temple seal found in Jerusalem

From the Jerusalem Post

A stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, a prominent Israeli archeologist said Wednesday.

The 2,500-year-old black stone seal, which has the name "Temech" engraved on it, was found earlier this week amid stratified debris in the excavation under way just outside the Old City walls near the Dung Gate, said archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar, who is leading the dig.

According to the Book of Nehemiah, the Temech family were servants of the First Temple and were sent into exile to Babylon following its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.

The family was among those who later returned to Jerusalem, the Bible recounts.

The seal, which was bought in Babylon and dates to 538-445 BCE, portrays a common and popular cultic scene, Mazar said.

The 2.1 x 1.8-cm. elliptical seal is engraved with two bearded priests standing on either side of an incense altar with their hands raised forward in a position of worship.

A crescent moon, the symbol of the chief Babylonian god Sin, appears on the top of the altar.

Under this scene are three Hebrew letters spelling Temech, Mazar said.

The Bible refers to the Temech family: "These are the children of the province, that went up out of the captivity, of those that had been carried away, whom Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon had carried away, and came again to Jerusalem and to Judah, every one unto his city." [Nehemiah 7:6]... "The Nethinim [7:46]"... The children of Temech." [7:55].

The fact that this cultic scene relates to the Babylonian chief god seemed not to have disturbed the Jews who used it on their own seal, she added.

The seal of one of the members of the Temech family was discovered just dozens of meters away from the Opel area, where the servants of the Temple, or "Nethinim," lived in the time of Nehemiah, Mazar said.

"The seal of the Temech family gives us a direct connection between archeology and the biblical sources and serves as actual evidence of a family mentioned in the Bible," she said. "One cannot help being astonished by the credibility of the biblical source as seen by the archaeological find."

The find will be announced by Mazar at the 8th annual Herzliya Conference on Sunday.

The archeologist, who rose to international prominence for her recent excavation that may have uncovered King David's palace, most recently uncovered the remnants of a wall from Nehemiah.

The dig is being sponsored by the Shalem Center, a Jerusalem research institute where Mazar serves as a senior fellow, and the City of David Foundation, which promotes Jewish settlement throughout east Jerusalem.

From One Jerusalem...

Olmert makes my skin crawl. So much sheker in one human...

A Sad State

The day is long, but seemingly coming to a close. Hashem asks us to choose life, to choose the right path but we remain blind and deaf, unwilling to hear the messages.

Mi LaShem Alai! The enemies of Torah are willing to divide up our Holy Jerusalem! What chutzpah! I am not fearful of men, because Olmert and his ilk can do what they wish. Jerusalem will never be "divided" or "Palestinian." It is, was and forever shall be our City.

But I do fear G-d. How many times can Hashem warn us of the ramifications of our actions and we not take heed?

"Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord has spoken; Children I have raised and exalted, yet they have rebelled against Me. An ox knows his owner and a donkey his master's crib; Israel does not know, my people does not consider.

Woe to a sinful nation, a people heavy with iniquity, evildoing seed, corrupt children. They forsook the Lord; they provoked the Holy One of Israel; they drew backwards...

Your land is desolate; your cities burnt with fire. Your land-in your presence, strangers devour it; and it is desolate as that turned over to strangers...

How has she become a harlot, a faithful city; full of justice, in which righteousness would lodge, but now murderers. Your princes are rebellious and companions of thieves; everyone loves bribes and runs after payments; the orphan they do not judge, and the quarrel of the widow does not come to them.

"Therefore," says the Master, the Lord of Hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, "Oh, I will console Myself from My adversaries, and I will avenge Myself of My foes.

And I will return My hand upon you and purge away your dross as with lye, and remove all your tin. And I will restore your judges as at first and your counselors as in the beginning; afterwards you shall be called City of Righteousness, Faithful City.

Zion shall be redeemed through justice and her penitent through righteousness."

Mini-Earthquake Sets Off Predictions of Larger One

Which side will you be on?

“Israel or Uganda, what difference does it make? It makes no difference to me. Why is it good to die for our country? What, isn’t it better to live in New York? Why should 18-year-old kids have to die? It’s dumb that people have to die so that I can live in Israel.”
-Israeli "Model" Bar-Rafaeli


“The Land of Israel belongs to the Nation of Israel and was granted to us as an inheritance by the Creator of the world. Neither the Prime Minister nor anybody else has the right to give away areas, or even a grain, of the holy Land of Israel. The entire Land of Israel, according to the borders outlined in the Torah – belonged in the past, and belong in the present and future, only to the Nation of Israel, and it is forbidden by severe Torah prohibition to give up any of the territory of our holy land.”
-Rabbi Avraham Shapira ZT"L

Olmert and this government have put Jerusalem on the table. Would the Arabs do the same? Of course not. They have firm convictions and hold steadfast to them:

From Haaretz:

Senior Palestinian Authority officials have told Haaretz they will pressure U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to persuade Israel to declare a freeze on construction in the settlements even before the Annapolis peace summit in November.

"This is a stage Israel agreed to at the first stage of the road map," a Palestinian official said. Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa told the German news agency over the weekend that the Arab countries would seek a halt to Israeli construction in the settlements in exchange for their participation in the summit. They would also "oppose beginning any final talks without a timetable," Moussa said.

Despite attempts by Israel to avoid discussing final-status issues in the media, senior PA officials also told Haaretz that the idea the Temple Mount would not be in Palestinian hands was "inconceivable."

"No Palestinian leader would agree to this, certainly not Abu Mazen [PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas]," a PA official said. "No Arab country would agree for a final-status arrangement in which the Temple Mount was not in Muslim hands, particularly not Saudi Arabia."

Another Palestinian official told Haaretz that "the Israeli public still doesn't understand how important the issue of Al-Aqsa is," referring to the mosque on the Temple Mount. He added that the issue was a deal-breaker for the Palestinian public.

How sickening for us. How shameful. This is why we are losing. Please take time to sign One Jerusalem's Petition HERE

Oh, and for you who cherish the Kotel so much and could care less about what that wall is holding up... Click HERE (kippa tip to Boker tov, Boulder!)

Not on my watch....

Israel May Approve a Divided Jerusalem

The Battle for Jerusalem Begins

I'm not going to even comment on this, suffice it to say this suicidal government does not represent the Jewish People nor the will of G-d and thus won't stand.

The time has come to choose sides. Are you for Hashem and his His Holy Temple or do you rely on men? Will you be part of the generation that sees our Holy City given over to our enemies or will you stand up?

US News & World Report gets it SPOT ON!

I love Mortimer B. Zuckerman, Editor-In-Chief of US News & World Report. He has the beitzim to say what needs to be said. The truth. And he's not afraid to say it:

"...[The] campaign of repudiation cuts deeply into the Israeli psyche. The Israelis know that the Jews have lived in the land of Israel without interruption for nearly 4,000 years. They know that, except for a short Crusader kingdom, they are the only people who have had independent sovereignty on this land. And they are the only people for whom Jerusalem has been their capital.

They are not a foreign occupier because the State of Israel is the child not of European colonialism but rather of Ottoman decolonialization. It was that Jewish historical bond that led the League of Nations 85 years ago to establish the right of the Jewish people to reconstitute a Jewish homeland on all the territories west of the Jordan River, all the way to the Mediterranean. That same right to a national home was sanctioned again 59 years ago by the new United Nations. After an Arab invasion 40 years ago, the U.N. passed a resolution affirming Israel's right to "secure and recognized boundaries." As Winston Churchill noted in 1922, "The Jews are in Palestine by right, not sufferance." The refusal of the Palestinians and of Ahmadinejad to recognize this has, for decades, undercut Israeli confidence in their true motives.

Subtle untruths. And when Yasser Arafat said there was no First or Second Temple in Jerusalem but only "an obelisk," he, too, was trying to deny the history of the Jewish people in Jerusalem. But this is the site of the binding of Isaac by Abraham, the place where David built the altar on the threshing floor of Aravna to halt the plague. The Temple Mount was where Jesus was brought as an infant and where he later chased away the money-changers. Mentioned 20 times in the New Testament, the Temple Mount is one of the cornerstones of the Judeo-Christian ethical tradition of the West. Yet it is all denied by the Palestinians. This obduracy, combined with waves of terrorism, has shattered the Israeli-Palestinian relationship..."

Read the entire Editorial HERE

If this doesn't get you to subscribe then I don't know what will. Heck, here's the link to SUBSCRIBE

Quarry for Temple Mount's Giant Rocks - Found

Arutz Sheva:

The Antiquities Authority announced today that it has found the quarry that supplied the giant stones for the building of the Temple Mount. The quarry is located in what is now one of Jerusalem's newest neighborhoods, Ramat Shlomo (also known as Reches Shuafat), between Ramot and French Hill. The quarry was found in the course of an archaeological rescue dig prior to the construction of a neighborhood school.

The ancient quarry is spread out over at least five dunams (1.25 acres), with rocks between three and eight meters long - the size of those that can still be seen today at the foundations of the Temple Mount and in the Western Wall - hewn out of the ground. Click here for photos of the quarry on the Israel Matzav blog.

Stop the desecration!

Buttons... we got 'em!

Here are some buttons for your blogs or websites.









Right click. Save image as. Paste in blog with link if you so desire.

The time is coming when we are going to have to make a stand for our Holy Temple Mount and Land.

Not so sure?

Chief Negotiator Favors Division of Jerusalem, Including Old City

Help us spread the word.

WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE???

Remnants of the Second Temple Being Destroyed by Islamic Wakf

(IsraelNN.com) A large trench being dug on the Temple Mount is destroying a never before uncovered section of the outer wall of the Second Temple. The construction is being supervised by the Wakf—the Muslim Authority acting as custodians to the Temple Mount.

Archeologists have been calling for construction to halt on the trench, which is approximately 1,300 feet long and five feet deep. The Wakf claims the trench is being dug to replace 40-year-old electrical cables for nearby mosques.

New photos of construction debris from the Temple Mount show carved stones casually dumped in a pile that appear to be a section of the outer wall of the Second Temple, according to archaeologist Eilat Mazar.

According to Rabbi Chaim Richman, International Director of the Temple Institute, the Wakf is intentionally digging in areas where "undoubtedly the Temple once stood." "For the first time since the Temple's destruction, a section of the Temple Wall itself has been exposed," Richman said. "And the Wakf under the guise of laying down electrical pipes has dug a trench, destroying the most important holy artifact ever found to date."

Richman contends that the Temple remains are being "purposely destroyed with no supervision," calling the government's tolerance of the construction "complicit cooperation."

According to a report by WorldNetDaily, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert personally gave permission for bulldozers, steam shovels and other heavy equipment to be used to dig the trench.

"This is an extraordinarily serious offense," Richman states. "A corrupt, spiritually bankrupt government is allowing Judaism's holiest site to be trashed because of political agreements to officially hand over the Temple Mount to the Palestinian Authority. Jews in Israel and abroad are asleep, and have not awakened to the importance of the Temple in Judaism or the desecration of this holy site being performed daily by the Wakf."

The Israel Antiquities Authority approved the construction despite archaeologists’ concern that precious artifacts are being destroyed. The Authority, which digs for religious artifacts across the State of Israel, has not inspected construction on Judaism's holiest site even once since the work began, despite continuous calls for the construction to be supervised and halted.

English spokesman for the Israeli Police, Mickey Rosenfeld asserts that the police stationed on the Temple Mount will not prevent the construction because the Antiquities Authority approved the dig.

The Wakf has denied that any Jewish artifacts have been discovered during the dig, but new photos of work on the Mount belie the claim, clearly showing what is likely to be an ancient piece of carved wall.

The wall in question is from the outer wall of the Temple itself, as opposed to the Western Wall, which is a remnant of the retaining wall around the larger Temple platform.

Mazar, a member of the faculty at Hebrew University and a member of the Public Committee for Prevention of the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount, says it is "crucial this wall is inspected." She explains that the current ground level of the Temple Mount is slightly above the original Temple Mount platform, “meaning anything found is likely from the Temple itself.”

Mazar insists that she must personally inspect the stones to confirm their status, and attempted to inspect the site last week. She was stopped by Israeli police who are protecting the construction.

"The only hope is for Jews and non-Jews from across the world to stand up and start putting pressure on the religious, political and archeological communities to immediately halt this process," Richman concludes. "The whole world is wondering what the Jews are doing, allowing their most precious site, the Holy of Holies to be destroyed right before their eyes."

I don't know what is more disgraceful: the chutzpah and hypocrisy of the Muslims or the complacency of the Jewish World. THE BEIS HAMIKDASH is being destroyed yet again IN OUR TIMES and no one is standing up! Imagine the outcry from the Islamic world if one of their precious shrines was even touched by a non-Muslim! Would you stand by if a family member was chas v'shalom being attacked? The Temple Mount is ours and ours alone. It is our heritage and our property, yet we sit by and shake out heads as it is being torn apart by our enemies.

You must speak out. You must write, email, call the knesset. You must take action! Do not sit in your comfy air conditioned shul on Rosh Hashana and call Hashem Melech as you did nothing while his palace is being torn to shreds.
---------------------------------------------------------------

Update:

From WorldNetDaily.com

Muslims caught red-handed destroying Temple artifacts

Archaeologists kept out as WND obtains photo of pulverized antiquities at Judaism's holiest site

By Aaron Klein

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com

JERUSALEM – Islamic authorities using heavy machinery to dig on the Temple Mount – Judaism's holiest site – have been caught red-handed destroying Temple-era antiquities and what's believed to be a section of an outer wall of the Second Jewish Temple.

WND today obtained a photograph of a massive trench the Waqf, the Muslim custodians of the Temple Mount, have been blasting around the periphery of the holy site purportedly to replace 40-year-old electrical cables for mosques on the Mount. The Waqf has steadfastly denied they found or destroyed any Jewish antiquities during their dig.

In view in the picture, which was obtained in conjunction with Israel's Temple Institute, are concrete slabs broken by Waqf bulldozers and what appears to be a chopped up carved stone from Jewish Temple-era antiquity.

Read the full story HERE

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"Jerry" of Harrison, TN has this to say on the Arutz Sheva website comments section:

Where is your back bone, where is your honor to God?

Where is the backbone of the Israeli Government and her poeple? Why do you allow the temple mount to be destroyed and why do you give up and divide the land God has given you as a posession forever? In giving up land and making concessions to Muslims, you are dishonoring God and I am ashamed of your government for doing so. If your government is gifted with just half a brain, you will not give up any land but stand and fight. You are going to have to stand up the the Muslims so why not do it on your terms instead of on theirs. Millions of Americans are behind you and would come fight with you against them if you make a stand. We don't have to get permission from our government to come fight. We are decendants of Israel and don't like what is happening to God's people including ourselves. Lets make a stand! Trust God and claim the land God has given. God Bless. Jerry

Are we not ashamed at our inaction?

Archaeologists Issue Urgent Warnings Against Temple Mount Dig

Top Israeli archaeologists held an emergency press conference on Thursday, warning that a Second Temple courtyard wall is in danger of being destroyed by the Arab excavations there.

Members of the Committee to Prevent the Destruction of Temple Mount Antiquities warned that other artifacts could also be endangered by the unsupervised dig.

Dr. Gavriel Barkai opened by saying, "A month and a half ago, the Muslim Waqf [religious trust] began digging a trench more than 400 meters [1,300 feet] long - the largest such work ever carried out on the Temple Mount... These are criminal acts that have no place in a cultured country."

"Some man-worked stones have been found in the trench, as well as remnants of a wall that according to all our estimations, are from a structure in one of the outer courtyards in the Holy Temple. Such important work is being done without the supervision of the Antiquities Authority."

Dr. Eilat Mazar, who has long been involved in the fight to preserve the Temple Mount from unsupervised digging, said she saw Israeli policemen observing but taking no action against the dig. "Irreversible destruction is going on there," she said.

The Committee has demanded that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (fax: 02-670-5475, or 9722-670-5475 from abroad), Jerusalem Affairs Minister Rafi Eitan (Pensioners), and the Antiquities Authority order the work stopped immediately. In addition, they demand that tractors not be allowed to work on the Mount at all, nor may any digging take place without appropriate archaeological supervision.

"The archaeological damage is many times worse," Mazar said, "in light of the fact that the ground level is only slightly above the original Temple Mount platform. And in fact, the bedrock has been uncovered in some places - meaning that earth that has been in place for many centuries, even possibly since the First Temple, has been removed."

"No other country in the world would allow such grave damage to its most precious archaeological treasures," Mazar said. The Committee is planning to file a complaint with the police, and is considering submitting an appeal to the Supreme Court.

Click HERE to see the video of the destruction and read the article.

I'm back and I'm P.O.'d!

I had to take a personal hiatus. But I am back and angrier than ever...

Policeman Assaulted Trying to Stop Illegal Temple Mount Dig

by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) A policeman trying to stop an Arab tractor engaged in illegal Temple Mount excavations was assaulted - and the police chief who arrived on the scene arrested no one.

Officials of the Moslem Waqf (religious body) on the Temple Mount are digging there illegally, likely destroying precious artifacts from as early as the First Temple period. So say eyewitnesses and representatives of the Committee for the Prevention of the Destruction of Temple Mount Antiquities.

Gideon Charlap, a top Jerusalem architect and Temple Mount expert, told Arutz-7 what he saw when he visited the Temple Mount on Tuesday: "The Arabs there are digging a deep north-to-south trench, up to a meter [1.1 yards] deep. It is being dug in the area that served during Holy Temple times as the Ezrat Nashim [the area known as the Women's Courtyard, though it was not reserved only for women -ed.]. The trench passes through three east-to-west walls, according to my calculations - walls that probably served as separations for the Temple's offices and the like. This means that the destruction is tremendous..."

"At one point during the digging," Charlap continued, "a policeman - apparently a Druze - tried to stop the work from going on, and actually entered the cabin of the tractor. A struggle ensued, and when the Arabs finally pushed him out, he actually stood in the trench and physically blocked the rest of the work!"

"But instead of stopping the lawbreakers," Charlap related with incredulity, "he tried to 'calm down' the policeman!"

Charlap said that at that point, the chief officer of the Temple Mount police station, Shai Alali, arrived on the scene. "But instead of stopping the lawbreakers," Charlap related with incredulity, "he tried to 'calm down' the policeman!"

Charlap said he was unable to see how the story developed from there, "because our allotted time was over." Jews are permitted onto the site - Judaism's most sacred anywhere in the world - only four or fewer hours a day.

Police Chief Shai Alali was unavailable for comment. A police spokesman told Arutz-7 that the man who tried to stop the digging was not a policeman. Charlap stands by his story, however.

The digging is taking place just east of the Dome of the Rock.

Millennia of Artifacts - Down the Drain

Dr. Eilat Mazar, an archaeologist and a leading member of the Committee for the Prevention of the Destruction of Temple Mount Antiquities, spoke with Arutz-7's Hebrew newsmagazine about the desecration. "It is an untenable situation," she said. "Underneath the Temple Mount is a closed area, one that has barely been disturbed since the Destruction of the Second Temple. Anyone can realize that remnants of both the First and Second Temples are there, and can guess what damage is being done by the tractor. The most precious findings are just rolling around there and are available to be found - and instead they have a tractor there! If I would try to work with a tractor at one of my digs, the Antiquities Authority would stop me immediately! With a tractor, it's impossible to make any type of careful examination of the earth and pieces being dug up."

"We are a public, voluntary body that has taken upon itself to inform and warn the public about what is going on," Mazar said. "The Antiquities Authority acts as if it is fulfilling its responsibility to supervise - but in fact all they have there is just one man watching but doing nothing. That is not supervision. It's just a deception to say that anyone is overseeing the wanton digging and desecration being carried out there against our greatest national cultural treasure."

Asked if there has been any lull of late in illegal digs on the Temple Mount, Dr. Mazar responded negatively. "They have a clear goal of turning the Temple Mount into a place exclusively for Moslem prayer. In recent years, they have turned two giant structures - at the Huldah Gate and Solomon's Stables - into giant mosques, where none ever stood before... It is totally illegal; how can such violations of the law be allowed - especially in such an important place for Jewish Nation? This is a top archaeological site, and the fact that it's not considered one of the Seven Wonders of the world is our fault, because we don't talk about it enough and certainly don't preserve it enough."

Arutz-7's Uzi Baruch offered, "Perhaps it's because of the politically sensitive nature of the site?"

Mazar answered, "Yes, it's a sensitive spot, but there's a big difference between acting wisely and delicately, on the one hand, and allowing wanton destruction and law-breaking, on the other hand. No good comes of simply turning the other cheek, trying to achieve quiet at any price, and not seeing the future. They want 'quiet now' and they want to appease the Waqf and everyone else - everyone except for those who are concerned for Jewish culture."

"The Antiquities Authority is responsible for preserving antiquities," says Dr. Mazar, "but it is not doing its job on the Temple Mount. The Prime Minister must take this job upon himself and make sure that the law is observed and that the Temple Mount remains an accessible cultural site not only for Moslems, but also for Jews and Christians."

Temple Awareness: A Summer of Seminars and Tours

(IsraelNN.com) The Holy Temple is "in" - in tours, hikes and seminars around the country in the coming days and weeks.

As Jews around the world commemorate the Three Weeks of Mourning for the Holy Temples - beginning last Tuesday and ending on Tisha B'Av, July 24 - Jews in Israel appear to be embarking on a marathon of Temple-related studies and activities. A partial list:

Monday, July 16 - Sessions at the Kohen-Levi Conference at HaKotel Hall in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. 11 AM - 7 PM, payment of 50 shekels at the door.

Tuesday, July 17 - "A Day of the Temple" Seminar with the Temple Institute: Southern Wall excavations, Davidson Center presentation, Temple stairway and gates, Special effects and period actors, Temple vessels exhibition, in-depth lecture, presentation, and special events, 9:30 AM - 4:00 PM, 100 shekels. via the OU Israel Center, tel 02-560-9110

Wednesday, July 18 - "In the Footsteps of the Kohanim and Leviyim" - in and around Old Jerusalem, Herodian Quarter, 2nd Temple priestly mansions, The Menorah, Cardo, Jewish Quarter, Closest gates of the Temple Mount, Kotel HaKatan (Small Wall), Bus to Mt. of Olives, spectacular Temple Mount view, Shimon HaTzaddik tomb, and View of Nov, the city of Kohanim. 10 AM - 4 PM, 60 shekels via the OU Israel Center, tel 02-560-9110

Thursday, July 19 - "In the Footsteps of the Kohanim and Leviyim", bus tour to Shilo, site of the Mishkan, Eli HaKohen, and Shmuel HaNavi. Then to Modiin area, Beit Choron, where the Maccabees defeated the Greeks. Vista from Baal Chatzor, Rosh Chodesh torches, protected bus. 10 AM - 5 PM, 150 shekels. via the OU Israel Center, tel 02-560-9110

July 9-12 - Temple Institute in Jerusalem - four days of tours and lectures. Topics include: The commandment to build the Holy Temple today (Rabbi Yisrael Ariel); Daily Sacrifice, Temple Vessels and Priestly Garments; Renewal of Temple Service Today; Tour in the Davidson Center at the Southern Wall; the Red Heifer (Rabbi Chaim Richman); Festivals in the Temple; Pilgrims in Jerusalem; and more. tel: 02-6264545, 200 shekels each day, 700 shekels for entire program.

July 16-23 - "Between Destruction and Construction" Tours in and around Jerusalem, sponsored by the Jewish Community of the City of David - 45 shekels each, seven tours for the price of six:

Tour 1 - From the Assyrian Siege to the Babylonian Destruction: City of David, Chizikiyahu's Tunnel, and other eastern Jerusalem sites.

Tour 2 - Jerusalem During the Second Temple Period: Nechemiah's Wall, the graves of the Dynasty of David, the Shiloach Pool, and new discoveries

Tour 3 - Following the Pilgrims of the Middle Ages - The gravesites of Huldah, Avshalom, Zechariah, and Rav Ovadiah of Bartinura, and the Rehavam Observation Point.

Tour 4 - Famous figures buried on the Mt. of Olives overlooking the Temple Mount

Tour 5 - Sifting through Temple Mount remains with an archaeologist

Tour 6 - The Jewish Quarter in 1948 - The Zion Gate, Street of the Jews, the Hurva Synagogue, Batei Machseh, and more

Tour 7 - The Battles to Liberate Jerusalem in 1967 - Lions Gate, the Western Wall, the Kidron Bridge, and more

Har Ha-Bayit - yea or nay today?

Rabbis Call for Temple Visits

(IsraelNN.com) Close to 30 leading religious-Zionist rabbis visited the Temple Mount "in purity" on Sunday, after taking the necessary Halakhic precautions.

The precautions involve immersing in a mikveh (ritual bath), taking off one's shoes, and clarifying the precise areas forbidden for entry - or else going only with a guide who knows the area.

The visit was unique in that it marks the first time such a large group of rabbis ascended together to the holy site. Among today's visitors were Kiryat Arba Chief Rabbi Dov Lior, Yeshivat Har Etzion Dean Rabbi Yaakov Meidan, Rabbi Nachum Rabinowitz of Maaleh Adumim, Rabbi Daniel Shilo of Kedumim, Rabbi Shalom Gold of Har Nof, Jerusalem, and others.

Follow Up:

On Jerusalem Day, for the first time in recent history, multiple groups of 40 or more Jews were allowed to ascend the Temple Mount at once. In the past, groups were severely limited in size – and only one allowed on the mount at a time.

Two Jewish visitors were arrested Wednesday for belting out "Shma Yisrael" – the Jewish declaration of faith and G-d's Oneness of Deuteronomy 6:4. Unlike on previous occasions, the rest of the group was not penalized, and many returned the next day to visit as well.

The religious precautions required of one who wishes to ascend the Mount "in purity" include immersing in a mikveh (ritual bath), taking off one's shoes, and clarifying the precise areas forbidden for entry - or else going only with a guide who knows the area.

“There has been a marked increase in Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount since the large group of rabbis ascended,” the Movement for the Preparation of the Temple said in a statement. “The public is encouraged to study the relevant laws and familiarize themselves with their holiest place.”

However, many rabbis in the religious-Zionist camp continue to rule out visits to the sacred site. Former Chief Rabbi Avraham Shapira, the nonagenarian [in his 90's] dean of Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav, told the massive crowds who came to celebrate Jerusalem Day at the yeshiva that entry to the Mount is not permitted at this time, because of the lack of certainty as to the exact location of the Biblically-forbidden areas on the mount.

Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu and Rabbi Shlomo Aviner are also among those who forbid Jewish entry to the Temple Mount. It is felt that the extreme nature of the Biblical prohibition against entering the site of the Temple outweighs both political/nationalist concerns and the confidence of those who claim they know the precise location of the forbidden areas.