JohnS Posted August 16, 2003 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 193 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,459 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 5 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/28/2002 Status: Offline Birthday: 09/20/1965 Share Posted August 16, 2003 TISHA B'AV IN JERUSALEM by Moshe Dan ( by way of Jerusalemdiaries) Thousands of people gather for the annual march around the walls of the Old City organized by the Women in Green, a right-wing activist organization. People of all ages stream through vacant downtown streets towards the plaza at City Hall. Israeli flags wave in the soft Jerusalem night breeze. Despite the large number of people, and scattered emotional reunions and greetings, there is a sacred hush as Eicha (Lamentations of Jeremiah) echo against the new building of Jerusalem stone. We live on the edge. The stark words remind us of the siege of Jerusalem and its destruction over 2,500 years ago; his descriptions cut deeply into our consciousness. And the pain is not far away. Nearly a thousand Jews have been murdered by Arab terrorists during the recent upsurge in violence; many thousands more have been maimed and crippled, lives shattered. Most of the teenagers have family members and friends who were victims. We share the trauma. We are all survivors. The collective memory of the destruction of the Temple is in us -- now. We walk past the empty Damascus Gate. We are well protected. The surrounding Arab neighborhoods have been closed off, preventing any direct attacks on us. Police spotters are on the rooftops; policemen and IDF Border Guard units are scattered along the way. A few Arabs watch us from street corners. We are like a passing river; hardly anyone says a word. The crowd passes the Rockefeller Museum where most of the Dead Sea Scrolls are kept. I am reminded of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans 2,000 years ago, and the irony of it all: we are walking past the ruins of those who conquered, enslaved and slaughtered us. We swing past the Lions gate, above the Kidron Valley. Across from us, like a crown amidst the darkened hills is the Hebrew University; farther on the Mount of Olives cemetery is illuminated. Several churches are lit up as well. Above us is the Mercy or Golden Gate that borders the Temple Mount, through which cohanim (priests) led the red heifer and goat of Azazel to the Mount of Olives. We walk past the excavations along the southern side, the Hulda Gates that lead directly to the Temple Mount. And finally we arrive at the Dung Gate that leads to the Kotel (Western Wall). The plaza in front of The Wall is packed. Waves of people move back and forth. Despite the solemnity of the evening, people greet each other warmly. Soldiers embrace, slapping each other on the back. Groups of teenagers laugh and talk excitedly. Thousand of people pray, touching the 2000-year old retaining wall of the Temple Mount, a remnant of what had been. And us, I wonder as I watch from a distance, a remnant. After hundreds of generations of destruction, we're back. Jerusalem is rebuilt; Nearly half of the Jews in the world live in Eretz Yisrael. Our universities and technologies have contributed to civilization. Our army can and will protect us. The entire country turns this day backwards towards a time when we were slaughtered and exiled -- and now we have returned. But it is not only in these accomplishments that I find joy. In the morning, after special prayers that include the enumeration of destructions that are part of our history, we attend shiurim (classes) dealing with the importance of the day. We are all part of this rebuilding that makes living in Israel so special. I think even Jeremiah would smile. Moshe Dann, Jerusalem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted August 16, 2003 Group: Royal Member Followers: 0 Topic Count: 193 Topics Per Day: 0.02 Content Count: 1,459 Content Per Day: 0.18 Reputation: 5 Days Won: 0 Joined: 02/28/2002 Status: Offline Birthday: 09/20/1965 Share Posted August 16, 2003 Turkey asks U.S. to foil Israeli plans for Mount By Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz Correspondent ANKARA - Turkey on Thursday asked the United States to intervene urgently to halt Israel's plan toallow non-Muslims to visit and pray on the Temple Mount. The request came after Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat appealed to the Turkish premier, saying that opening the Temple Mount to non-Muslims would rekindle violence in the Middle East. In a message delivered to the U.S. embassy in Ankara, Turkey warned that visits by non-Muslims to the Temple Mount could negatively impact on its ability to implement its recent decision to accede to a U.S. request to send Turkish troops to Iraq. The government's decision must still be approved by the Turkish parliament. "We do not need a religious struggle on the Temple Mount when we are facing an internal struggle in Turkey over sending troops to Iraq," a senior Turkish official said. "A religious eruption over this issue could cause anti-American demonstrations in Turkey, leading parliament to oppose assistance to the Americans." Turkish sources said they hope that the transmission of their message to Israel via the U.S. will be enough to persuade Israel to reconsider its plan to allow visits by non-Muslims to the Temple Mount. "However, if it turns out that the message has not been understood, we will apparently have to transmit sharper and clearer messages," one official said. The sources said that Turkish policy toward Israel has not changed, but "Israel must understand the interests of Turkey and the U.S. These are not limited to the question of the Temple Mount but extend to events in the entire region." Meanwhile, no decision has yet been made regarding a date for a planned visit to Israel by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The main obstacle to the visit is Israel's insistence that Erdogan not meet with Yasser Arafat. Turkey holds that Arafat is a leader who should not be boycotted. The Turkish prime minister's visit is expected to take place before the end of the year, but if Israel maintains its opposition to the Arafat visit, Erdogan will have to make separate visits to Israel and to the Palestinian Authority. Turkey has contributed $50 million to the Palestinian Authority since 1993, and intends to contribute additional money when Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas pays an expected official visit to Ankara in September. Turkey is also advising the Palestinians on the framing of a constitution. Ankara has proposed that the Palestinians adopt a constitution similar to Turkey's, creating a secular democratic state in which Islamic law is not a source of legislation. But Palestinian experts oppose this idea, mainly due to pressure from Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Ha'aretz Article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts