While Israel has stood strong against the reopening of a US diplomatic mission to the Palestinian Authority, the State Department has sneaked in a new position that promotes US-PA relations – and could undermine Israeli sovereignty in its own capital. Hady Amr, leaving his post as deputy assistant secretary of state for Israeli-Palestinian affairs, will…
7 Israel National News Nov. 6 2022 Defense Min. decides to continue funding security coordinators in settlements surrounding Jerusalem until end of the year The Defense Ministry will continue to pay for the employment of security coordinators in the settlements surrounding Jerusalem until the end of the year, with the aim of reaching by the…
7 Israel National News Nov.6, 2022 Western Wall Foundation, Herzog Hospital, and United Hatzalah team up to bring hospital-confined child to Western Wall A 10-year-old boy who suffers from a birth defect that has kept him in hospital on a ventilator since birth was brought on Tuesday morning to the Western Wall in a moving…
Times of Israel Nov. 3 2022 Officers in good to moderate condition after attack by 20-year-old in Old City; one cop was hurt by so-called friendly fire Three policemen were wounded in a stabbing attack in Jerusalem’s Old City Thursday morning, and the alleged Palestinian assailant was shot dead, officials said. According to police, officers…
Rishi Sunak has also hailed the Jewish state as a ‘shining beacon of hope,’ expressed determination to eliminate ‘scourge’ of antisemitism Rishi Sunak, who will be the new British new prime minister after becoming Conservative party leader on Monday, is considered a strong supporter of Israel and a friend of the UK’s Jewish community. At…
Jerusalem District commander praises policeman for managing to take down attacker in soccer field as dozens of young children were playing Police on Sunday published bodycam footage of an officer chasing and eventually shooting a Palestinian teen on Saturday after he allegedly stabbed and seriously hurt an Israeli man in East Jerusalem. The footage showed…
Nine months after his wife Esther passed away, ex-spy Jonathan Pollard remarries Thursday night in Jerusalem. Former Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard married his fiancé, Rivka Abrahams-Donin, in a ceremony held at the Heichal Ya’akov synagogue in Jerusalem’s Kiryat Moshe neighborhood Thursday evening. The wedding was conducted by Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, and former Chief…
Jerusalem is a mosaic of cultures, traditions and identities, mayor Moshe Lion told the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said the changes he is making in the city – from increasing recycling, reducing pollution and adding hi-tech office space, to investing in infrastructure – are intended to benefit both…
8 people were wounded when Al-Sidawi opened fire at a bus stop at close range. The Jerusalem District Prosecution Service has issued an indictment against Amir Al-Sidawi, a 26-year-old Jerusalem Arab, who has admitted to committing a shooting attack last month in the Old City of Jerusalem. Eight people were wounded in the attack including two seriously – a 38-year-old…
The Mt. of Olives is no longer only the oldest, most important, and probably largest Jewish cemetery in the world. It is now also a bustling and dynamic tourist and cultural site.
The Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage has launched the “Culture at Mt. of Olives Festival,” featuring unique tours of the site and a spectacular view of the Old City and the Temple Mount just across the Kidron Valley. Dozens of other events include concerts, tours, and lectures, focusing on events that have shaped Jerusalem over the past 3,000 years. Particular focus will be placed on some of the illustrious Jews buried there, including Rav Kook, Menachem Begin, Nobel Prize winner Shai Agnon, and 100,000 more.
The Jewish presence in the area of the Mt. of Olives has grown significantly in recent years. Among the new neighborhoods are Beit Orot (24 families), the City of David (nearly 90 families), and more – but the largest of all is Maaleh HaZeitim, with close to 150 families.
The mountain is critically important in Judaism, featuring the Red Heifer ceremony, the torch-lightings signaling a New Moon, and much more. The final prophecy of Zecharia speaks of the day when G-d will fight on behalf of Jerusalem and the Mt. of Olives will split open from north to south.
In order to ensure continued future Israeli sovereignty over the entire city of Jerusalem, certain facts on the ground must be guaranteed. In the case of the Mt. of Olives, Israel must make sure to guarantee and facilitate Jewish access and presence there. Jews must feel safe there, and must feel free to frequent the site, not only for funerals and to visit gravesites, but to visit friends, enjoy the view, stop off at the Visitors’ Center, remember its history, and more. The current Culture Festival should do much to attain this goal.