Malcolm Hoenlein, the executive vice-chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, delivered a letter to the prime minister during a visit to Israel recently, calling to secure Har Hazeisim in Yerushalayim, the oldest and largest Jewish cemetery in the world. The 3,000-year-old Jewish bais hakevaros faces “continuous violence against visitors, rampant grave desecrations, dumping of refuse and gross defilement of the cemetery by local Arab youths.”
Some 150,000 Jews “are buried there, including three of our prophets, foremost Torah scholars, heads of hassidic dynasties, and many of our national leaders over the ages, including prime minister Begin,” said the letter. “There are reports almost every three to four days of rocks being thrown at vehicles or visitors.”
More than 30 American states have laws which mandate “severe penalties” for crimes committed in, or near, a cemetery.
{Matzav.com Israel News Bureau}
Malcolm Hoenlein is the best!
It’s long after 1967 and this is still a problem? Soemone in government dropped the ball and no one ever picked it up.
Yasher koach to Malcolm Hoenlein on this – hopefully, he will have the clout to be successful. How can the memshalah allow this desecration? We are not talking about Europe or anywhere else. Eretz Yisrael, Eretz HaKodesh, which is supposed to have a ‘Jewish’ memshalah, should do their utmost to protect this ancient Jewish holy site. Even if they don’t give a hoot for the holiness of this ancient Jewish cemetary, what about it just being a landmark of 3000 years? They need to put guard dogs, alarm systems and 24-hr. police protection. Our sonim are getting more aggressive every day, because they know they can get away with anything, as they seem to be the ‘protected’ fifth column. H’ yerachem!
To 3.
Maybe people will volunteer into a special unit to protect Har Hazeisim. You would have a higher moral platitude then.