Jewish Activist Arrested in Tel Aviv enroute to Temple Mount Sacrifice
Israeli Police detained a Jewish man in Tel Aviv on Sunday morning as he was heading to sacrifice a lamb on the Temple Mount. Yair Hanoch, an activist from the Return to the Mount organization, was apprehended at a light rail station near Jerusalem’s Old City. The Return to the Mount group is a fringe organization that aims to revive ancient animal sacrifices at the Temple Mount, the historical site of the First and Second Temples.
Following the arrest, the organization declared, There is no more room for Muslim rule on the Temple Mount; the time has come to build a Jewish temple and renew the sacrificial works. However, it’s important to note that this viewpoint is not held by the majority of Jewish people or religious authorities in Israel.
In April, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Places, prohibited the bringing of animals to the Temple Mount to prevent Jews from attempting to perform Passover sacrifices at the holy site. Earlier this year, one of the leaders of Return to the Mount, Rafael Morris, was arrested while trying to bring an animal to the Temple Mount as a Paschal offering.
During the times of the First and Second Temple, the week-long festival of Sukkot was marked by various rituals, including sacrifices, water libations, and the practice of circling the altar with palm fronds. These traditions are no longer in practice today.
The Temple Mount holds significant religious importance for Jews, being the holiest site in Judaism. For centuries, Jewish people refrained from visiting the hilltop esplanade due to interpretations that the laws of ritual purity still apply. However, in recent years, some rabbis have argued that these laws do not apply to all areas of the Temple Mount and encourage Jewish visits to certain permitted sections in order to maintain their connection to the site.
The Temple Mount has been a subject of delicate negotiation since 1967, when Israel gained control of the Old City of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War. In order to avoid religious conflict, Moshe Dayan, the defense minister at the time, agreed to allow the Islamic Waqf, a Muslim trusteeship, to manage the day-to-day affairs of the holy site, while Israel retained overall sovereignty and responsibility for security.
Under the current status quo, non-Muslims are permitted to visit the Temple Mount, including Jews. However, prayer is restricted to Muslims. This arrangement aims to maintain stability and prevent potential religious tensions in the region.
It’s essential to understand that the actions of a fringe group like Return to the Mount do not reflect the broader Jewish community’s views or the official policies of the Israeli government. The majority of Jewish people and religious authorities prioritize peaceful coexistence and the preservation of the Temple Mount’s sanctity for all faiths.
