The most contested real estate on Earth?

Imagine What the Jewish Temple Looked Like -- Here's a Model Built by Conrad Schick, a Jerusalem Christian, 140 Years Ago

"Model of Solomon's Temple and environs" constructed by Dr. Conrad Schick (circa 1870). The photo was probably taken around 1900 and colorized by photographer Eric Matson some 60 years later  [The model is more representative of Jerusalem in the days of Herod, and not in the days of Solomon.]

As Jews celebrate the Sukkot holiday around the world, their liturgy reflects the huge role the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem played on this pilgrimage holiday.

Conrad Schick 1822-1901

"Bring us to Zion, Your city, in glad song, and to Jerusalem the site of your Temple, with eternal gladness."  -- From the Musaf service during Sukkot.

Jerusalem also attracted many Christians, including Conrad Schick, a German missionary who arrived in 1846.  Schick was a self-taught architect, cartographer and archaeologist, and very well-respected by all faiths in Jerusalem.  The mark he left on Jerusalem lasts until today, particularly in the buildings and neighborhoods he designed such as the Me'ah She'arim neighborhood and the Bikur Cholim and Sha'are Zedek hospitals. His own home still stands on Hanivi'im (Prophets) Street.

Click on photos to enlarge.  Click on captions to view the original picture.

The "German" hospital (1939), now Bikur Cholim hospital

Schick's house today (Magister, Wikipedia)

Schick was also well known for his models of archaeological sites. A respected archaeologist, he would show up at various construction sites and digs to inspect ancient finds.  The Muslim authorities permitted him relatively free access to the Temple Mount when they requested his help in renovations.  Schick and his student, Jacob Eliahu Spafford, the adopted Jewish-born son of the American Colony founders, are credited with discovering the Silwan Tunnel tablet, credited to King Hezekiah.

Below are some of the models Schick built, photographed by the American Colony Photographic Department.


Schick's model of the Tabernacle that served the Israelites in the desert and in Shilo (circa 1900)

Shick's model of Herod's Temple (circa 1900)

Shick's model of "Hadrian's Temple and environs"

View of the Temple Mount from the roof of Yeshiva Ateres Kohanim, Jerusalem

MY RIGHT WORD: Nel Burden - The Pathology of Arab Propaganda Servants

Nel Burden is employed by Iran's Press TV.

and that's an improvement from a previous appearance and comportment:

 To see how pathological she can be, watch this short clip and ask yourself:

a) if the subject is the Temple Mount, why is there not one shot from inside the Haram courtyard?

b) does the Mosque actually cover the Western Wall plaza?

c)  what place does this description fit - "The settlers shout and laugh out loud and show no respect for the place."?

Where the Bais Hamikdash Was; The Kotel and Har Habayis as seen from the rooftop of Breslav's Shuvu Banim Yeshiva located in the Muslim quarter in the old city of Jerusalem.

Cardboard Chanukiah cutout causes consternation among Muslims Multiple Muslim and Arab sources are reporting about a cardboard cut-out found on the Temple Mount:

A closer look:

The Al Aqsa Foundation condemned the cut-out, saying "This incident is a serious incident and has its symbolism, and such practices indicate that the Israeli occupation is involved in the implementation of schemes aimed at al-Aqsa mosque, and is trying to impose a fait accompli by placing multiple pictures in the al-Aqsa mosque." It also mentioned the "Talmudic rituals" that "settlers" often engage in.

Notice that this part of the Mount is strewn with debris from previous Waqf destruction of structures there. I documented some of that in my video tour of the area. The part pictured here seems to be from about the 14 minute mark of the tour.

The cut-out doesn't even depict the Temple Menorah, which had seven branches, but rather a Chanukah menorah, which has nine.

Temple Mount and the Prince of Wales

Remnant of the sealed "Double Gate" of "Hulda Gates." Above the gate's lintel are stones from Hadrian's temple to Jupiter, destroyed by Constantine in 400 CE and re-used by the Arabs to build al-Aqsa. One stone is an inscription stone honoring Hadrian who crushed the Bar-Kochba revolt in 135 CE and plowed over the Temple Mount

"Hulda Gates" on the southern side of Jerusalem's Old City. The picture shows the sealed "Triple Gate" (circa 1900)

Newly-released photo from Israel Archaeological Authority archives. Stairs and passage under the Temple Mount (circa 1927)

The cave under the "foundation stone" and the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. Woodcut in explorer Col. Charles Wilson's book, 1881

Under the al Aqsa Mosque, behind the sealed Hulda Gate. Note the staircase that apparently led to the surface and the Temple plaza (circa 1927)

Will Netanyahu Place the Menora on Har HaBayit?

A lawyer representing the various organizations concerned about issues of the mikdash sent an interesting letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday.

The letter asks Netanyahu to place the golden 7-branched menora, located currently in the Old City near the stairs leading down to the Kotel, on har HaBayit....

Here is the letter in Hebrew, and I will translate it below.

כז כסלו התשע"ג 11.12.12​מבלי לפגוע בזכויות

​דחוף – למסירה אישית

לכב'

מר בנימין נתניהו, ראש הממשלה

משרד ראש הממשלה

ירושלים

באמצעות פקס / אימייל

הנדון: הצבת מנורת שבעת הקנים בהר הבית

מרשי, המטה המשותף של תנועות הר הבית והמקדש, מילאו את ידי לפנות אליך כדלקמן:

השבוע לפני 2150 שנה נכנסו החשמונאים למקדש בהר הבית בירושלים, הציבו את מנורת שבעת הקנים והדליקו את נר התמיד, שדלק במשך שמונה ימים. בשנה לאחר מכן נקבעו שמונת הימים הללו כחג לעם היהודי לדורותיו – חג החנוכה.

לפני 45 שנה חזרו היהודים להר הבית. הר הבית נמצא מאז תחת ריבונותה ושלטונה של מדינת היהודים – מדינת ישראל, לראשונה מאז חורבן בית שני לפני כ – 2000 שנה. זוהי "שיבת ציון" האמיתית.

ואולם, מאז מלחמת ששת הימים ושחרור הר הבית, מנעה ממשלת ישראל מיהודים לקיים את מצוות התורה בהר הבית, מקום המקדש – בדומה לשליטים הזרים ששלטו בהר הבית מאז חורבנו בשנת 70 לספירה.

העובדה שהשלטון המונע מיהודים לקיים את דתם ומצוות התורה בהר הבית הוא ממשלה של מדינת חוק דמוקרטית, הטוענת לשמירה על זכויות האדם, ואף יותר מכך – מדינה יהודית – מעצים את האבסורד הבלתי נתפס הזה.

מרשי פועלים בעקביות ובנחישות להחזרת הפולחן היהודי להר הבית כחוק. בהקשר זה מבקשים מרשי להציב את המנורה בת שבעת הקנים במקומה המקורי על פי תורת משה – בדרום ההיכל שעל הר הבית.

להזכירך – מנורה זו היא גם סמל המדינה.

אני מצרף בזאת שרטוט המצביע על מיקומה של המנורה בהר הבית של היום: בצד הדרום - מזרחי של "כיפת הסלע".

במנורה שתוצב במקום ההיכל המקורי ידליקו את הנר המערבי, נר התמיד, מידי יום ביומו בשעת בין הערביים ובשחרית, ביחד עם שאר הנרות.

יש חשיבות רבה להצבת המנורה בחג החנוכה. יהיה בכך סגירת מעגל, אות ומופת לשיבת עם ישראל לארצו ולהקמתה של מדינת חוק ריבונית, יהודית ודמוקרטית בארץ ישראל, היא מדינת ישראל.

המנורה אשר תוצב במקום ההיכל לא תפגע בכל זכות של בני עמים אחרים בהר הבית – ההיפך הוא הנכון: המנורה תעיד כי גם ליהודים מובטח חופש הדת בהר הבית, דבר שנשלל מהם שלא כדין במשך 45 שנה האחרונות, בהמשך להדרתם מהר הבית ב – 2000 שנה שקדמו לכך.

בנאומים רבים שנשאת בארץ וברחבי העולם, חזרת ואמרת כי במדינת ישראל מתקיים חופש הדת לבני כל הדתות. בעוד שלגבי נוצרים, מוסלמים ובני דתות אחרות הצהרה זו היא אמת לאמיתה, ביחס ליהודים, ועוד במקום הקדוש ביותר לכל יהודי עלי אדמות – הר הבית – הצהרה זו אינה אמת. בהר הבית אין כיום חופש דת ליהודים, כלל ועיקר. הצבת המנורה בהר הבית, במקום ההיכל, תהווה את הצעד הראשון לתיקון עיוות מהותי זה.

הינך מתבקש להורות לכל הגורמים הנוגעים בדבר לאפשר למרשי להציב את המנורה במקום ההיכל בהר הבית עוד בימי חג חנוכה זה, ואם לא ניתן – במועד המוקדם ביותר האפשרי.

בכבוד רב,

אביעד ויסולי עו״ד

העתק: ​שר הדתות

​שר המשפטים

​השר לעניינים אסטרגיים

​שר החוץ

​השר לבטחון הפנים

​שר החינוך

ועדת השרים לענייני הר הבית

​מפכ"ל משטרת ישראל

​ראש השב"כ

​ראש עיריית ירושלים

​תנועות הר הבית והמקדש

blah blah blah, all the introductions...

This week 2150 years ago the Hashmonites entered the Temple on Har HaBayit in Jerusalem and they placed the seven-branched menora and lit the ner tamid, that lasted for eight days. The following year they established an eight day holiday for the Jewish people for future generations - the holiday of Hannukah.

45 years ago the Jews returned to Har Habayit. Har Habayit has always since then been under the control and authority of the country of the Jews - the State of Israel, for the first time since the destruction of the Second Temple 2000 years ago. This is the true "return to Zion".

Yet, since the Six Day War and the liberation of Har Habayit, the government of Israel has prevented the Jews from fulfilling the Torah-commanded mitzvos related to har Habayit, the place of the Temple - similar to the foreign rulers wh controlled Har Habayit since the destruction in year 70 BC.

The fact that the government that prevents Jews from fulfilling their religion and mitzvos is a government of democratic law, one that claims to protect human rights, and even more so is a Jewish state strengthens the absurdity.

My clients are working with dedication to bring back Jewish worship to Har Habayit, in accordance with the law. In this vein they request to place the 7-branched menora in its original place, according to the Torah of Moshe - in the southern chamber that is on Har Habayit.

To remind you - this menora is the symbol of the State.

Attached is a sketch pointing out the location of the menora on Har Habayit today: on the south-east side of the Dome of the Rock.

On the menora that will be placed in the original place the western candle, the ner tamid, will be lit every day in both the evening and the morning, together with the rest of the candles.

There is great importance to placing the menora there during the holiday of Hannukah. This would be a closing of the circle, a sign of the return of our nation to its land, and to the establishment of a lawful state, Jewish and democratic in the land of Israel, the State of Israel.

The menora that will be placed there will not harm in any way the rights of people of other nations on Har Habayit - the opposite is true: The menora will testify that the Jews are also promised freedom of religion on har Habayit, something that has been withheld from them for the past 45 years, in continuation of there banishment in the 2000 years that preceded it.

In the many speeches that you have given in Israel and around the world, you have repeatedly said that in Israel there is freedom of religion for those of all the religions. While for Christians and Muslims and other religions that statement is very true, but regarding the Jews, and even more so at the holiest place to jews in the land  - Har Habayit - this declaration is not true. On Har Habayit today there is no freedom of religion for Jews, at all. Placing the menora on Har Habayit, in the place of the heichal, will be the first step to correct this significant problem. You are requested to instruct those affected by this to permit my clients to place the menora in the place of the heichal, during this Hannukah holiday, and if that is not possible at the earliest time possible...


I like it. Let's see what PM Netanyahu does. I expect he will ignore it, but this is the perfect time for him to adopt this project - right before elections, Israel is already making moves that we know will upset the Palestinians, and by extension the rest of the world, we are already in the mode of actions in response to the Palestinan vote in the UN on November 29... this is the perfect next step, in my opinion.

Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives

"Har HaBayit B'Yadeinu" is incitement

In response to reports that the Waqf has been conducting unauthorized work on the Dome of the Rock while causing damage to the Rock (the even haShitya) below a group of teens from Bnei Akiva decided to hold a march as a form of protest. They applied for a permit to march from Binyanei HaUma to the area outside of Har HaBayit, and the permit was granted by the police. (according to the news, the permit for the parade was changed to a stationary protest by the boardwalk of Armon HaNetziv)

The police however wanted to see the signs and placards they would be bearing, and then disqualified, as incitement, the text "Har Habayit b'Yadeinu" - Har Habayit is in our hands, the famous words of Motta Gur said upon the taking of Har HaBayit in the Six Day War.
(sources: Ynet and Srugim)

It practically goes without saying that it is a shonda the way the police relate to Jews and Har HaBayit, whether you consider it from a Jewish perspective or from a democratic and human rights perspective. This isn't even on Har HaBayit though. This is far away from har HaBayit, at Armon HaNetziv. In Armon HaNetziv it is now being consider incendiary to say the famous words "Har HaBayit B'Yadeinu".

Will Motta Gur's book now be banned for incitement? Will all Israeli history books be banned as incitement, or maybe they will just rip out the page in which Motta Gur is being quoted? How can such an historic statement, made by such an historic figure, be considered incitement? Will other phrases calling for our return to Jerusalem and the Temple also soon be banned as incitement - such as portions of our siddurim? How can the police be allowed to continue to find every way possible to suppress Jewish rights and identity surrounding Har HaBayit?

Proposal: Jews, Muslims to Split Temple Mount Prayer

MK Aryeh Eldad (Ichud Leumi) believes he has found a way for Israel to give Jews the freedom to pray at their holiest site, while avoiding Muslim violence. Jews should be granted certain times to ascend to the Temple Mount and pray, he said.

Eldad has submitted a bill that would set aside separate prayer hours for Jews and Muslims. His proposal coincided with a U.S. report criticizing Israel for failing to grant Jews freedom of worship on the Mount.

“The Temple Mount is the holiest place to the people of Israel, the place where the First and Second Temples stood,” Eldad said. “The Temple Mount is also a holy place to Muslims, where the Al-Aqsa Mosque stands, and the Temple Mount is special to Christianity as well.”

“In order to allow freedom of worship and the right to visit the Mount, special visiting days should be established for Jews and Muslims, and hours during which the Mount will be open only to Jews or only to Muslims,” he continued.

Eldad proposed a daily division that would allow each religious group to access the Temple Mount during its usual daily prayer times. Jews have three set prayer times on weekdays, while Muslims have five.

In addition, he proposed giving each group access on its holidays. Jews would have full access on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, the first and last days of Sukkot and Passover, Shavuot, and Tisha B’Av. He listed several Muslim holidays on which Muslims would have full access, among them Id al-Fitr, Id al-Adha, and Ashura.

When holidays overlap, he said, the day would be split between the two faiths.

Eldad’s proposal is reminiscent of the arrangement in the Tomb of the Patriarchs (Maarat Hamachpelah) in Hevron. There, the sacred hall over the burial place of the Biblical patriarchs and matriarchs is split between Jews and Muslims during the year, with members of each faith having access to half of the tombs. On select Jewish holidays, Jews have full access to the building while Muslim worshipers are barred, and on Muslim holidays, the opposite.

Muslim leaders are highly unlikely to support the initiative. The Temple Mount is currently under the control of the Muslim Waqf, and Jewish prayer is forbidden at the site year-round. Muslim leaders have often accused Israel of plotting against the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Arab League recently warned that any perceived threat to the mosque could destabilize the entire region.

Hamas and friends issue responses to Temple Institute video

On Thursday, I reported on a video issued by the Temple Institute for Tisha b'Av. Over the weekend, two responses were issued, one by Hamas, and one by an individual named M. Saber Alian. Here's Hamas' version.





Obviously, the one on the Left is the Temple Institute video, while the one on the right is in the shape of the state of Israel – which they claim is "Palestine."

Here's the second one. Let's go to the videotape.

Rabbi Chaim Richmanת International Director of the Temple Institute, told Arutz Sheva Sunday: "The irony is that this video, aimed at the Jewish world, has succeeded in moving many people towards a deeper feeling about this period of mourning, and the Temple. This whole thing that has angered the Arab world and plunged us into international intrigue, is simply a red herring...

"The irony is that Hashem has used the international media, focusing on Morsi's imagined insult, to bring the idea of the Holy Temple to the attention of people the world over. So actually there is no coincidence even though we didn't plan for the paper to fall on any particular page...that is just what happened to be in the news that day -- but min hashaymaim [from the Heavens, ed.] the video got much more exposure, and thus the idea of the Temple got more exposure."

Indeed it did. The Temple Institute video has more than 300,000 views - more than the other two combined.

Rabbi Moshe Dovid Tendler on the Temple Mount

For many years it has been the custom of Rabbi Dr. Moshe Dovid Tendler, famed posek, professor, and son-in-law of the great Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, זצ'ל to perform the commandment of "Mora Mikdash" - showing reverence to G-d at the place of the Holy Temple, by ascending the Temple Mount in strict accordance with halacha - Jewish law. The Rabbi ascends the Mount every time he is in the land of Israel. He has made tens of visits to the Temple Mount. The following visit was filmed on the 23rd of Tevet, 5769 - January 19th, 2009.

Al-Aqsa Sheikh: Jerusalem will be Muslim Forever

Sheikh Yusuf Salameh, a preacher at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, denounced on Thursday a statement by Israel's Attorney General that Israeli law must be applied to the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Jerusalem.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has said that the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is part of Israeli territory so Israeli law applies there, including antiquities laws and laws regarding building and planning.

At the same time, he said, the law had to be applied with extra sensitivity and pragmatism, due to its unique nature.

In response, Sheikh Salemeh said that “Al-Quds” (the Arabic name for Jerusalem) is an Islamic city, as determined by the creator of the world and as indicated in the Koran.

He said that no decision by one person or another will be able to change this reality, stressing that “Al-Quds” will remain Islamic until the end of time. “Al-Quds threw up its occupiers in the past and it will throw up this occupier, too,” he said.

Sheikh Salameh added that the Al-Aqsa Mosque is spread over 144 dunams of land and includes the entire area within the walls, buildings, roads, terraces, and domes of the mosque. He said the mosque is land belonging to the Waqf both above the ground and below it. Salameh called on UNESCO to bear the responsibility and preserve the historic Islamic sites in the holy city.

This week, Abdul Rahman Abbad, the head of the Muslims’ scholars council in Jerusalem, said that “Muslims are the only ones who own this mosque.”

He insisted that religious authorities are not bound by Israeli decisions, and warned of Israel's intentions in issuing such a statement ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims flock to the compound.

The Temple Mount was left in the hands of the Waqf following Jerusalem’s reunification in 1967, a decision of then-Defense Minister Moshe Dayan. The Waqf has taken advantage of this and removed every sign of ancient Jewish presence at the Jewish holy site. At the entrance, a Waqf sign says, “The Al-Aqsa Mosque courtyard and everything in it is Islamic property.”

Police, in an attempt to appease the Waqf, discriminate against Jews. They limit the number of Jewish worshippers allowed on the Temple Mount at one time in order to prevent conflict with Muslim worshippers. They often close the Mount to Jews in response to Muslim riots – despite evidence that Muslim riots have been planned in advance for the specific purpose of forcing Jews out.

Waqf officials recently told a young Jewish man to remove his kippah on the Temple Mount. The young man was visiting the Mount, Judaism’s holiest site, as part of a tour group from Europe. When Waqf officials saw his kippah, they ordered him to remove it, saying, “This is a holy place.”