Temple Mount
Jewish Prayer Rights on the Temple Mount are Civil Rights
“Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
----- Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, ratified by the United Nations on December 10, 1948, the same year Israel was founded.
Jews are barred from accessing our holiest site, the Temple Mount, for peaceful prayer.
Join our effort to overturn this discrimination and #EndJewHatred on the Temple Mount.
Our Presence is Not a Provocation
The Temple Mount is where the First and Second Temples Stood. It is the physical center of the Jewish world, and is believed to be the place both where the divine presence rests on earth and the foundation stone of the world.
Yet it is one of dozens of Jewish holy sites worldwide where Jews cannot access for fear of violent assault by murderous Jew-haters.
This is an injustice. We Demand Prayer Rights on the Temple Mount Now
The Tide is Turning
Brave activists in Israel are ascending the Temple Mount on a regular basis to assert their right to pray. They are regularly accosted by security and prevented from engaging fully in worship. Sometimes they are served with harsh penalties like being barred from the Temple Mount for set periods of time.
How Can I Help?
We are raising money to cover the legal fees incurred by these activists in fighting for their rights in the courts. Even though the right to freedom of worship is a human right enshrined in International Law, courts cost money.
You can help achieve the dream of freedom of worship at the holiest site for Jews in the world.
This is a frequently asked question?
Where is the money going?
The money will be held by The Lawfare Project, a nonprofit, think tank, and litigation fund that works to protect the human and civil rights of Jewish and pro-Israel communities worldwide. The Project funds legal actions to protect free speech and civil rights by challenging Jew-hatred and discrimination against Jews. It is a founding partner of the #EndJewHatred movement. Funds donated here will be used exclusively to fund legal action in Israel to assert the rights of Jewish activists to access the Temple Mount.
Isn’t the Western Wall the Holiest Site in Judaism?
No. The Western Wall is the last remnant of the Second Temple, and as such is also an extremely holy site accessed by thousands of Jews daily to pray. While the wall is a physical part of one of the retaining walls, the mount itself is where the Temple itself stood.
What About Muslim Prayer?
Muslims, Christians and anyone who wishes to worship should be allowed to do so at the Temple Mount, which is holy to all three monotheistic faiths. The Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock Shrine will remain accessible to Muslims since their religious rights are just as important as Jewish rights.
Isn’t the Temple Mount Too Holy to Visit?
Jewish theological opinion is divided on the subject, and it is too technical to go into here. Some scholars say it is permissible within certain guidelines, others say it is not. This is a religious issue unrelated to civil rights. Anyone who wants to pray there and believes it is theologically permissible to do so should be legally permitted to do so, not prevented because of anti-Jewish bigotry.
How Did We End Up in this Situation?
Following Israel’s stunning victory in 1967, the paratroopers who had captured the old city of Jerusalem ran up the Israeli flag on the Temple Mount. Moshe Dayan, the defence secretary at the time who had overall command of the war, ordered them to take it down immediately because he was concerned about inflaming Muslim public opinion against Israel and Jews. The next day he handed over administrative control over the Temple Mount to the Waqf, which is in the purview of the King of Jordan. Dayan did this unilaterally, without consulting the cabinet, and over the objections of the paratroopers and the chief rabbi of the armed forces, Rabbi Goren. Since then Jews have continued to be the victims of terrorist attacks around the world and in Israel, and his magnanimous gesture has not secured peace.
What are the Security Implications of Accessing the Temple Mount?
It is the duty of the state to keep the peace and enforce the law to uphold the civil rights of citizens. As civil rights activists, it is our duty to demand civil rights. It is the job of security forces, who we respect and thank for their service, to ensure those rights are protected on the streets. We anticipate that changing access rules on the mount will have logistical considerations such as major festivals and prayer times when large crowds will be expected, we expect that these considerations will result in some crowd control measures being in place.
Will this Provoke Jew-haters to Harm Jews?
Our presence is not a provocation. Anyone who would harm Jews for peacefully worshipping at our holiest site is a Jew-hater, and the problem lies with them, not with the worshipper.
Why Do This Now?
The status quo at the Temple Mount has been in place for 54 years. Since Dayan’s arrangement was put in place there have been two intifadas, the Yom Kippur War, four campaigns in Gaza, five in Lebanon, in addition to countless suicide bombings, car bombings, stabbings, shootings, plane hijackings, the murder of Olympic athletes, rioting, rock-throwing, arson and an international diplomatic campaign pushing boycott, delegitimization, and sanctions.
But these attempts at pushing Jews out of Israel have failed. Peace is arriving. The Abraham Accords have been a great success. The American Embassy was moved to Jerusalem without incident. Terrorist attacks within Israel have dropped to historic lows. It’s time to #EndJewHatred on the Temple Mount.