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Rioters pelt police with stones on Temple Mount Flash 90 |
The riots forced Rabbi Meir Soloveichik and his family, who were accompanied by Temple Institute International Director Rabbi Chaim Richman, to leave the site within two minutes of ascending to the Mount. Two police officers were injured in the confrontation, and 24 arrests have been made.
The visit provided an opportunity for the influential American rabbi to join the struggle for Jewish prayer and presence on the Temple Mount and to hear about the preparations that The Temple Institute has actively made for the Third Holy Temple.
Rabbi Meir Yaakov Soloveichik is a world renowned American Torah scholar, teacher and leader. He is the son of Rabbi Eliyahu Soloveichik, grandson of the late
Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik and the great nephew of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik – all of whom are credited for founding what has become the Modern Orthodoxy movement of Judaism.
After graduating from Yeshiva College in New York City, Soloveichik received his rabbinic ordination at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, and went on to receive a PhD in religion from Princeton University.
Aside from his teaching and writing, Rabbi Soloveichik proudly became the first Orthodox rabbi to give the invocation at the opening session of the 2012 Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida. He currently serves as rabbi of the Sephardic Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City, the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. Rabbi Soloveichik was a rumored frontrunner to replace Jonathan Sacks as Chief Rabbi of the United Kingdom.
“We are honored to welcome Rabbi Soloveichik,” said Rabbi Richman. “His visit to the Temple Mount this morning was both spiritual and emotional for all involved.
Above all else, his visit sends a strong message to World Jewry that we cannot abandon our holiest site, emphasizing that visits to the Temple amount are not only Halakhically acceptable but are a halakhic imperative for all Jews.”
Rabbi Soloveichik was witness to the deteriorating security situation on the Temple Mount and saw, first-hand, Jews being ushered quickly and expelled from the holy site when Muslim rioters began throwing rocks. He expressed consternation at the desecration of the holy site.
“Under the current circumstances, even to go to the Temple Mount for two minutes was a tremendous privilege,” said Rabbi Soloveichik. “I am very much in favor of ascending the Temple Mount according to Halakha and after taking the appropriate halakhic precautions. It is critical for Jews to understand the importance of the Temple Mount. I applaud the increasing number of Orthodox rabbis and heads of yeshivot that are going to the holy site, and I predict we will see even more Jews ascending in the future.”
The Temple Institute is an educational, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the Biblical commandment of building a Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Institute’s multi-disciplinary studies and outreach focus on the universal significance of the Holy Temple as a house of peace and prayer for all nations. Since its establishment 25 years ago, the Temple Institute has become the primary authority on all Temple related matters. The Institute has published tens of books, in multiple languages, including The Illustrated Encyclopedia of The Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Well let’s start right off with the title of the article, “Top US Rabbi”. First off, there is no such animal as Top or Chief rabbi of the US.It doesn’t exist.It is 100% made up. Rabbi Joseph Telushikin in “Jewish Literacy” tells the story of a rabbi from Eastern Europe, in the 1890′s on New York’s Lower East side, had a sign painted designating himself as “The Chief Rabbi of the United States”. When people asked him who made him chief rabbi,he replied the sign painter.
This comes straight from the Orthodox’s erroneous belief that they are the only Jewish game in town. They are not. In fact in the US, Orthodox Judaism only represent 10% of the Jewish population,see Pew Study here. Reform make up 35%, Conservative 18%, Reconstructionist/ Renewal 6%, and lastly, and maybe most importantly, 30% who have no identification with a Denomination or Movement within religious Judaism. That basically means that just about the last people anyone should be listening to, about Judaism, are the Orthodox, considering that there are 90% of Jews in the US who couldn't care the least about what any Orthodox rabbi has to say.
Next this rabbi is head of a Sephardic synagogue. Now admittedly, it is the oldest synagogue within the US, but Ashkenazic Jews far out number the Sephardic in the US. So again,this man represents another minority of US Jews. Why is he being called “Top US Rabbi”?
Let’s move on to the fact that this fool supports the building of a Third Temple on Temple Mount and the restoration of the sacrificial system.Aside from the cruelty to animals issue let’s jump right to the fact that this idiot wants to start World War Three with the Muslims. Though I disagree wholeheartedly with fundamentalist beliefs in any religious tradition, I always try to respect the fact that others have a right to their beliefs no matter what they are.However not at the expense of starting a world war. The man and his family should have been run off. If he is going to hold insane beliefs he surrenders his right to inflict those beliefs on others, and should be treated accordingly. I consider this man and who he represents as the same kind of crazy as the late Fred Phelps and his crazy followers over at Westboro Baptist. The less we hear from him the better.
I get so tired of watching Judaism, which I love,(yes, all branches and the “nones”) get trashed by a miniscule percentage of it’s ultra fundamentalist religious adherents. It smacks all Jews everywhere when others(non-Jewish) read these insane kind of stories and then lump all of it on us assuming “we” all think alike. It is the same for my brother and sister Progressive Christians who see their faith lumped with a bunch of racist,bigoted,misogynistic,homophobic lunatics who hide behind their religion like a shield and pretend they “speak for all Christians” everywhere.
The time has come for all adherents of progressive,liberal religion to take a stand against these crazed fundamentalists of all colors and kinds, and show the world what religions based on love, and not hate, are all about. I hope to see you all out there on the front lines soon. Peace and Shabbat Shalom!
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