Jews in the Arab Quarter

B"H

During every Chol HaMoed, the national religious Yeshiva "Ateret Cohanim Jerusalem" offers free trips through the Arab Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. The goal is to make Jews aware of that there is actually plenty of Jewish life in today's Arab Quarter. And not only today, Jews in the Arab Quarter have a long history. More than a hundred years ago, hundreds of Jews lived there. Especially near the Kotel (Western Wall). When you are at the Kotel today and leave the area through the tunnel into the Arab Quarter, after a few meters you can see to your left the former Chatzer of Chassidut Vishnitz in Jerusalem. Right across used to be a Mikweh and if you turn to the left, corner Vishnitz, after another few meters you get to the Breslover Yeshiva "Shuvo Banim" run by Rabbi Eliezer Berland.

I joined the tour together with another twenty people or so. Our guide Avichai, a student at Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim, explained the former Jewish life in the Arab Quarter. A hundred years ago, this part of the Arab Quarter near the Kotel (Western Wall) wasn't called Arab Quarter but "Mixed Quarter". Only due to the pogroms starting in 1929, Jews started leaving the area in order to move to other places. Whoever decided to stay, was killed by the Arab mob. Already in those days, the Arabs (today Palestinians) showed their true character and one should look into this history in order to come to the conclusion that there can never be peace. Today's Palestinians have the same goal getting rid of the Jews in order to occupy the Holy Land alone. No matter what, they don't want Jews and they do anything to get rid of them but, at the same time, lie to the whole world about peace. What peace ? Just learn from history !

Our tour continued visiting previous Jewish places in the Arab Quarter. Only a few meters far away from "Shuvo Banim", we reached the "Kotel HaKatan - the Small Western Wall". When you stand in front of the Kotel, you think that this is it. However, the Kotel itself is far longer than you think; it leads until the Christian Quarter near the Via Dolorosa which is hundreds of meters further than the actual Kotel area we know. The "Kotel HaKatan, is very close to the Azarah of the former Temple (Beit HaMikdash) and, unfortunately, not many people know about it. Our group got there and to its right, you can find the entrance onto the Temple Mount (Har HaBeit) guarded by Israeli soldiers. It is an unbelievable feeling seeing the Arabs walking in and we cannot do so. Not only due to the present impurity, but also due to security issues. The Arabs, on the other hand, feel at home in an area they have nothing to do with and not belonging to them at all.
Everything is up to G - d, what else can I say. It is Him deciding when the Meshiach comes and the Arabs are being kicked out.

Avichai showed us all the houses bought by Jews. There are plenty of especially national religious Jews living in the Arab Quarter. Protected by private security guards and cameras all over the place. But the inhabitants are brave and according to their ideology, we have to show the Arabs that, first of all, we are not afraid and secondly, that we Jews are still around and won't give up.

Ateret Cohanim tries to buy as many houses as possible and settle more and more Jews in the Arab Quarter. There are plenty of people who are willing to live there but not enough housing. It is not so easy convincing an Arab selling his porperty to Jews, as he then needs to go into hiding. Hamas and other terror groups might kill him and thus, Ateret Cohanim has to provide more than only money.

We stood next to a church and Avichai explained us the huge stones we were walking on. Those were from the Second Temple period. Suddenly three groups of Christians started marching and each of them were carrying big crosses around. Praying and singing, whatever. It was obvious that they felt bothered by us and an Arab Christian guard got really mad. We Jews should stand somewhere else and not here. And, by the way, he yelled, the world only belongs to Christians and Muslims and the Jews can go to hell. Who needs them ?
Those Christians tourist from all over the world who were watching the scene said nothing. This told me a lot about the Christian character and apparently they forgot that their false Meshiach Mr. J. was Jewish himself. The whole scene meant that they kicked out their own Meshiach. Isn't that ridiculous ?

We kept on walking and got to a small alleyway with plenty of Hamas flags and graffiti. I was one of the first in the group and didn't pay attention about what was going on behind us. However, some tour group members complained that some stones fell on them. Thrown by Arabs living in the houses around. Avichai made an emergency phone call and asked if we want to continue the tour. As we are Isarelis and have our own mentality, of course, we were ready to continue. And this is exactly what we did. Without further disturbances.

To Ateret Cohanim it is extremely important that people from the outside know that there exists an active Jewish life inside the Arab Quarter. One thing is very obvious, one has to be tough in order to live there and I admire those inhabitants who do.

One last questions remains:
Why doesn't buy Ateret Cohanim more houses in the Christian Quarter ?
Although there were hundreds of Jews living in the Arab Quarter, Jews were never really interested in moving to the Christian Quarter. Today each of us is aware of the threat of Islamic terrorism but when we go back, even into the recent past, the worst enemies of the Jewish people were actually the Christians. And it was the Christians who didn't want any Jews living in their quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem. The churches did anything to prevent Jews from coming, let alone, moving there. The same today although Ateret Cohanim succeeded in buying a huge building complex right next to a busy square in the middle of the Christian Quarter.