Trip with Yeshivat "Ateret Cohanim"

B"H

The national religious Yeshiva "Ateret Cohanim" is located in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. Rosh Yeshiva is Rabbi Shlomo Aviner and his institution offers trips on every Chol HaMoed Pessach and Sukkot (intermediate days on the two festivals). Meeting point is the water fountain at the men's side of the Kotel (Western Wall). The trips are free of charge and usually last for between one and two hours.

I have been participating in those trips for the past few years and always enjoyed it. Last Sunday afternoon, I again went on such a trip despite all the riots going on around the Temple Mount.

Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim is quite famous for acquiring Arab or Christian property and placing Jewish families inside those buildings in the Arab or Christian Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City. The main goal is to get rid of Arab or Christian impurity and turn the Old City into something Jewish. Just as it should be.

Arabs and Christians don't react too friendly and especially Arab owners selling their property to Jews are expecting the death penalty from their own Palestinian society. Thus, Ateret Cohanim is not only purchasing the property but also providing the particular Arab house owner with a new identity. Many times abroad.

This time, our guide was David, a young national religious Yeshiva student. Extremely Zionist, I have to say.

He took our group which consisted of Israelis and some new immigrants from France outside the tunnel at the Western Wall - right into the Muslim Quarter. To the left, in the middle of all those Arab market stands you can see a small white door. Until years ago, this used to be the entrance to the Mikweh (ritual bath) of the chassidic group Sadigura.

Across the Mikweh door, we turned to the left and reached the Yeshiva "Shuvo Banim", run by Rabbi Eliezer Berland from the Breslover Baalei Teshuva movement. Across his Yeshiva is another Jewish building. It used to be the Synagogue of the Jewish Moroccan community after they settled in the land of Israel.

There are quite a few Jewish houses inside the Arab Quarter. Some have an Israeli flag hanging outside, if the Palestinians don't tare it down. Otherwise you can recognize those buildings by their brwon thick bullet - proofed security door and cameras outside. Sometimes you see private security guards standing outside protecting the Jewish homes.

David showed us a few Jewish homes and we also passed a destroyed building where only a bunch of rubble remained. David explained that about twenty years ago, some Palestinian terrorists were preparing a bomb in that particular house. The bomb should have been used for an attack on Israelis. However, the bomb already exploded in the hands of its makers and the terrorists blew up themselves.

Call it a work accident !

We reached the Christian Quarter where, at the moment, thousands of Christians are running around. They are here for Sukkot. Especially for their parade through Jerusalem. A parade organized by the Internation Christian Embassy whose main goal it is to missionize Jews.

The Christians sitting around in cafes stared at us, the Jews. They got so excited and maybe thought that we are coming to covert to their idol worship believe. Quite a few stood up, came towards us and wanted to shake hands or touch our shoulders. These crazy Christians seem to get a real kick from touching Jews. It was a very disgusting scene, just like in a horror movie. "Rosemarie's Baby" became reality !

David took us into a gigantic building, a former Christian hotel and now ten Jewish families live inside.

After purchasing the building, an Israeli court had to decide whether the purchase was valid, as other Christians had complained. The court decided that Ateret Cohanim cannot place any Jewish families into the building but the building itself was legally bought and needed twenty private guards.

So, what did the Jews do ?

They placed ten male and ten female guards inside: Ten Jewish families.

I have to say that I could not live in that building. Already the surrounding of the Christian market and cafes bothers me. Despite all ideology, I want to live among Jews and not in the middle of impurity. Furthermore, the building is one of those with private guards at the entrance.

If you walk around as a religious Jew in those areas, neither Arabs nor Palestinians are too friendly. There is definitely an atmosphere of hostility towards any religious Jew. Don't think it is only the Arabs hating us; certain fanatic Christians hate us even more.

If you are in Jerusalem during Pessach or Sukkot, you should definitely participate in one of those tours. The language is only Hebrew but maybe you find someone to translate for you. There is no need to understand each word but the atmosphere is telling you a lot more than any single word.