The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the largest mainstream Orthodox Jewish organization with nearly one thousand congregations nationwide, is outraged by the continued illegal excavation taking place on the Temple Mount. In spite of strong protests, the pace of the work continues and important archeological artifacts of greatest significance to the Jewish nation are being destroyed. The remains of our Holy Temple are sacred to the Jewish people and deserve the utmost protection, not only for religious and theological purposes but for historical, cultural and national reasons as well. We are horrified by the massive constructions, employing heavy trucks and earthmoving equipment, that is taking place, mostly unauthorized by the Israeli government. Indeed, strong protests have been issued by the Attorney General of Israel and by leading Israeli archeologists.

The Orthodox Union calls for the immediate cessation of all the illegal excavations and construction on the Temple Mount. Tons and tons of dirt containing precious antique artifacts are being removed from the Temple Mount in an effort to destroy the remnants of Jewish holy places. It is an outrageous example of the blatant attempt to eradicate Jewish history from Judaism’s holiest site, proving again that the Wakf, the Moslem religious authority, cannot be trusted with the preservation of holy sites.

Respect for religious sites around the world are in great danger and we have recently witnessed the outrageous desecration and destruction of sites holy to other religions as well. We reiterate our call for action against this intolerable and irrevocable damage to the Temple Mount and call upon all the relevant authorities to halt the destruction of Jewish heritage at Har Habayit, our national treasure.