Today, in the wake of acts of violence by Palestinians in the Jerusalem area and statements by the Palestinian Authority political leadership calling for the international community to “force it (Israel) to put off its attempts to take over Jerusalem and Judaize it”, the following statement was issued by Nathan Diament, director of public policy for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization:
On this Holiday of Sukkot, when Jews in Israel and around the globe are engaged in joyful celebrations, we are being confronted with violence and offensive inversions of history by Israel’s enemies.
As has been the case for many years, thousands of Jews made their way, earlier today, to the Kotel Ha’Ma’aravi (the Western Wall remnant of the Holy Temple), for a joyous holiday blessing of the Jewish people by Kohanim (priests).
The Palestinians, determined to deny Jewish history and our connection to our eternal capital of Jerusalem, plotted violence (as evidenced by stores of rocks and other materials discovered by the Israeli police). And the Palestinian political leadership, with whom the international community presses for negotiations, has called upon world leaders to “force” Israel “to put off its attempts to take over Jerusalem and Judaize it.”
Jerusalem has been at the center of Jewish life and faith for thousands of years. Just days ago, at the close of Yom Kippur, Jews around the world declared, as we have for thousands of years, the hope and prayer “Next Year in Jerusalem.” A majority of Jews, in the U.S. and Israel, continue to oppose relinquishing Jewish sovereignty over our eternal capital.
The enemies of our people recognize this, and seek to deny our history. In the face of all this, we reaffirm that “for the sake of Zion we will not be silent” and we will not allow history to be denied.
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