June
29, 2000
OU
Outraged by Temple Mount Digging
The
Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the largest
mainstream Orthodox Jewish organization with nearly one thousand
congregations nationwide, is deeply pained by and strongly
opposes the illegal construction that is taking place on the
Temple Mount. In
spite of strong protests, the pace of the work has increased 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. It
is for this reason that we fail to understand the Prime
Minister’s decision to take no action against this destruction
and to allow it to continue despite protests by Attorney General
Elyakim Rubenstein and leading Israeli archeologists.
We
strongly urge Prime Minister Barak to stop all work at the
Temple Mount immediately. This
deplorable activity threatens to destroy Jewish heritage at Har
Habayit, our national treasure, something that no nation in the
world would tolerate. We
implore Prime Minister Ehud Barak to reconsider his decision and
do whatever is necessary to halt this indefensible destruction.
-30-
Union of Orthodox
Jewish Congregations of America
Institute for Public Affairs
Main Office:
11 Broadway
New York, NY 10004
Phone: 212-613-8124 Fax: 212-564-9058
E-mail: ipa@ou.org |
Washington Office:
1640 Rhode Island Ave NW
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: 202-857-2770 Fax: 202-331-916
E-mail: ipadc@ou.org |
Prof.
Richard Stone, Chairman
Nathan Diament, Director
Betty Ehrenberg, Director, International
Affairs & Communal Relations
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