Some Jews who were on Temple Mount on Monday morning, Yom HaShoah, found themselves almost at a loss regarding what to do about the siren. Jews entering Temple Mount were asked to try to be out by 10 AM, and they realized that the police had instructed that in order to avoid a situation of Jews honoring the commemoration of the Holocaust on Temple Mount, something that would likely cause the Arabs from the Waqf to get angry.
The police agreed to let them stay on after Rav Elboim, a Belzer hassid who goes to Har HaBayit regularly and runs a Har Habayit awareness organization, offered a compromise that they would sit down and remain seated for the duration fo the siren. The police figured that would not appear like honoring the Holocaust memorial, and would be acceptable.
Sure enough, the Belzer hassid and those with him were uncomfortable sitting for the siren, and decided to stand. Sure enough the Waqf officials got upset and complained, but the police convinced them that it would only be two minutes and they should let it slide.
(source: INN)
1. a Belzer hassid insisted on standing for the Yom HaShoah siren rather than sitting.
2. the police and Arabs would have preferred the Jews sitting, something they normally never allow - normally Jews must basically keep walking while on har HaBayit.
3. It bothers me that they offered a deal they had no intention to keep, and then did not keep it.
4. Had they sat down, the images would have been in the papers of religious, and hassidic, Jews disrespecting the Yom HaShoah siren.
5. The police were afraid to allow Jews to honor the memory of the Holocaust in front of Holocaust deniers because it would upset them. Ridiculous.
6. In the end the Holocaust siren was respected, and nobody rioted. Sometimes I get the feeling that the police make up stories about what might happen, and sometimes the Arabs act according to the made-up scenarios just because the police had already rationalized it for them.
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