More and more Jews live in the Arab Quarter

B"H

Next to the exit of the Kotel area stood a guy with a microphone: "Tours through the Arab Quarter for free", he shouted, "just gather here and we will leave every 15 minutes".

I decided to participate and it turned out that there was just a group of about 30 people including children leaving for the tour. It seemed that I was the only person born outside Israel. Our guide was called Yishai and he is a student at the Yeshiva Ateret Cohanim.

Ateret Cohanim is run by the national religious rabbi, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, and is located in the Arab Quarter. Just a little outside the Kotel area. The yeshiva itself is very famous for being fundamentalist and buying Arab property in order to put in religious Jews. Slowly slowly, the Arab Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem is becoming more and more Jewish.

Their last big coup was when, three years ago, they bought the PETRA - Hostel, an Arab hotel next to the hostel and 27 further shops run by Palestinians. Of course, the Arabs were mad when they found out about the new Jewish owner and that the Greek Orthodox Church had sold its properties to Jews due to financial difficulties. The Arabs even threatened to kill the Church Patriarch who was speedily replaced by someone else.

First Yishai took us to the Kotel HaKatan, the Small Kotel. Through a small alleyway we came to the door leading to the Temple Mount. Two Israeli policemen were sitting at the entrance. We did not enter the Temple Mount but turned left where the Kotel HaKatan was. He explained us that the Kotel HaKatan is nearer the Kodesh HaKedoshim and therefore there is more Kedusha. Every Erev Shabbat a Kabbalat Shabbat is taking place. Women are invited as well.

The Temple Mount was loaded with Muslims walking around. We saw a huge area, the former Azarah, and Yishai pointed out that it is a great Mitzwah seeing the Azarah during Chol HaMoed. I belong to those people who do not enter the Temple Mount due to its and our own impurity. Of course, there are certain national religious rabbis claiming that Jews should go there and show the Arabs that we are still here. However, according to my opinion, HaShem has His reasons and Meschiach should come first. Anyway it was exciting seeing it from far away but it is so hard to imagine how it once used to be having a Temple and how it will in the future having the Third Temple.

One of the participants asked Yishai if this whole Arab Quarter trip is safe at all and Yishai responded that there is army everywhere. A claim which did not always prove right later on.
While we kept on walking through Rehov Chagai, Yishai took us to different houses now owned by Jews. He said that we can always recognize a Jewish house when we see a thick bullet proofed wooden door and an Israeli flag hanging outside.

We entered a few houses and found out that sometime one or two families bought a house in the middle of the Arab Quarter. They had paid a huge amount of money; not only to take over the property but also to guarantee the former Arab owner his escape. If he would not, his Muslim brothers would look at him as a traitor and kill him.

The houses were all under high security. On each roof top was a small security building where private guards were sitting. Outside in the street were Muslims walking around and Hamas flags could be seen all over.It was a rather strange atmosphere and I am sure that I could not live like that. One needs to be an immense faith in Zionism.

At the very end we watch a short movie made by Ateret Cohanim and they emphasized that they are going to continue buying Arab property. So far, there are 60 families living in the Arab Quarter.

Maybe all of this is at stake now because Abu Mazen claims that he has a paper signed by Ehud Olmert. The Israeli Prime Minister is ready to divide Jerusalem which would mean that Jews again have to flee from their property in the Old City. At least former politicians such as Yitzchak Rabin, Ehud Barak or Ariel Sharon were always against a division of Jerusalem. But Olmert, a man with no boundaries and conscience does not think about our country but only about himself and his advantages.