We have just been informed of an online campaign to publish a new Jewish guidebook to the Temple Mount in Hebrew and English. The book, called: “Arise and Ascend: A guide to the Temple Mount”, has already been published in Russian. Temple Mount activist Yehudah Glick, is leading the campaign. Yehudah’s promotional video can be seen here:
The guide was written by Dr. Meir Antopolsky, whose day job is Attending Physician in the Dept. of Emergency Medicine at Hadassah Medical Center on Mt. Scopus. He contacted me a while ago regarding illustrations for the original Russian publication by The Temple Mount Heritage Foundation.
This foundation seeks:
“to strengthen the connection between the people of Israel and the Temple Mount; increase awareness about the importance and centrality of the Temple Mount; encourage visits to the Temple Mount in a manner appropriate to Halacha (Jewish Law); and offer educational activities relating to the Temple Mount, including lectures, workshops, classes, and tours. Our overall goal is to increase recognition of the importance of the Temple Mount to Jews, to Israel, and to the world at large.”
Another website states:
“Sadly, visiting the Temple Mount today can be very frustrating. People arrive with great anticipation and excitement for a meaningful and spiritually-uplifting experience. But they are met with hostility and a total lack of information to help them understand the many facets of this holy site.”
How true that is, but then the site continues to claim that “there are no signs, no explanations, and no brochures to explain its significance and historical background.”
This, of course, is not true. Many books and articles have been written on the Temple Mount and Wikipedia has an extensive article on the subject. One does well to be informed about the Temple Mount before visiting it, as the Islamic Waqf who have custody of the site does not allow any books or other information to be consulted while on the platform.
Our own guide book is based on archaeological, historical and biblical information and is addressed to the interested visitor of all religions:
The proposed new guide book “Arise and Ascend” is based on Jewish Law (Halacha). After having read our guide book, Meir Antopolsky wrote to us: “your book is better from almost every point of view. But it doesn’t include information on Jewish law – where to go and where not, how to prepare etc, nor on the current political situation about the mountain. So there is still a reason for our short book to be translated into English as well.” We wrote back to him: “Good to hear that your Russian guide book is being published. I understand that your emphasis is on Jewish Law, while our focus is on history and archaeology and caters for people of different faiths. As no guide book to the Temple Mount has been available for a long time, it is good to have a choice.”
We are therefore glad to see that another guide book is being prepared that is addressed to the Jewish people in particular. As our own library shows, one can never have enough books on the Temple Mount.
HT: Joe Lauer
“there are no signs, no explanations, and no brochures to explain its significance and historical background.”
I suppose they mean there are no such items at the site itself, as there are at most other historical sites.