Another Kind of Protective Presence

Israeli visitors unfamiliar with the Old City pass the doorway to the Armenian Quarter with intrigue. It’s unlike other gateways throughout the city. We heard comments, questions, and answers people gave themselves, their children, and their partners while walking by. For over two hours we observed a flow of people, with alternating intervals of larger and smaller crowds. They were headed for the Kotel, last Thursday, during Hol Hamoed Sukkot.

We wanted to do something meaningful for the holiday, avoiding politicized, populistic, manipulation of traditions. Haim recognized this as our opportunity, with days off from work, to volunteer with our friend Yisca in Jerusalem one day. I texted her. She sent a choice of time slots. We chose Thursday late morning-early afternoon at the Armenian Quarter to join in documenting incidents of spitting – or worse – against Armenian clergy and Quarter residents by extremist Jews.

Yisca Harani, founder of the Religious Freedom Data Center and hotline is the force behind these shifts. She joined us for the last hour, coming from the Via Dolorosa. With masses passing through the Old City for the Jewish holiday, in the Christian Quarter also needed protection from harassment by extremist religious Jews. Police video footage made that evident. Corroborative documentation by volunteers – closeups of perpetrators from cellphone cameras – are delivered to the police with times. A variation as it were on protective presence in the West Bank. The Old City of Jerusalem. Intricacies of jurisdiction.

But harmless, curious Israelis passing the gate to the Armenian Quarter get the best explanations when Yisca, a scholar of Christianity is there. (Other regular volunteers explain too.) Yisca asks if her listeners know of the Armenian genocide during World War I. Survivors sought refuge in Jerusalem. That community protected Jews in 1948 when Israel fought for its independence. She elaborates on the above, juggling eye contact with the interested parties with scouting the area for offenders in action.

Despite offenses, and perpetrators who get away with it, Yisca addresses this frame with appreciation for dedicated volunteers who participate in routine shifts to protect the Armenians and document offenses. If only it were unnecessary.

Spotting a teenager spitting while talking to us, Yisca disappeared like lightning to get a facial closeup. A plainclothesman already flashed his card, warning the teenager this would be the last time he would do such a thing.

Last week, Yisca shared a story on Facebook by a Catholic American journalist applauding RFDC’s activity. Yesterday, October 7, 2026, Yisca posted a letter received from a nun expressing her empathy on this tragic anniversary. In the spirit of the RFDC mission, may the plainclothesman’s message to the spitting teenager extend far beyond. All Christians should feel safe and welcome among Jews living and visiting in the Old City of Jerusalem. It will happen. It must. Then, I trust Yisca and the regular cadre of RFDC volunteers will channel their energies and commitment to other meaningful causes.