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Melissa Jane Kronfeld
PhD. Philanthropy. Politics.

Realizing the Reality of Ramadan ‘Rights’

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As is my daily habit, I routinely scroll through the morning news headlines as I walk with my three dogs down the Tel Aviv beachfront in the chilly pre dawn hours before I leave for Jerusalem to ascend to the Temple Mount every Sunday through Thursday. But words cannot adequately express the shock, horror, disdain, outrage, concern, and incredible sadness I have felt in recent weeks upon reading headline after headline about the government’s decision to potentially restrict access to prayer on the Temple Mount over the upcoming holiday…

GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS RESTRICTING ACCESS TO TEMPLE MOUNT FOR JEWISH WORSHIPERS ON ROSH CHODESH!

COALITION GOVT TO PREVENT JEWISH PRAYER AT SITE OF FIRST AND SECOND TEMPLE DURING NEW MONTH CELEBRATION!

US PRESIDENT WARNS ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER AGAINST LIMITING ACCESS FOR JEWS DURING UPCOMING TWO DAY HOLIDAY!

WORLD CONDEMNS ISRAELI GOVERNMENT DECISION TO DENY TRADITIONAL JEWISH ASCENSION TO HOLIEST SITE ON ANCIENT MONTHLY CELEBRATION!

UN CONVENES EMERGENCY SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING OVER LACK OF ACCESS FOR JEWS AT THEIR HOLIEST SITE IN CAPITAL CITY!

EU MINISTERS ISSUE STATEMENT CONDEMNING HUMAN RIGHTS INFRINGEMENT AGAINST JEWISH WORSHIPPERS ON TEMPLE MOUNT!

ACTIVISTS UNITE ACROSS THE WORLD IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE JEWISH PEOPLE’S INDIGENOUS RIGHT TO THEIR HOLIEST SITE!

GLOBAL RALLY PLANNED IN 10 MAJOR CITIES TO STAND FOR JEWISH PRAYER ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT!

ROADS, AIRPORTS, GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS BLOCKED IN NEW YORK AND WASHINGTON, DC IN PROTEST OVER JEWISH FIRST PEOPLES RIGHTS TO TEMPLE MOUNT!

MK THREATENS COALITION COLLAPSE OVER JEWISH RIGHT TO PRAYER AT FIRST, SECOND TEMPLE SITE IN BIBLICAL HOMELAND OF JEWISH PEOPLE!

WORLD WATCHES AS HUMAN RIGHTS FIGHT OVER JEWISH PRAYER TAKE CENTER STAGE IN THE ETERNAL CAPITAL OF ISRAEL!

Just kidding.

Rather, for the past three weeks the only coverage the Temple Mount has received is regarding the unrestricted right of Muslims to access Al Aqsa Mosque

which bears a black, not a gold dome, and is neither the first nor second but third holiest site in Islam

during Ramadan, in the middle of a war, precipitated by Palestinian Hamas terrorists, who invaded Israel from Gaza, and slaughtered 1,200 innocent men, women, children and even babies

the rights of Muslims who murdered Israeli citizens – Jewish people, human beings – in their homes, on Simchat Torah (a Jewish holiday) and Shabbat (a day of rest observed as a religious obligation in Judaism).

Indeed the only condemnation from countries, who purport to be “allies” of Israel, has been regarding whether or not the Muslims generally, and the Palestinian people more specifically

the majority of whom have unabashedly declared, in recent poll after poll, their unyielding support for, and approval of, the October 7 genocide against the Jewish people in the Jewish State

will get to pray at a mosque (with a black, not gold dome), built more then 1,500 years after the Jews first constructed, not one but, two Temples there.

Indeed the only concern of the Israeli government

the same government who has drawn down troops in the north where Hezbollah rockets readily rain on Jewish communities, killing Israelis without reprisal, retribution or retaliation, and in the south, where Hamas is aided and abetted by a complicit population of acolytes who permitted an entire city, funded by billions of dollars in “aid” from those same “allies” of Israel, to be knowingly built beneath their schools and hospitals, instead of being invested in their economic well-being, the democratization of their institutions, or the future of their now “starving” children – despite around the clock humanitarian aid delivered courtesy of the IDF – so to enable the psychotic, random execution of Jews by their duly elected terrorist leaders who they now willingly shield in the “refugee” camps Israel provided ample time for them to construct and relocate to so that the preservation of their lives could come at the expense of a more timely executed defensive operation in response to said psychotic, random execution of Jews

is how many Jew-hating, pro-Hamas, potential knife-wielding, or Carlo machine gun carrying, terrorists will be able to roam, without restraint, to and from the holiest site in Judaism during Ramadan

a holiday with no connection to Jerusalem (still the eternal capital of the Israel, located in the biblical homeland of the Jewish people) in which Muslims commemorate the giving of the Quran to Muhammad (in Saudi Arabia) and traditionally make pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina (in Saudi Arabia).

Indeed the only calls being angrily shouted around the world regarding the right to pray on the Temple Mount is regarding the right of Muslims to pray during their month long holiday, and not the equal rights of Jews to pray (rights afforded to them under both Israeli and international human rights law) during just two days of Rosh Chodesh Adar II

an ancient, first of the month traditional celebration that occurred on just one day last month, but which the Jews were not permitted to observe because they were banned from ascending to the Temple Mount in order to permit the Muslims to celebrate the holiday of Al Isra Wal Mi’Raj.

Indeed the only coercion being brought to bear on our government

the same government which appears to be bending to the pressure of it’s so-called “allies”, grief stricken families, and a far too many clarity lacking Israelis who have taken to violently protesting in the streets, demanding we sacrifice more soldiers to free the hostages, even at the cost of the lives of their fellow citizens, which will assuredly result if Israel releases droves of dangerous and deranged incarcerated terrorists convicted of killing Jews and undoubtably willing to do so again

is in order to lend Israel’s support to the Jordanian Waqf

the so-called guardians of a Muslim (third order) holy site, built through conquest, on Mount Moriah (in Israel)

and to facilitate unfettered access to the Temple Mount so that vast numbers of Muslims can enter through any entrance (metal detectors not included), with any object of religious meaning (or soccer ball), for any reason (including rioting)

while the Jews may or may not be permitted access through just one entrance (metal detectors included), for a mere five hours a day, only five days a week – so long as there is not a Muslim holiday – without any object of religious meaning whatsoever.

Are you kidding me?

As Franz Kafka famously penned in his timely tome The Trial, “the right understanding of any matter and a misunderstanding of the same matter do not whole exclude each other.”

And just as his puzzled protagonist Josef K. attempts to understand the reach of an invisible law

which accuses him of an unknown crime he did not commit so that he can wantonly wait for an ever-delayed trial overseen by a court which has no jurisdiction over him (since no crime was committed over which it could adjudicate), and only so that, in the end, he can face extrajudicial punishment in the form of execution by non-appointed agents of the same extrajudicial court (which never convenes a trial for the unnamed crime he did not commit in order to render said punishment)

the Jewish people are being held in contempt by an invisible Israeli law (neither enforceable by Jordan, enforced by external sanction, nor proscribed by any international agreement) which claims Jewish prayer at Judaism’s holiest site is a calamitous (and unrepentant) crime deserving of prolific and prodigious punishment.

And much like Josef K., this punishment will be rendered in the form of execution… the death of our Jewish rights.

On October 7, our enemies declared war on the State of Israel.

And despite not needing, wanting or (if we are to speak plainly about the Palestinian threat) caring about a valid reason for the murder of 1,200 Jews (if any justification could be reason for the catastrophic crimes committed on that day, or the countless other crimes committed against the Jewish people by the Palestinian people on any given day before or after the foundation of the State of Israel), Hamas determined it was our five hours a day, five days a week “storming” of Al-Aqsa Mosque to “perform Talmudic rituals” which caused the calamity they so cooly contrived.

This despite the fact that Jewish worshippers have never stormed the Temple Mount (because “storm” is what clouds do), nor entered Al-Aqsa Mosque (because Jews do no enter the houses of worship of other faiths), nor performed Talmudic rituals there (because there is no such thing as a Talmudic ritual).

So… what are we fighting for, when our enemies purport it is Al-Aqsa Mosque for which they fight, if not the Temple Mount?

What is the purpose of fighting, when our enemies purport it is the recovery of a mosque they fully control, if not to recover full control over our first (and still Islam’s third) holiest site?

What is the purpose of loosing so many of our brave IDF soldiers, when our enemies lay claim to incredulous causality counts, if not to lay claim to our incredible birthright?

After all, the so-called “Al-Aqsa Food” will only result in the exposure, and eventual eradication, of the malevolent mold that is Mohammed Deif and his mob of meandering malcontents.

And (especially for those of us who live on the beachfront of Tel Aviv), it is obvious that a moldy house (or Mosque, for that matter) can only be made habitable (or holy) again if it is restored…

Now is the time to rebuild our sacred Temple.

Now is the time to reinstitute our service to Hashem.

Now is the time to reaffirm our right to, and over, the Temple Mount.

Because if not now… when? And if not us… who?

And no, I am not kidding.

About the Author
Dr. Melissa Jane Kronfeld is a journalist and former university lecturer focused on foreign policy, national security, Israel and the Diaspora. She has been a featured speaker at conferences around the world, including at the United Nations, the White House and Capitol Hill, and on variety of television, print, radio, podcast and online media outlets. Dr. Kronfeld is the founder of Passion For A Purpose, a boutique social impact consultancy with offices in New York and Tel Aviv; High On The Har, a US501c3 non-profit organization and Israeli Amuta focused on securing equal rights and access to the Temple Mount for people of all faiths; and The PFAP Foundation, a US501c3 non-profit organization and Israeli Amuta which supports community projects advancing Judaism, Zionism and pro-Israel sentiment, as well as the welfare of the Jewish people in the Jewish state.
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