In a place where Israeli police are often detaining Jewish worshippers, for the first time, a Jewish/Israeli police officer was seen praying alongside the Jewish group he was escorting on the Temple Mount.
The officer can be seen praying the Amidah prayer, which involved bowing – once an arrestable offense on the Temple Mount.
The video was taken by local Muslims and is now going viral in Arab social media circles. The prayer service comes on the heels of a Jerusalem Magistrate’s court ruling in favor of three young Jewish men who the police had barred from the Temple Mount for bowing to God and reciting the ‘Shema.’ Judge Zion Saharay said that he did not consider bowing down and reciting a prayer sufficient cause to curtail freedom of religion for fear it would cause a disturbance at the site.
The teens were arrested last week and given a 15-day restraining order prohibiting them from entering the Old City of Jerusalem. In the application for the restrictive conditions, the police claim that their conduct may lead to a violation of public order. The teens filed an appeal against the order.
It should be noted that the Torah commands Jews to prostrate themselves on the Temple Mount, and it is strictly forbidden for a Jew to prostrate himself in prayer in any other location.
