1000 RABBIS URGE ANNAPOLIS AND RELIGIOUS LEADERS: NUMBER ONE PRIORITY — THE SANCTITY OF JERUSALEM
By Jews for Morality
Christian Newswire
November 28, 2007 Wednesday 8:30 AM GMT
MEDIA ADVISORY, Nov. 27 /Christian Newswire/ — Rabbi Yehuda Levin,
spokesman for 1000 Orthodox Rabbis, issued the following appeal
to the leaders of the 40 countries participating in the Annapolis
peace conference, as well as world leaders of Christian and Muslim
denominations:
As a special emissary to the Holy Land representing the Rabbinical
Alliance of America, and the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the U.S. and
Canada, I had the merit to be a key organizer and participant in the
historic conference of religious leaders pertaining to the sanctity
of the Holy City of Jerusalem. The media coverage of this conference
occurred on March 30th to the 31st, 2005, and included a front
page story in the New York Times. A document was issued which was
signed by the Israeli Chief Rabbis, the various Christian Patriarchs,
Archbishop Pietro Sambi, currently the Vatican Apostolic Ambassador to
Washington, myself, representing the American Rabbinate, and various
Muslim leaders.
The heretofore, unparalleled scope of participants in Annapolis and the
previous statements of various religious leaders, such as a statement
issued by the Vatican on November 8th, 2006, which addressed preserving
the sanctity of Jerusalem which is venerated by so many faithful,
provides a unique opportunity for building goodwill between all the
religious faith communities.
Surely the City of Jerusalem deserves the sanctity and respect
accorded to Vatican City, Mecca, Karbalah, and other cities which
faithful venerate. Thus, there should be no immoral parades, public
displays, homosexual or heterosexual, no pornography, no titillating
advertisements, no establishments which promote licentiousness,
and no municipal funding of movies, plays, or cultural events that
are immodest or offend the sensibilities, not only of the various
faith communities which populate Jerusalem, but the millions, if not
billions, worldwide, who venerate Jerusalem, and all her Holy sites.
We call upon the various religious personalities who have historically
had connections with Christian Holy sites, such as Pope Benedict,
the Patriarchs of the Russian Orthodox Church, the Greek Orthodox
Church, the Armenian Church, etc…as well as the King of Morocco,
who is traditionally charged with protecting Muslim Holy sites,
and other leaders who are not mentioned here, to promptly join
together and issue statements and exercise influence to see that a
binding agreement is signed by the appropriate authorities forever
guaranteeing the sanctity of the entire Jerusalem, the Old City, East
Jerusalem, which is largely populated by Arabs, and West Jerusalem,
which is populated by Jews. If it is called Jerusalem by any party,
it should be totally devoid of anything, which would offend any of
the religious sensibilities of the major faiths.
All who care for the sanctity of Jerusalem should insist that the
section of Israeli Basic Law which pertains to Jerusalem’s’ sanctity be
updated and made crystal clear, there should be zero tolerance for any
type of public immorality, immodesty, or so-called "cultural activity"
which wouldn’t be acceptable in the other aforementioned cities!
Safeguarding the sanctity of Jerusalem should be the first step in
this new era of international and interreligious cooperation.
As Orthodox Jews, we call upon the Knesset to act expeditiously and
legislate in a manner which ensures the success of this movement to
preserve Jerusalem’s sanctity. We call on the Mayor and City Council
of Jerusalem to defund all immoral events that offend traditional
religious sensibilities.
This common denominator of concern for the sanctity of Jerusalem
will create international goodwill and empower those who sincerely
seek peace.
Follow this link to view Rabbi Levin’s Youtube Video regarding the
"Annapolis Meeting":