
Advertisement
November 14, 2007 | 4:54 pm
Posted by Brad A. Greenberg

Should crucifixes and other evocative Christian images be barred from the Western Wall? I just got off the phone with an Orthodox rabbi who wasn’t so sure what the right response would have been when a group of Catholic bishops approached the Kotel yesterday in fall Christian regalia.
Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch refused to give the bishops access to the site and avoided meeting the ecclesiastic delegation of approximately 20, led by Archbishop of Vienna, Christoph Schonborn.
Rabinovitch denied that the incident, which took place Thursday, smacked of religious intolerance.
“Crosses are a symbol that hurts Jewish feelings,” said Rabinovitch who refused to elaborate on precisely how or why the crosses were so offensive.
“I feel the same way about a Jew putting on a tallit and phylacteries and going into a Church. I would be the first to rebuke such a Jew for not behaving like a mensch.” Rabinovitch added that he was surprised the Catholic clerics refused to hide their crosses.
“They did not have to take them off, just hide them. I’ve never encountered a Christian who has refused, including the Pope.”
This reminds me a bit of Ariel Sharon’s military-led visit to the Temple Mount in 2000, only the bishops’ visit, thank God, has not sparked a guerrilla war.
11.3.12 at 6:40 am | Back to blogging in August 2013 ...
8.20.12 at 12:22 am | Reuters reports that coordinated prayers at ...
8.19.12 at 9:04 pm | In particular, when journalists are identifying. . .
8.18.12 at 9:56 pm | Running afoul of zoning ordinances and an. . .
8.18.12 at 8:33 pm | Some research suggests the numbers are rising but. . .
8.17.12 at 3:41 pm | At an anti-Israel rally in Tehran on Friday, the. . .
5.7.09 at 11:02 am | In an interview with Danielle Berrin ... (158)
11.6.07 at 3:28 am | (79)

4.11.10 at 9:04 pm | Not to pick on Lefty, who won the Masters today. . . (64)


We welcome your feedback.
Your information will not be shared or sold without your consent. Get all the details.
JewishJournal.com has rules for its commenting community.Get all the details.
JewishJournal.com reserves the right to use your comment in our weekly print publication.
judaism israel christianity politics media los angeles islam barack obama entertainment anti-semitism america sports american jews evangelicals crime the law satire president 08 president 08 god personal john mccain holocaust sexuality catholicism war holidays jesus books atheism europe sarah palin bible academia science death middle east music california capitalism
November 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
| |||||||||