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Perspectives - Jerusalem city of religions
Israel Lippel

Jerusalem, the "Holy" City for Jews, for Christians and for Muslims. has grown in importance since its reunification in 1967. Even though it is now passing through a very difficult time politically it still attracts tourists and pilgrims. Mr. Israel Lippel, founder and director of the Jerusalem Institute for Interreligious Relations and Research and former Secretary General to the Israeli Ministry for Religious Affairs, has a profound understanding of the situation. His article, which was written in May 1987, gives an objective account of the City, of its diverse religious communities, of their evolution and coexistence which is, when all is said and done, rare enough in the world.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE UNIVERSALITY OF JERUSALEM

According to the Jewish tradition the sanctity of Jerusalem is universal and everlasting, existing from creation until the end of days. The foundation stone, according to this tradition, is not only the base on which the universe was created, but also one of the seven things that were created before the universe. Commenting on a passage in Psalm VII,"...and he answereth me out of his holy mountain, Selah," the Midrash says that even though it is a mountain, it stands in his holiness.

King Solomon was the first to lay the foundation for the universal character of Israelite Jerusalem when, in the famous prayer 11 Kings VIII 37-43) which he offered up to God upon completing the building of the first Temple. he beseeched and requested God that "whatever prayer and supplication be made by any man or by all thy people. Israel ... but also the stranger, who is not of thypeople Israel, but cometh out of a far off country for the sake of thy name; ... when he will come and pray at this house do according to all that for which the stranger will call to thee ..." Solomon not only included Hiram, the King of Tsur in the building of the Mikdash, but also encouraged other foreign rulers, such as the Queen of Sheba, to visit Jerusalem. The Prophet Zechariah stresses more than all other Biblical witnesses that at the end of days non-Jews will come to dwell in Jerusalem and not lust those (the ten non-Jews) who will "take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew ..." (Zechariah V111:23), but a situation will exist where "...everyone that is left out of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem, yea, these shall go up year by year to bow down before the King, the Lord of Hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles" (Zechariah XIV: 16). There are many more stories, prophecies and events in the Bible, all emphasizing the special universality of Jerusalem.

THE RESIDENTS OF JERUSALEM ACCORDING TO RELIGIOUS GROUPS

A typological system used in religious research divides religions into two categories: Prophetic and Mystic. The "Prophetic" category includes the religions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam and also the Religion of Fire — Zoroasterism. In the Mystic category the religions of the Far East stand out. Of course, no religion is completely devoid of mystical elements; for example the Kabbalah (the mystical) in Judaism. It should be pointed out that there are no sects or communities belonging to the mystic category in Jerusalem nor are there any followers of the "Religion of Fire", Zoroasterism. The religions and sects that are extant in Jerusalem are all of the prophetic type rooted in the Bible: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

According to the last census which was carried out in 1983, the number of residents in Jerusalem was 428,000. Of these 306000 are Jews, 108,000 are Muslims and slightly less than 14,000 are Christians. More recently published figures show the population of Jerusalem as nearing 460,000: it is reasonable to assume that the major increase is in the number of Jewish residents. It is worthwhile to compare the results of this census with the number of residents and their division according to religious communities in Jerusalem at the time of its unification in 1967. The population was then about 268,000: 196,000 Jews, 60000 Muslims and 11,500 Christians.

The Christians

The reasons for the change in the number of Jews and Muslims can be understood in the light of political circumstances and the state of relations between Israel and the Arab countries. However. population studies in Jerusalem since the end of the Mandate period point to an especially notable change in the number of Christians in Jerusalem. At the end of the Mandate there were about 25,000 Christians there, and at the unification of Jerusalem in 1967 less than 12,000, that is to say a decrease of more than half. The number has risen during the period between unification and the census of 1983 but only by a little (and comparatively has even fallen slightly). The main reason for this fact is a slow but sure emigration particularly of Christian Arabs from the country since the war of independence (a great majority of the Christians in Jerusalem are Arabs). Christian emigration is mainly to the Latin American countries, the United States and Europe, though there was some to neighbouring countries in the Middle East ... It is generally difficult for a Christian Arab to live in the Middle East in today's circumstances unless he lives in a totally Christian environment. During the war of independence there was significant Armenian emigration from Jerusalem and Israel to other countries. Today there are about 1,400 Armenians in Jerusalem and about another 400 in the rest of Israel, compared to the more than 7,000 Armenians that were in the country at the end of the 'Mandate period.

The internal divisions among the Christians are significant and varied. In 1983 there were more 5,500 Catholics in Jerusalem, about 3,500 Eastern Orthodox, about 1,000 'Protestants of all types and more than 2000 Christians without affiliation to a specific sect or Church.

The Muslims

The situation of the Muslim population is different. All the Muslims in Jerusalem belong to the central Sunni tradition, including the Dervishes, the few Gypsies and the Muslims that came from Africa. There are no members of other sects that derive from the different factions of Shiite Islam such as the Druze and members of the Bahai faith (through the Bahais, whose centre is in Haifa, also have an office in Jerusalem). There is also no representation of non-Arab Sunni Muslim streams, Circassians, or of the reform Muslim sect, the Akmadia, that sprang from the Indian sub-continent and which maintains a small "branch" in Israel on Mt. Carmel in Haifa.

The Jews

The internal divisions of the Jewish residents in Jerusalem should be noted. It is irrelevant, for the present, to examine these according to membership and relation to religious groups using the divisions accepted in the U.S.A. — Orthodox, Conservative, 'Reform. Out of nearly a thousand synagogues in Jerusalem, less than fifteen are outside the Orthodox framework. Even the Jewish Karaite community in. Jerusalem is very small and the number of its members barely reaches the tens, though the Karaite synagogue, Man ben David, named after the founder of the Karaites, is found in Jerusalem.

DEVELOPMENTS IN THE JEWISH RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY

Even though religious Jews in Jerusalem all define themselves as Orthodox, the reality is somewhat more complex. There is no other place so blessed with such a diversified mosaic of religious and ultra - religious movements, starting from Neutrei Karta, by way of Agudat Yisrael and Shas to religious members of the Labour and Likud movements. There are parties in the centre, such as Poalei Eretz Yisrael and the Melds: and also the different Hasidic camps from Breslau to Carlin, from Gur to Habad and Belz, etc.; Litaim and Sephardic institutions and yeshivas, religious courts and kashrut committees of different standings of the ultra-Orthodox etc. Of the thirty one members of the Jerusalem City Council, nearly one-third are representatives of the religious and ultra-Orthodox parties, or are "affirmed religious" members of other parties. By the term "affirmed religious" I mean those who at least keep the Sabbath and eat kosher. There is no doubt that the percentage of religious Jews in the general Jewish population of Jerusalem is even greater than the percentage of religious members on the City Council. The large percentage of Jews who keep the mitzvot has a strong influence on the character and form of the city. Things that are acceptable in other places in the country, such as pornographic films and plays in the movie houses and theatres or practices related to the public desecration of the Sabbath, etc., are not acceptable in Jerusalem.

An examination of events in the religious Jewish community in Jerusalem since independence and unification until the present, points to a growing movement towards greater Orthodoxy. This is reflected for instance, in the legitimization granted to the "Hazard Be'tsuva movement on the part of the ultra-Orthodox community; by the many and systematic demonstrations against the Mormons. in which more moderate religious Jews also take part, (fear of missionary activity by the Mormons is not without some foundation); by the growing desertion on the part of non-religious Jews from the Jewish Quarter; by the more aggressive stance of the Religious Council and Rabbinoot in Jerusalem against hotels that hold New Year celebrations; by the struggle for ultra-Orthodox representation on the neighbourhood councils; by a wider incursion of ultra-Orthodox into additional neighbourhoods; by stronger expressions in the ultra-religious press against the secular community; and so on. It seems as if the delicate balance in Jerusalem between the secular community and the religious and ultra-Orthodox is disappearing. The less radical religious parties and movements that in the past served as a bridge and as conciliator between the different factions of the population that live together in Jerusalem, (e.g. the Medal, Bnei Akiva, Religious Workers Party, the United Israel Movement of Head, and others), are practically no longer heard today.

A development of a different kind has been taking place in Jerusalem since, and perhaps as a result of, unification. This is a growing Jewish nationalism especially in the religious community and it has recently threatened the co-existence in the city of Jews and non-Jews. The fact that the Temple Mount is in the hands of the Muslims can. under certain circumstances, provide fuel to any faction whatsoever. In fact in the not so distant past there were attempts on the part of extremist groups to "capture" the Temple Mount. The "Temple Mount Faithful" movement is also active in this domain. Polls carried out in recent years among the Jerusalem population indicate that the demand to allow Jews to pray on the Temple Mount has wider support than in the past. Among the religious public only religious rulings on the part of the majority of the rabbis and at their head the Chief Rabbis, that forbid going up on to the Temple Mount in our life-time, still prevent the realization of the demand, the consequences of which could be most detrimental, both in the political and security spheres. The recent brutal stabbings of Jews in the Muslim quarter and the reaction on the part of Jewish extremists, (there are Jewish yeshivas, the "Return of Jewish Property" movement, and others located in the Muslim quarter), cannot be seen as conducive to strengthening coexistence.

Another type of change in Jewish Jerusalem which arises from the fact of its unification is the transfer of the center of gravity for ritual prayer and prostration in sacred places, from the Tomb of David on Mount Zion to its natural place, the Western Wall. The Wall is surrounded by visitors and people at prayer at all hours of the day. It serves as a focal point for national, social and personal events such as "Coming up to Jerusalem" during holidays, 'Jerusalem Day" ceremonies, the central lighting of Hanukah candles, the "Swearing-in" of army recruits. Ceremonial visits of heads of state, Demonstrations in support of Jewish aliyah from Russia, Bar-mitzvah ceremonies, the concluding ceremony of the Macabbi Games, etc. The authorities are still struggling with the question of what character to give to the area of the western Wall in its re-development. Should it continue its historical mission as the wailing wall, symbol of the destruction, or should it symbolize the miracles of our generation and serve as a symbol of happiness and independence? In the meantime, the excavations of the entire Western Wall are nearing completion, (four hundred and forty out of a total of four hundred and eighty-six meters of the wall, which is the longest wall, have already been exposed). When the excavations are completed and the tunnel is opened to visits by the public, the interest in the area will double. Other "territorial" changes that are expected as a result of the unification of Jerusalem are: the restoration of the ruins of Rabbi Vehuda the Hasid's dwelling in the Jewish Quarter, possibly also the Tiferet Israel synagogue Nissem Beck, the final locating of a central Jewish cemetery for Jerusalem as few available burial places are left either on the Mt. of Olives or on Har Hamenuchah.

Another development occurring in Jerusalem since unification is a certain taking-root and expansion of Reform and Conservative Judaism. The Reform movement in Jerusalem is connected with the name of Professor Nelson Glick and the foundation of the Bible and Archaeology Institute in Jerusalem following the establishment of Conservative-type synagogues such as Emet and Emunah. Those who remember the struggle that took place at that time in religious and ultra-Orthodox circles against the establishment of the Center for Reform Judaism in the early sixties, discern that the second or third stage of Reform expansion in Jerusalem is slightly easier. This includes the founding of the Conservative Belt Hamidrash called after Schechter and additional Reform and Conservative synagogues. This does not mean that in the future there will be no additional struggles and demonstrations in Jerusalem about this.

THE MUSLIM RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS IN JERUSALEM

Upon the unification of Jerusalem it a regional Shari'a court headed by a Cadi, and also a Shara'i Supreme Court of Appeals (which was responsible for all Jordanian law and occasionally sat in Rabat Aman and occasionally in Jerusalem), were in existence. Sitting on the court was an authority on religious law (Mufti) and the regional management of holy property (the Waal). In light of the fact that the religious Muslim leader ship refused to recognise the annexation of East Jerusalem and the extension of Israeli law and administration to it, the district Oath, who had been appointed according to Jordanian law, was relieved of his authority. The authority of the Court of Appeals was limited for all intents and purposes to the area of Judaea and Samaria and no longer extended to Jerusalem. The cadi of Jaffo was granted authority by the government to sit in judgment also on the cases of Jerusalem's Arabs. and the religious administration continued to care for religious property under its management. However the leadership of East Jerusalem announced the establishment of a Supreme Muslim Council — modelled on the one that the Mandate Government had established after the British occupation (at whose head stood the Mufti Hal Amin El Husseni) — that encompasses all the religious Muslim institutions in the city and is responsible (in conjunction with Jordan) for their functioning. Jordan, naturally, supports these institutions both politically and financially.

The Muslim institutions in fact manage with full autonomy the holy places and the mosques on the Temple Mount except for security, which falls on the shoulders of the Government of Israel. An attempt to prevent the residents of East Jerusalem from needing to use the services of the Sharia Court in Jaffo was also unsuccessful, because the Jordanian Shari'a court in East Jerusalem has no authority to carry out its judgments. It should not be forgotten that the great majority of Muslim residents in the east of the city elected to remain citizens of Jordan, who do not participate in Knesset elections and only an inconsequential minority of them take part in municipal elections; in the meantime they are unwilling to send representatives to the City Council.

The number of Muslim mosques and houses of prayer in wider Jerusalem today is approximately seventy, about half of which are in the Old City.

It should also be noted that the Supreme SherCa Court of Appeals that exists in the State of Israel is located according to law in Jerusalem, and houses the management of the Shari'a Courts of the State of Israel.

Regarding the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem, apart from the mosques on the Temple Mount, the Muslims have a religious affinity (stronger or weaker as it may be), to other places in Jerusalem such as the Mt. of Olives, the Tomb of David, the Shiloach Spring, etc.

The basis of this Muslim relationship to Jerusalem is rooted mainly in the story Muhammad's Irising to heaven (miraj) from the foundation stone (taharah), as developed in Muslim tradition on the basis of the first passage of Sura 17 ("Sons of Israel").

CHRISTIANITY IN JERUSALEM

As stated above, Christians in Jerusalem today are a relatively small minority (about 14,000). However, Christian influence on the city is very great and, possibly, their presence in the city contributes more than all others to the general universal countenance of Jerusalem, especially as a large portion of the Christians here serve as representatives of world-wide Christian communities.

Jerusalem had its greatest number of Christians (about 60,000-70,000) during the Byzantine period. During the Crusader period the number reached about 25,000 and it was about the same during the Mandate period. The fact that the number of Christians has dimished is perhaps a result of their relationship to the Holy City. It has been defined by researchers as ambivalent. Christians are not obliged to live in Jerusalem or even to go on pilgrimage to the city. In the fourth century the Fathers of the Church debated whether to encourage Christians to go on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. One of the important Catholic personages, St. Jerome, even expressed himself thus: "The gates of heaven are open in England lust as they are in Jerusalem". Even though he himself finally decided to go to the land of Israel, the basic Christian theological stance to Jerusalem remains the same and is still problematic.

Christianity in Israel is governed, at least reppresentatively, by the three Patriarchs of Jerusalem — the Greek Orthodox, the Roman Catholic and the Armenian. A number of other bishoprics, delegations and assemblies are also found in Jerusalem (for example the Russian and the Rumanian) headed by dignitaries often with a rank below that of Bishop. There are about twenty-five different Christian congregations or confessions in Jerusalem. Ten of them are recognized by law and have recognized religious courts. The Anglican Church was awarded official recognition by the government of Israel only in 1970. It is the only Protestant congregation (if the Anglicans can be considered Protestant) that hold recognition of this type. In addition to the Anglicans the Christian congregations recognized by law are: the Orthodox, the Roman Catholic, the Armenian. the Greek Catholic, the Maronite. the Syrian, the Armenian Catholic, the Syrian Catholic and the Kasshad (Nestorian Catholics).

The Patriarchates of Jerusalem hold most of the rights in the Christian holy places, especially where the status quo reigns. In some of the holy Places, especially the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. there is tension about these rights between the different Christian communities. Jerusalem ist also a center for certain religious orders, particu- • larly the Franciscans, whose status in the Holy Land is high. In the fifteenth century the Pope entrusted them with the mission of bringing Catholicism back to the land of Israel after it had almost disappeared with the departure of the Crusaders.

Another important feature of the Christian presence in Jerusalem (and in Israel) is pilgrimage. Most of the tourists who visit the country are Christians, even though not all of them define themselves as pilgrims. (In 1985 there were more than one million visitors.) In the second half of the nineteenth century the Orthodox made up an important part of Christian pilgrimage, but since the communist revolution in Russia the percentage of Orthodox is very small compared to the Protestant and Catholic groups from the West who today are in the vast majority. There are about a hundred places of prayer — churches and monasteries — in Jerusalem. They serve not only their local constituents but also the various pilgrims, according to their confession.

The Problems of Christian Communities in Jerusalem

The problems of the Churches in Jerusalem are both internal and external and sometimes stem from the same source. Firstly a differentiation must be made between a Church which has external political backing and one that does not. A Church with no political backing is not to be envied. because all of the other Churches, including its sister Churches "will clip its wings". as happened to the Syrians who lost most of the rights that it had in the distant past, and also the Ethiopians whose backing in the past was comparatively weak.

There is no similarity either between the position of the Greek Orthodox Church, although it is independent in this country, and the Roman Catholic Church, which though it is not independent has the broad backing of the Vatican.

Another problem the Churches are tackling is the Arabization of their leadership. On the one hand the leadership of the ethnic delegations, especially the European and Western ones, is made up of Europeans and Westerners, whilst the faithful (the local residents) are Arabs. This causes much internal tension in the communities, though there has been an acceleration in the Arabization of the Churches, The Lutherans and the Anglicans were the first to appoint Arab bishops some time ago. (Strangely enough the first Anglican bishop in the mid-nineteenth century was a Jewish convert, Alexander). In other Churches matters today are handled with maximum consideration for the nationality of the faithful. (Editor's note: In December 1987, Pope John Paul II named an Arab as Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem).

Another subject that concerns a small number of Churches in Jerusalem, particularly the Protestant fundamentalist type, is missionary activity. It must be borne in mind that if during the nineteenth century most of the Churches in Jerusalem were engaging in missionary activity, today the situation is again different. The veteran Christian establishment is not active in this sensitive area and only the newer factions ignore Jewish sensitivities. In this context the struggle on the part of the ultra-Orthodox circles against the building of a Mormon Center on Mt. Scopus, which results from the fear of missionary activity, should be recalled. The presence of a mission of another type, the Japanese Mikuya movement in Jerusalem should be noted. If there is a flawless movement of righteous peoples of the world, then it is the Mikuya movement that was founded after World War II by the /ate Professor Avraham Tashima, may he rest in peace. The intent of this movement is to gain from Judaism and Israel spiritual inspiration. The members come in the hundreds to the country to study and strengthen their knowldge of different elements of Judaism and the Bible, and not to purchase souls or propagate foreign ideologies in our midst. They were also the first whocame to celebrate with us the twentieth anniversary of the unification of Jerusalem.

Another important point related to the Christian presence in the Jerusalem area is the problem of security for the religious and priests in Churches and Monasteries that are far from the center of the city and also for the visitors who come to these places. Serious complaints have been heard more than once from monks and nuns about attacks and treacherous behaviour on the part of residents, in most cases on the part of Arab residents, but there have also been complaints about rude behaviour on the part of Jews. The Churches are not able to provide security by setting up armed guards and sometimes this is against their pacifist commitment. It is also impossible to station the security forces at each and every one of them, as is naturally the case at important places like the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, where in fact there is an Israeli police force presence.

CONCLUSION

To summarize twenty years of Israeli rule in the united capital of Israel, it is possible to say that in spite of all the difficulties, and sometimes of discouraging conditons, there is certainly coexistence between peoples of different persuasions and there is relative security in places of worship and at holy sites for both the worshippers and the visitors. This was achieved because of the desire of the moderate and constructive majority of the residents of the city of Jerusalem — Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. It is also due to Government and city policy to remain sensitive to the special standing of the city, to developments and changing situations. There are surely things that are not dependent upon us as Jews or upon our actions as individuals or as a people. However there is no doubt that the continued existence of the special, universal character of Jerusalem under Jewish rule, with consideration for others and respect for their rights and presence here, depends a great deal on us. It is in our primary interest to continue to protect the harmony, the peace and the rights of the different religious communities and not to be influenced by provocation and hostile reactions either on the part of extremist Arabs or extremist Jews alike.