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Diaspora Yeshiva Dispute to Be Tested in Court

July 5, 1974
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A dispute between the Diaspora Yeshiva and the American Institute of Holy Land Studies, a Christian institution, over a lease to a building on Mount Zion, will be settled by a court suit, the Yeshiva staff told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency today. Meanwhile, neither institution will use the building and both have attached locks to the door at the suggestion of the police.

A fracas broke out Monday between students of the two schools over possession of the building which apparently belongs to the Anglican Church. The Yeshiva had occupied the building for several weeks until last Sunday night when the Institute took it over and barred the Yeshiva students. Police broke up the ensuing melee and arrested 14 Yeshiva students, all Americans, subsequently releasing them.

However, police said they would press assault charges against four of the Yeshiva students. Dr. S.Z. Kahane, chairman of the Mount Zion Commission, is attempting to have the charges dropped. The Institute is headed by the Rev. G. Douglas Young, who is widely considered a friend of Israel. The Yeshiva considers him a missionary and questions the right of the Anglican Church to grant the Institute a lease.

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