Moslem religious leaders in East Jerusalem were assured by the Ministry for Religious Affairs yesterday that there were no plans to reconstruct the Temple on its original site. Rumors to that effect had disturbed the Moslems. The Temple site includes what is now the El Aksa Mosque behind the Western Wall, on the holiest shrines of Islam. The rumors apparently originated in a discussion among a group of Biblical scholars about building a synagogue in a Moslem-owned building near El Aksa. The Ministry for Religious Affairs, in a statement said that there was no intention to rebuild the Temple “in our days” because according to tradition the new Temple “will not be constructed by men but by the heavens.” Some of the Moslem lenders were said to be skeptical of the explanation and are awaiting further developments.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
