Large Community Event Planned at Lincoln Park Jewish Center in Yonkers to Save Har Hazeitim (Mt. of Olives) in Jerusalem

A large community event to support efforts to save and restore the 3,000 year-old Jewish cemetery on Har Hazeitim will take place on Sunday March 18^th at 6:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Jewish Center, 311 Central Park Avenue in Yonkers. According to Edward Mark, a member of the International Committee to Preserve Har Hazeitim, the event will be addressed by Jewish community leaders, including an on-site emotional message by Malcolm Hoenlein, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. In addition, there will also be remarks from Helen Freedman, Executive Director for Americans For A Safe Israel.

Synagogues in Riverdale, Westchester, and surrounding areas are expected to join the large gathering.

Abraham and Menachem Lubinsky, who founded the International Committee in 2010 to stave off the continued desecration and decay of the cemetery, which included random violence against Jews, large numbers of broken graves, and general abuse by local Arabs, will deliver an up-to-date report of the efforts to save Har Hazeitim. In urging Jews from all walks of life to attend, Mr. Mark said: “Help us restore the dignity to the more than 125,000 Jews who are buried there including our Nevi’im (prophets), our leading scholars and the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin.”

The International Committee to Preserve Har Hazeitim has been a major factor in new efforts by the Israeli and Jerusalem governments to end this “national shame” of a neglected Har Hazeitim. It has already helped increase security with the placement of surveillance cameras and promised police presence on Har Hazeitim. “Much more can be accomplished with your help,” said Mr. Mark.

Mr. Mark pointed to the recent spate of violence as a major factor in the Committee’s stepped up efforts. “Despite our accomplishments, it is important to demonstrate unity as we reclaim one of the national treasures of the Jewish people,” he added. Israeli government officials acknowledge that the pressure by the Committee was the impetus behind the first serious initiative to retake Har Hazeitim since it was liberated in 1967 by the IDF. Under the Jordanians (1948-1967), more than 75,000 graves were destroyed to build a hotel, roads, and housing. The Arabs used the tombstones for the roads. While they agreed to allow Jews access to the Mt. of Olives in the 1948 Armistice, they immediately violated the agreement. Jewish burial was resumed after 1967.

Lincoln Park Jewish Center is conveniently located at 311 Central Park Avenue in Yonkers, NY, adjacent to the New York State Thruway  just south of the Yonkers Raceway and the Cross County Parkway, only 10 minutes from Riverdale. The synagogue’s parking lot is immediately adjacent and on street parking is available. Light refreshments will be served.  For information on the Event and the effort to preserve Har Hazeitim please contact us at: 212 796 5388, info@saveharhazeitim.org, www.saveharhazeitim.org,  ww.savemountofolives.org