Yerushalayim…Less than 24 hours after being sworn in, the 24th Knesset established a Caucus on Har Hazeisim, it was announced by MK Michael Malchieli, chairman of the Shas faction in the Knesset. The purpose of the caucus would be to oversee security, preservation and restoration of Har Hazeisim. MK Malchieli was again selected to be the Caucus chairman.
The Caucus for Har Hazeisim was extremely active in the last few Knesset sessions, and was responsible for many initiatives on the historic 3000-year-old cemetery. MK Malchieli is in the process of signing up Knesset members from across the political spectrum. When first established several years ago, the Har Hazeisim caucus had 69 members, the largest such lobby in the history of the Knesset.
In his announcement of the Knesset’s approval of the Caucus, MK Malchieli noted: “There is a great deal of symbolism in the fact that the Knesset chose the security of Har Hazeisim as its first caucus. In recent years, I have been privileged to work intensively to promote the entire issue of preserving and protecting Har Hazeisim, along with the brothers Menachem and Avraham Lubinsky, the founding heads of the International Committee for Har Hazeisim (ICHH). The new Knesset will continue to work for the preservation of this holy mountain, which is the largest and oldest international cemetery for the Jewish people. We will never allow a return to the lawlessness that existed on Har Hazeisim prior to the historic efforts of the international committee.”
In their statement, the Lubinsky’s thanked the Knesset and particularly singled out the chairman of the Caucus: “We are grateful to MK Michael Malchieli, for his persistent hard work on behalf of Har Hazeisim and to Shalom Lerner, the international director of the ICHH.” They added: “We look forward to arranging visits with many of the new MKs so that they can become familiar with the many issues on Har Hazeisim as well as gain an appreciation for the historic and holy significance of the mountain. Some of our nation’s most prominent leaders dating back to the nevi’im are buried on Har Hazeisim.”
During the past year, many victims of the Covid pandemic were buried on Har Hazeisim, which in the past few years has seen as many as 400 burials a year, an astounding figure for such an ancient cemetery which is the most preferred eternal resting place for the Jewish people.
