About ICHH

The International Committee for Har Hazeitim (ICHH) was founded in May 2010 by Avraham Lubinsky of New York following a stinging report on the conditions of Har Hazeitim – the Mount of Olives – by State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss. The lengthy report blamed successive governments for neglecting the oldest and holiest Jewish cemetery. In summary, Lindenstrauss noted: “Repair work proceeds at a snail’s pace, maintenance standards are inadequate, security is sorely lacking and vandalism and criminal acts continue unabated, accentuating the danger that funds and labor at the site will go down the drain.” Mr. Lubinsky mobilized a cross-section of American Jewish leaders and activists to participate in a committee that would determine the extent of the neglect, research government resources to deal with the problem, educate Jews and non-Jews about the sanctity and relevance of Har Hazeitim to the Jewish people, formulate recommendations to correct the problems, and monitor conditions on the 3000-year old cemetery. In addition to the American-based committee, an Israeli committee consisting of representatives of a broad segment of Israeli society was formed following a historic meeting at the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem attended by more than 1000 Israelis from every walk of life. Subsequently, committees were also formed in Los Angeles, Amsterdam, and London.

The deteriorating state of the 3000-year old Har Hazeitim was termed by a prominent Jewish leader as a “national disgrace!” Har Hazeitim is not only the burial place of the nevi’im (prophets) Zechariah, Chaggai and Malachi, and of many leading rabbis and Chasidic leaders, but also of Menachem Begin, the Prime Minister of Israel, many secular poets and authors and Rabbi Shlomo Goren, the former Chief Rabbi of Israel.

The Committee has been working tirelessly to restore the historic prominence of Har Hazeitim, including meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Jerusalem’s former Mayor Nir Barkat, Cabinet Ministers, Members of Knesset and prominent Israelis, Americans, and others around the world. It has succeeded in galvanizing a new effort to restore the neglected historic landmark. It is determined to continue to serve as the primary advocate and watchdog to assure that the sanctity of the dead is preserved and that Har Hazeitim is a safe and secure site for visitors, mourners, and tourists.

Download our comprehensive case statement brochure here.

The Beginning
The trigger that inspired Avraham Lubinsky of New York to organize the ICHH was the May 2010 report by Micha Lindenstrauss, then Israel’s State Comptroller. He criticized all previous governments for the “neglect” of Har Hazeitim. He painted a picture of desecrated graves, on-going rock throwing at mourners and visitors, strewn garbage, soccer playing with graves used as goal posts, donkeys crisscrossing the cemetery, and the mountain being the drug capital of East Jerusalem, all of which we verified during subsequent visits.

The ICHH was hastily organized to deal with this “national disgrace” and largely consisted of people who had a loved one buried on HH (many of which have helped the organization with contributions to help it get off the ground – people like Mr. Ben Zion Fishoff), heads of major Orthodox organizations (i.e. Rabbi David Zwiebel, Rabbi Pesach Lerner and Mr. Steve Savitsky) and Malcolm Hoenlein, the Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, who has been a key member of the leadership of the ICHH.

In June 2010, Malcolm Hoenlein and Menachem Lubinsky met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to New York, which set in motion a series of meetings in Jerusalem with officials in the PM’s office, Jerusalem Development Authority and the Municipality of Jerusalem. As a result of these meetings, the ICHH learned that the government had in the waning days of the late Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s administration allocated some NIS 80 million for security and infrastructure projects but had not executed the plan. Our first order of business was to bring security to HH as the incidents of stone throwing, destroyed graves and abuse continued.

Cameras Installed
By November 2011, the government had moved on setting up a fortified underground monitoring station for the 175 surveillance cameras that were ultimately installed. The monitoring was to be done by a private security firm hired by the Ministry of Housing and Construction, who are also responsible for the small private security force that largely provides armed escorts for mourners. The government also moved on restoring thousands of graves, destroyed by the Jordanians (1948-1967) and other small infra-structure projects. But violence against visitors and destruction of graves continued, prompting the ICHH to push for a police presence on Har Hazeitim.

Police Caravans Arrive
The ICHH was promised from the outset that a police station would be established on HH, to be manned by 24 officers, 24/7. Yet, despite our continuous pressure, including meetings with Minister of Public Security Yitzchak Aharonvich, the violence continued but the police deployment never reached the full strength promised. In March 2012, the police finally moved in two caravans just below the Seven Arches Hotel (formerly the Intercontinental), which has been the Har Hazeitim police station ever since.

Organizational Priorities
The first priority of the ICHH was to end the gross desecration of graves and bringing a semblance of security to HH. This lead to an aggressive and comprehensive effort by the ICHH, including the following (2010-2015):

– Secured wide support amongst Knesset members, including organizing a Knesset Organized two major gatherings at the Great Synagogue (attended by 1800 and 1400 people respectively) with the participation of such notables as Danny Ayalon, Isaac Herzog, Tzippy Hotovely, Danny Danon and others.

– Retained a PR and lobbying group to serve as our “boots on the ground” in Israel

– Organized an Israel committee, headed by activists Harvey Schwartz (Young Israel) and Jeff Daube (Israel representative of the ZOA).

– Worked with all levels of the Israeli government, Chevra Kadisha, and Ir David to construct Visitor’s Information Center and other development plans.

Additional Accomplishments 2012-2018

· New fencing and walls established
· A permanent presence of a Border Police garrison established
· Thoroughfare to Arab neighborhoods closed
· Events such as concerts and memorials events organized
· Many graves restored
· Bus transportation to Har Hazeitim renewed
· Troublesome Arab youth (rock throwers) dealt with
· Ministry of Religions appoints Director of Council of Jewish Cemeteries
· Knesset Caucus of 67 members established, largest in Israel’s history
· Event for Har Hazeitim held in British Parliament
— Organized a successful mission of more than 50 delegates from around the world, including meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Reuven Rivlin, Mayor Nir Barkat, Chief Rabbis David Lau and Yitzchak Yosef, many ministers and Knesset members.

Objectives:
Security and Development
The key objective of the ICHH is to constantly monitor and advocate for security on Har Hazeitim and to coordinate development projects, thus assuring that Har Hazeitim, one of Judaism’s holiest sites and of immense strategic importance (in terms of security and the unity of Jerusalem) remains firmly Jewish.

Israeli Sovereignty and Control
A second key objective of the ICPHH is to reassert Israeli sovereignty and control over Har Hazeitim. This will hopefully be accomplished through a number of development projects that include the construction of the Visitor’s Center, new transportation initiatives, restoration of 30,000 graves destroyed by the Jordanians, and infrastructure projects, including fencing, beautification, maintenance and signage.

Mission Statement
The International Committee for Har Hazeitim was founded in 2010 to protect and preserve the legacy of the 3000-year old Har Hazeitim holy site and cemetery, which includes the burial sites of 150,000 Jews dating back to the Jewish prophets and Jewish luminaries and national leaders throughout the ages, including the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Working with the Israeli government and Jewish communities throughout the world, the ICHH is determined to bring full security to Judaism’s second holiest site and to transform Har Hazeitim into a center of Jewish tourism as a repository of Jewish history throughout the ages.

Organizational Structure
The International Committee for Har Hazeitim (ICHH) is a registered tax exempt 501 ( c ) 3 organization. Its governing structure includes a Board of Director and Executive Committee as well as a committee in Israel. The ICHH enjoys tax exempt status in the US, Israel, and the UK.