Following in the footsteps of the 23rd Knesset which made history when it established a Caucus on the security of Israel’s Har Hazeisim, the current
25th Knesset has re-established the caucus. This comes on the heels of an ongoing initiative to
help clean up and secure this ancient area cited in the Bible, and one of the most sacred burial
grounds in Judaism for centuries.
The initial establishment made history when seventy-six members of Knesset signed on, making
it the largest caucus in the history of the Knesset. MK Rabbi Yoav Ben Tzur and MK Rabbi
Michael Malchieli, the two previous chairmen of the Caucasus are now ministers in Prime
Minister’s Netanyahu coalition government.
The newly appointed chairman MK Rabbi Erez Malul (Shas) said: “I am proud to reestablish this
important caucus. We will hold meetings with all the relevant bodies that are connected to Har
Hazeisim. We will organize site visits, cut through the red tape towards building the long awaited
Visitor Education Center and we will provide the utmost security for mourners and visitors to the
Mount.” The announcement by MK Malul came at a meeting with a worldwide leadership delegation of
the International Committee on Har Hazeisim (ICHH). Rabbi Malul, previously served as the
director-general of the Council of Cemeteries and has extensive knowledge of the issues on
securing, protecting, and developing Har Hazeisim.
The ICHH leadership delegation consisted of Dr. Paul Rosenstock, Esther Rosenstock, Daniel
(Mush) Meyer, Chava Jacobs, Paul Jacobs, Dr. Alan Mazurek, Linda Geller, Moshe Bruce, the
ICHH Israel Executive Director and Jeff Daube, the Israel steering committee chair.
The Knesset Caucus is designed to assure that the government allocates sufficient funding for
security and maintenance at Har Hazeisim. It will also monitor the ongoing security issues in a
volatile area of East Jerusalem which in the past was responsible for vandalism against visitors
and the desecration of graves. Thanks to the efforts of the ICHH, the abuse has been reduced
significantly but because of the surrounding Arab communities requires constant vigilance.
The delegation held several meetings on security issues and received a full report following a
recent tour of the mountain by leading police officials. The tour was coordinated by Moshe
Bruce, CEO Gush Etzion Tourism Association. They also learned details of the imminent
commencement of construction of the Har Hazeisim Visitor Education Center. The ICHH is
partnering with the Israeli government and the Municipality of Yerushalayim in constructing the
new center which will include a new security center by the Israeli Police.
The ICHH was established in 2010 by two brothers, Menachem and Abe Lubinsky of New York,
who organized the committee following a devastating report of vandalism and destruction by the
Israeli Comptroller, the late Micha Lindenstrauss. The committee subsequently arranged for the
installation of a network of 176 surveillance cameras, an underground monitoring station, a
police substation, increased Border Patrol units, gating, sanitation services and upgrades to the
infrastructure. The improved security has resulted in a sharp decrease of vandalism and a
dramatic increase in visitors from less than 200 a day to as many as 2000, with tens of
thousands visiting on the yahrzeits of important sages buried there.
