Yerushalayim…In one of his first meetings with any group as Mayor of Yerushalayim, Moshe Lion promised that “the security and development of Har Hazeisim will be a major priority of my administration.” The Mayor met with Menachem Lubinsky, founding co-chairman of the International Committee for Har Hazeisim (ICHH) in his office on Tuesday December 11th. Mr. Lubinsky was joined by Harvey Schwartz and Jeff Daube, co-chairmen of the Israel chapter of the ICHH.
Mayor Lion noted that in his long record of public service as Deputy Mayor, head of the Jerusalem Development Authority and as Chief of Staff of the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he has always been a strong proponent of restoring the security and appearance of the holy cemetery. The Mayor recalled his appearances at events on Har Hazeisim.
The ICHH leaders for their part briefed the Mayor on the enormous changes that have taken place, including the surveillance cameras, fencing, lighting, sanitation, and upgrades in the infrastructure. This in addition to the strong presence of the Israeli Police and the Border Police. It was at that point that the Mayor made his pledge to continue to upgrade the cemetery and to have a zero tolerance policy on breaches in security.
Mr. Lubinsky also met with MK Yoav ben Zur, who heads the 67-member Knesset Caucus on Har Hazeisim as well as officials of the Prime Minister’s Office. He continued to press for the construction of the long planned Visitor Center which he said will be “the ultimate guarantee of security on Har Hazeisim for many years to come. “Inaddition to serving as a central education address on the 3000-yaer history of Har Hazeisim, a permanent police station will be part of the new magnificent building.
More than 1000 people visited Har Hazeisim for a day of Chanukah celebrations on the last day of the holiday. The event was jointly sponsored by the ICHH, Israel’s Ministry of Culture and the Council of Cemeteries in Yerushalayim, headed by Rabbi Hillel Horowitz.
