For the first time since the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 CE, more than 3,000 Jews prayed there during the Hebrew month of Shevat, which began in late January and ended on Thursday night, the Temple Mount Administration released the information on Thursday
A Jewish rights group reported that the month of Shevat, which is usually marked by rain and cold, is the least popular time for visits to the Temple Mount.
Even so, this year saw a 47% increase in visitors compared to 2024. On January 30, which marked the beginning of the month of Shevat (called Rosh Chodesh Shevat), a record 536 Jews ascended the site.
Since October 2, the start of the Hebrew year, at least 22,000 Jews have visited the Temple Mount, according to the organization.
This is the highest number ever recorded and represents a 20% increase over the previous year.
According to the Beyadenu – Returning to the Temple Mount movement, another organization that tracks Jewish visits to the holy site, more than 55,000 Jews ascended the Temple Mount during the Hebrew year 5784 (which corresponds to 2023-2024).
After the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel and Jordan reached an agreement called the “status quo.” Under this agreement, non-Muslims can visit the Temple Mount, but they cannot pray there.
In 1994, Israel signed a peace treaty with Jordan, a country with a majority Palestinian population.
However, since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people in southern Israel, and during the war in Gaza that followed, the Jordanian government has taken an increasingly critical stance toward Israel.
While the Israeli government says it respects the agreement with Jordan, in recent years the Israeli police have turned a blind eye to Jewish prayers on the Temple Mount.
Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of the Otzma Yehudit party and a former national security minister who oversaw the police until he resigned last month, declared in a speech last summer: “I am the political authority, and the political authority allows prayers on the Temple Mount.” At the time, the prime minister’s office denied Ben-Gvir’s remarks, saying that “Israel’s policy of maintaining the status quo on the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change.”
Published in 03/02/2025 09h36
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
Reference article:
- https://www.jns.org/3000-jews-visit-temple-mount-breaking-1900-year-record-for-wintery-hebrew-month/
| Geoprocessing Drone Systems HPC |
| ERP and CRM Systems Mobile Systems AI |