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18 Kislev 5765 - December 1, 2004 | Mordecai Plaut, director Published Weekly
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NEWS
Harsh Criticism of Neglect at Mount of Olives

By Eliezer Rauchberger

"The Mount of Olives is not merely a cemetery but a historical, spiritual and cultural site, and this is a national issue requiring monetary investment," said Jerusalem and Diaspora Affairs Minister MK Natan Sharansky, during a meeting of the Knesset State Comptroller Committee held at the request of Committee Chairman MK Amnon Cohen (Shas) to obtain the State Comptroller's opinion on the neglect of the Mount of Olives.

Sharansky also said the State of Israel is constantly warning about the condition of Jewish cemeteries abroad while at home nothing is being done for the Mount of Olives.

The chairman of the Jerusalem Movement, Rabbi Chaim Miller, who brought attention to the matter and contacted the chairman of the Comptroller Committee, said there is nothing preventing the Mount of Olives from becoming a major national site since generations of great figures from the Jewish nation are buried there.

Prime Minister's Office Chief Ilan Cohen said that according to the government's decision of one month ago, an international team was set up to map the figures associated with the cemetery and to propose a master plan covering renovation, maintenance and guard patrols, including a timetable and means of funding. The team is to present the State Comptroller Committee with a progress report within the next three weeks.

State Comptroller Eliezer Goldberg recommended a realistic approach that draws a distinction between matters that can be solved in the immediate future, such as security arrangements, and matters in need of long-term attention.

MK Uri Ariel (HaIchud HaLeumi) said the state of the Mount of Olives is shameful. MK Ron Cohen (One Israel) described the situation at the Mount of Olives as "a disgrace and a desecration of the honor of the dead and the living."

 

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