{"id":2594,"date":"2026-03-21T13:40:19","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/?p=2594"},"modified":"2026-03-21T13:40:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:40:21","slug":"western-wall-rabbi-denounces-missile-fire-near-holy-jerusalem-sites-prays-for-safety","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/2026\/03\/21\/western-wall-rabbi-denounces-missile-fire-near-holy-jerusalem-sites-prays-for-safety\/","title":{"rendered":"Western Wall Rabbi denounces missile fire near holy Jerusalem sites, prays for safety"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The incident raised concern because the area contains some of the holiest sites in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, making any strike nearby especially sensitive for an international audience.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Police<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Police removes missile and interceptor fragments fell in and around the Old City, including near the Temple Mount, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Jewish Quarter, and the Western Wall. March 16, 2026.(photo credit: Police Spokesperson )ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF<\/a>MARCH 17, 2026 12:11Updated: MARCH 17, 2026 16:49<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rabbi of the Western Wall<\/a> and Holy Sites Shmuel Rabinowitz condemned Iranian fire toward Jerusalem on Monday after missile and interceptor fragments fell in and around the Old City, including near the Temple Mount, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Jewish Quarter, and the Western Wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident raised concern because the area contains some of the holiest sites in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This makes any strike<\/a> in the area an especially sensitive subject internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a statement released on Tuesday, Rabinowitz said Jerusalem was \u201ca global symbol of holiness\u201d and called any attack near sacred sites a serious violation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJerusalem is a global symbol of holiness; harming the area in which the sacred sites of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are located is a grave act that has no place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His remarks came after debris fell on Monday evening in parts of Jerusalem\u2019s Old City, one of the most religiously and politically sensitive areas in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"MIssile
MIssile fragments fell in Jerusalem’s Old City. March 16, 2026. (credit: Police Spokesperson )<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Rabbi warns of danger to Jerusalem\u2019s religious sites<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Temple Mount<\/a>, known to Muslims as al-Haram al-Sharif, is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nearby Western Wall is Judaism\u2019s holiest prayer site, while the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is revered by Christians as the site of Jesus\u2019s crucifixion and burial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rabinowitz said holy places should not be targeted in war. \u201cThe whole world recognizes that holy places must remain outside any conflict,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBoth the State of Israel and the United States make every effort to avoid harming holy sites in Iran and Lebanon, and it is regrettable that the Iranian regime fires toward areas in Jerusalem that contain sacred places for Judaism<\/a>, Islam, and Christianity,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He ended his statement with a prayer for calm and for the safety of Jerusalem residents, Israeli civilians, and security personnel:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe pray for quiet, for the well-being of the residents of Jerusalem and the State of Israel, for the safety of IDF soldiers and the security forces, and for the preservation of the sanctity of the city of Jerusalem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement framed the incident as part of the broader danger posed when regional conflict reaches Jerusalem, a city whose religious significance gives any attack near its holy sites global resonance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICEJ condemns Iran targeting civilians, endangering Holy Sites<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem condemned the “radical Islamic regime in Iran for its reckless and malicious actions in launching hundreds of ballistic missiles and drones at civilian populations in Israel and around the entire Middle East,” on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ICEJ also denounced Iran’s “deliberate targeting of Jerusalem, which has endangered not only many lives here but also the city\u2019s revered religious heritage sites,” adding it was shocked to learn of a large piece of missile debris landing next to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, with smaller parts falling on Temple Mount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These come “on the heels of Iranian missile strikes that have damaged and destroyed synagogues and other sacred sites in Israel and throughout the region,” ICEJ added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“This all demonstrates that we indeed are witnessing a conflict between the civilized world and the forces of barbarism, led by the Iranian regime and its regional terror network. We call on all peoples and nations to condemn the contemptible actions and tactics of the Iranian regime,” ICEJ stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We also expect Christians everywhere, including the Bishops and Patriarchs of Jerusalem, to condemn Iran for deliberately targeting Jerusalem and endangering its residents and sacred sites. Finally, we keep praying for the Iranian regime\u2019s downfall, especially for the sake of the vast majority of the Iranian people who want to be free from the brutal and repressive clerical leadership in Tehran,” the organization’s statement concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James Genn contributed to this report.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The incident raised concern because the area contains some of the holiest sites in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, making any strike nearby especially sensitive for an international audience. Police removes missile and interceptor fragments fell in and around the Old…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2594","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","wpcat-1-id"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2594"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2595,"href":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2594\/revisions\/2595"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2594"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2594"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sfawbn.com\/home\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2594"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}