Jerusalem Dome

I saw this photo on Facebook and could not resist sharing it. I remember watching the on-going repair of this famous Al Aksa mosque in Jerusalem; the roof being replaced by actual gold financed by the late King Hussein of Jordan. Over the years I came to respect the late king whom I sincerely believe also came to respect us Jews too. I remember the event when a crazed Jordanian soldier gunned down a group of young Israeli High School students at a popular tourist location on the Israeli-Jordanian border. This was NOT a common event for Jordanians. Jordanian soldiers were very disciplined and respectful in general. The late King Hussein was sincerely horrified and full of regret for what had occured. So much so that he came to Israel for the sole purpose of consoling the families of the murdered youth. I watched in tears as the king went down on his knees to express his sorrow to the surviving family members. Imagine a king bowing on his knees to common folk - an ARAB king kneeling to common Jews! I should note that the king had not yet visited the Al Aksa mosque and did not do so at this opportunity either. In fact he died without ever having visited the finished mosque. The golden dome was repaired and is indeed very beautiful. The king remains an honorable and respected man in my eyes. Nevertheless, history reminds us that this very beautiful mosque is plopped and sitting on the holiest place for us Jews. It marks a victory for the Muslims who tirelessly work towards conquering the infidel in order to create an entire Muslim universe. So in this regard I feel personally offended each time I see a photo of the golden dome sitting arrogantly above and on top of the most holy place for Jews, the Kotel (Wailing or Western wall). When I saw this photo I sighed with relief and a smile came over my face. Our holiest of holies seemed to have finally, at least symbolically, been returned to G-D's chosen people. I admit that I prefer NOT to use the word "chosen" because this term is very misunderstood. We, the Jews, agreed to answer the call to live by G-D's word. We entered into a covenant, a direct relationship with G-D to live according to a high moral and spiritual standard. Living up to G-D's standards is far from easy. We do our best. Anyway, that's a subject for discussion that I will be happy to have in another posting. I invite anyone to engage in discussion at any time. I hope you like this photo as much as I do! L'chayim!