DANGEROUS IMPLICATIONS
Despite the Israeli government’s vow to keep with the status quo at Al-Aqsa, settlers involved in the red heifer project underscore the aim is Jewish ascension on Haram al-Sharif in order to reconstruct the Third Temple — implying the destruction of the Dome of the Rock.
While Jewish settlers are increasingly storming Haram al-Sharif, many rabbis today forbid this as ancient Jewish law dictates the red heifer’s ashes are required to purify the area before Jews can ascend. Because of this, most religious Jews don’t even enter the compound, and those who do may only walk on certain parts. With the red heifer ritual, the number of Jews storming Al-Aqsa may then multiply.
“It could lead to maybe hundreds of thousands of Haredis [ultra-Orthodox Jews] or Sephardis [Spanish Jews] who might actually break into the mosque and cause a real religious war,” Dr. Abdallah Marouf, an Islamic history professor at Istanbul 29 Mayis University and ex-media official at Al-Aqsa Mosque, told MintPress News.
Senior figures involved in this initiative have told media outlets the project’s ultimate goal is to rebuild the Third Temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E.
“The prophecies came true, and the Jews are back in Israel,” Byron Stinson, responsible for raising the cattle and bringing them to Tel Aviv, told the Jerusalem Post. “Now they need to build a Temple. But it’s like buying a really nice car. If you don’t have the key, you aren’t going anywhere. The red heifer is the key to making the Temple work like it’s supposed to.”
Stinson is part of Boneh Israel and also founded the Father’s House Foundation, a U.S. tax-exempt charity organizing trips to Israel. In addition to Stinson’s Father’s House Foundation, other U.S.-based, tax-exempt non-profits are also mixed into this red heifer endeavor, like P.E.F. Israel Endowments Fund and Biblical Faith, which accept donations for the Temple Institute. Boneh Israel is backed by Reshit, an Israeli settler group headed by Tzachi Mamo, another key person in the red heifer project.
Reshit is currently working with the Jerusalem Affairs Ministry to develop the “Northern Trail” project, a tourist walking route from Damascus Gate to Sheikh Jarrah highlighting settler homes and sites of Jewish history. In developing the route, the state and settlers are attempting to erase Palestinian identity by expanding existing Israeli sites. In 2023, the organization received 17,635 shekels (around $4,600) from the Israeli Education Ministry.
Mamo told the Christian Broadcasting Network that he bought a plot of land on the Mount of Olives in 2011 meant for performing the red heifer sacrifice.
“And we hope that in a year and a half from today, we can make here in this area the ceremony of the red heifer that actually will be the first step to the Temple,” Mamo told CBN.
According to land registration documents reviewed by Ir Amim’s Tatarsky, the land is registered under an unknown company and was originally owned by Palestinians.
Additionally, Ir Amim’s research notes that the Jerusalem Development Authority is currently working to build a promenade on the Mount of Olives leading to the location where Mamo intends to hold the red heifer ritual.
While the Red Heifer project seeks to obtain Jewish sovereignty over Al-Aqsa, Marouf has faith that the Palestinian people will fight to preserve the status quo, which they’ve done in previous instances when the sanctity of Al-Aqsa was under threat.
“It’s happening now. However, that doesn’t mean that it will happen,” Marouf said. “A very important element in this equation is the Palestinian people in Jerusalem, who have proved to be the main obstacle against Israeli settler rights groups and the Israeli government.”