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I'm posting a report on the activities to halt the proposed deal with the Vatican, which would, G-d forbid, evict the Diaspora Yeshiva from its building on Mt. Zion, among other damage to Jewish sovereignty in Jerusalem. Mt. Zion, King David's Tomb is in the very center of Jerusalem, next to the Old city walls, Zion Gate, not far at all from Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount and the Kotel. Rabbi Goldstein was already there when we arrived in the Old City as new immigrants in 1970. Many good Jews were introduced to Yiddishkeit, Torah observance, through Rabbi Goldstein's devoted and inspired work. The legendary Diaspora Yeshiva Band was composed of his brilliantly talented students.

Greetings:
Below are some of the efforts being taken towards saving King David's Tomb, surrounding land and buildings, and center of Jerusalem, from Vatican Scam. The Sanhedrin and Pikuach Nefesh support will be helpful and appreciated.
The Vatican should be demanded to apologize for seeking to take our land, and reminded that their "holy city" is Vatican City, Rome. That they would mention a Crusades era "claim" to our land should be robustly challenged.
I find it especially outrageous that the Vatican could loan us our own possessions, demand them be returned, and act as though they are doing us a favor!
Further, we should be demanding that the Maimonides Manuscripts stay in Israel, under Jewish control.
The links from and to the primaries openly declare the intent to seize all of Jerusalem - G-d forbid - and espouse Replacement Theology at its worst.
In Faith, Elisheva Rubin
Cleveland Ohio
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1. My letter to the primary perpetrators / middle men:
http://isfsp.org/zion4.html
2. This site has great pictures of the site, including photos showing that the room the Vatican claims is not old.
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3. List serve, information and website dedicated to this:
Recent Newsletter
ONLINE SITUATION ROOM:
For updated information on actions and activities, please pay regular visits to http://isfsp.org/zion.html
There you will find letters, articles, photos, maps, updated information on protest activities, and other relevant content.If you have any feedback on the site, or information and content which you feel should be added, please contact Shelomo at http://www.israelnationradio.com

Sharon Katz, editor of Voices Magazine, will be covering this story in the upcoming issue of Voices.

Articles and Letters to the Editor of the Jerusalem Post and other publications are being sent out. Let's do our best to get this issue in the mainstream Hebrew and English Press (both religious and secular in Israel), and the Jewish community papers in America and the rest of the Diaspora.

--- HIGH LEVEL MEETING OF RABBIS:
Several very prominent rabbis will be meeting this evening (Sunday) to review the situation and to determine a course of action. (stay tuned for an update...)

---DENIAL OF DEAL:
I've heard from someone who wrote to President Katsav, that he claims he has no intention of signing anything over to the Vatican. But that same individual was unsettled with the response he received and encourages us to keep after President Katsav. We must remember that this month (October) alone, news of an upcoming deal was reported in the following Catholic,Jewish and international media oultlets:The Catholic News http://www.cathnews.com/news/510/70.phpVatican Radio http://www.oecumene.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?id=52079The Times of London http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,173-1823149,00.htmlThe Vatican Newspaper (print publication) El Messagerohttp://www.ewtn.com/vnews/getstory.asp?number=61644Jewish Telegraphic Agency http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2005/10/20/news/world/bvatican1021.txt

---VIGIL OUTSIDE OF THE PRESIDENT'S RESIDENCE:
There will be a vigil held each Friday in front of President Katsav's home. These democratic and peaceful gatherings will be held at 3 Hanassi Street Jerusalem, 92188 Israel. The first one will be Friday, Nov. 4th, at 11:00 AM.We need people to commit to participation in this ongoing effort. Please respond if you are willing to participate or help organize. Also, please continue to make phone calls and send letters, emails and faxes to President Katsav.Address: 3 Hanassi Street, Jerusalem, 92188 IsraelTelephone: +972-2-6707211Answering service weekdays 8:00-19:00Fax: +972-2-5611033
E-Mail: president@president.gov.il
Inquiries and Requests by the PublicTel: +972-2-6520524Fax: +972-2-6527897
E-Mail: public@president.gov.il

--- PAVE THE WAY TAKES THE WRONG TURN:This is all you need to fully comprehend the dangers inherent in the direction of "The Pave the Way Foundation".Whether you approach President Katsav, or are trying to secure a halachic ruling or firm moral stance from rabbinic authorities, on the issue of giving control of Mt. Zion property to the Roman Catholic Church, please refer them to the following:

The homepage at http://pavethewayfoundation.org/links a picture of the room on Mt. Zion which the Vatican wants control of (the Cenacle Shrine) to an article at
http://servus.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/pope/10GPen/12/12GPsh05.html
The article clearly states the following:
The jewish temple of Sion had passed away but the new Christian Sion had arisen.(fifth paragraph)The whole area of Christian Sion has been in the hands of the jewish authorities since 1948 and all around the Christian monuments has been taken up by jewish Torah Schools, and nothwitstanding the "empty crusaders' cenotaph" made it a national pilgrimage site for the jewish people in memory of King David. (concluding paragraph) (note: Funny that for some reason the writer of the article has difficulty using a capital J for the word Jewish) ------

Remember: Rabbi Benjamin Blech of Yeshiva University sits on the Pave the Way Foundation's Board of Advisors
These Rabbis have also been involved with the Pave the Way Foundation'sefforts on past projects and should contacted :Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of Efrat, IsraelRabbi Adam Mintz, president of the New York Board of RabbisRabbi Shmuel Rene Sirot, Past Chief Rabbi of Europe and FranceRabbi David Lincoln, Chief Rabbi of the Park Avenue Synagogue, New York;Rabbi Joseph Arbib of the Great Synagogue in Rome

A: We are not, G-d forbid, trying destroy or speak lashon about these rabbis, as I'm sure their intentions were and are good. But we are trying to persuade the rabbis, who have been involved with the Pave the Way Foundation's efforts, to take a stance, as they have a special responsibility (and the clout) to correct this situation. Would any Torah observant rabbi want his name and praise on a website which connects itself (literally via homepage link) to "The jewish temple of Sion had passed away but the new Christian Sion had arisen."?

NOTE B: Our intent is not to attack the Catholic church or the Vatican. Our focus should be on contacting President Katsav, The Government of Israel, and those involved with the Pave the Way Foundation in order to avert any negotiations or deals in process which would relinquish control of land, property. or holy sites in Eretz Yisrael.In order to be effective, any correspondence should be focused, consise and dignified.
To contact Pave the Way Foundation, see the following:Pave the WayFoundation, IncThe Empire State Buildingsuite 3805 350 Fifth AvenueNew York, NY 10118Tel.: + (212) 629-0046 Fax: + (516) 432-7561Email: pavetheway@optionline.netFounder/President, Gary Krupp Email:krupp@optonline.net----

SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS BY ALIGNING YOURSELF OR ORGANIZATION WITH US:
would help boost our cause if we could have names of organizations, rabbis, educators, etc... to publicly declare their support for our efforts.

Please contact Shelomo at email@isfsp.org
Remember: It's Holy Jerusalem. Not Holy Toledo!