For possibly the first time in over 1,930 years, a Jewish wedding ceremony of sorts was held on the Temple Mount this afternoon. The groom, from a Jewish town in eastern Judea, placed a ring on his young bride's finger in front of a group of friends, and then recited the traditional blessing on the wine. Muslim Waqf officials, usually very vehement about not allowing Jewish prayers to be said at the site, sufficed with a weak protest. The couple's friends accompanied the new family with singing and dancing.
An aura of mystery surrounded the event. Students at the groom's yeshiva refused to answer questions about the ceremony - though it is known that a "follow-up" real wedding ceremony will be held this evening.
It is known that in the times of King Solomon, there was a gate called the Grooms' Gate - but this was a place for grooms to come and receive a blessing before or after their wedding. More recently, Noam and Elisheva Federman of Hevron were married just outside the Temple Mount, at the Mughrabim Gate entrance.
An aura of mystery surrounded the event. Students at the groom's yeshiva refused to answer questions about the ceremony - though it is known that a "follow-up" real wedding ceremony will be held this evening.
It is known that in the times of King Solomon, there was a gate called the Grooms' Gate - but this was a place for grooms to come and receive a blessing before or after their wedding. More recently, Noam and Elisheva Federman of Hevron were married just outside the Temple Mount, at the Mughrabim Gate entrance.