The story, as reported here earlier this week, led to a dispute over the facts between the police and the participants themselves. The police claimed that Kleiman blew the shofar following the prayer service, refused to stop even when told to do so by a policeman, and that this led to an illegal gathering. "He had already blown long enough," a police spokesman said.
The participants say this version has little to do with the truth. One eyewitness told Arutz-7,
"...We then started the silent prayer, and after a while, Eliyahu started blowing the next set of ten [in accordance with Sephardic custom to sound the shofar during the Silent Prayer]. At that point, a policeman came in and started yelling at him; Eliyahu continued blowing, in order to finish the set, and certainly didn't answer him in the middle of prayer. The policeman then called on his radio and said that [Eliyahu] was in the middle of praying and that they would arrest him afterwards - but the order came back to arrest him right then. So then the policeman tried to drag him, more policemen came in to help and started dragging him away - the whole time, of course, his feet were together and he didn't move; he fell down, and they dragged him some more. We couldn't do anything because we were in the midst of praying ourselves. They took him out - I understood that they finally let him complete his prayers - and when we got there, we saw him praying, but the police had taken the shofar..."
Kleiman was taken to the police station in the Old City and told that he would be charged with attacking a police officer, interfering with a police officer in the line of duty, and disturbing public order. He was also banned from walking freely around the Old City for 15 days.
Attorney Daniel Robbins, one of some 600 Jewish residents of the Moslem quarter of the Old City, quickly volunteered his services, and requested that the restrictions be removed. The court session was held today, and the restrictions were in fact removed. Robbins informed the court that other shofar-blowing prayer services have been and will be held at the site - a little-frequented section of the Wall known as the Kotel HaKatan (the Small Wall). The police did not register an objection.
The participants say this version has little to do with the truth. One eyewitness told Arutz-7,
"...We then started the silent prayer, and after a while, Eliyahu started blowing the next set of ten [in accordance with Sephardic custom to sound the shofar during the Silent Prayer]. At that point, a policeman came in and started yelling at him; Eliyahu continued blowing, in order to finish the set, and certainly didn't answer him in the middle of prayer. The policeman then called on his radio and said that [Eliyahu] was in the middle of praying and that they would arrest him afterwards - but the order came back to arrest him right then. So then the policeman tried to drag him, more policemen came in to help and started dragging him away - the whole time, of course, his feet were together and he didn't move; he fell down, and they dragged him some more. We couldn't do anything because we were in the midst of praying ourselves. They took him out - I understood that they finally let him complete his prayers - and when we got there, we saw him praying, but the police had taken the shofar..."
Kleiman was taken to the police station in the Old City and told that he would be charged with attacking a police officer, interfering with a police officer in the line of duty, and disturbing public order. He was also banned from walking freely around the Old City for 15 days.
Attorney Daniel Robbins, one of some 600 Jewish residents of the Moslem quarter of the Old City, quickly volunteered his services, and requested that the restrictions be removed. The court session was held today, and the restrictions were in fact removed. Robbins informed the court that other shofar-blowing prayer services have been and will be held at the site - a little-frequented section of the Wall known as the Kotel HaKatan (the Small Wall). The police did not register an objection.