While the recently released video of Turkish Muslims praying in the airport synagogue in Ben-Gurion and using Jewish prayer shawls as floor mats sparked an uproar among many Israelis, one Knesset Member says he was happy to see the recording, and sees no reason for consternation.
“Where is the embarrassment? I couldn’t find any,” wrote MK Yehuda Glick (Likud) on Facebook.
“I myself prayed in a mosque, and I’m happy that Muslims prayed in a synagogue. It is certainly better than having Muslims desecrate a synagogue or the Temple Mount.”
Rabbi David Menachem, rabbi of the Mishkan Yosef synagogue in Jerusalem, expressed similar sentiments.
“A group of Muslims from Turkey innocently prayed in the airport synagogue in Ben-Gurion. Innocently and in honor of God.”
Regarding the use of prayer shawls on the floor – considered a sign of disrespect in Judaism – Rabbi Menachem was forgiving.
“They don’t know what a tallit [prayer shawl] is, and they used it as a prayer mat. They didn’t have any intention to disrespect or harm,” wrote Rabbi Menachem on Facebook.