Tom Nisani, the executive director of "Beyadenu", a group that advocates for Jewish religious freedom on the Temple Mount, attempted to enter Judaism's holiest site on Thursday with sufganiyot (jelly donuts, traditionally eaten on Hanukkah), which he intended to distribute to his fellow visitors.
The police officers at the entrance to the Mount would not allow Nisani to enter the site with the holiday pastries; instead, he was detained and taken to the local police station.
Following the incident, Nisani stated: "We came here openly to spread the light of Hanukkah. The light of the Menorah lit up the Temple and it is appropriate that should be lit today too on the Temple Mount."
Last month, Nisani told Israel National News that his organization would be presenting a list of issues it wishes to see addressed to the new government.
“We have some ten demands for the new coalition government. We want to make some big improvements related to the Temple Mount,” he explained. “Some of them involve extending the hours during which Jews and tourists can ascend, and others relate to amendments to the laws regulating the country's holy sites -- laws that which, to this very day, do not include the Temple Mount, unfortunately.”
Another key issue for Beyadeinu is introducing Temple Mount studies into school curriculums. The organization aims to stress the centrality of the Temple to Judaism and the State of Israel, and to enhance freedom of religion and freedom of speech, as well as the right to visit any place in the Land of Israel.
“The biggest issue relates to the holiest place in Judaism – the most important place – and the right to go to the Temple Mount and pray. When the Third Temple is rebuilt, we will also have to deal with the issue of our rights,” Nisani noted. “Right now, we have almost no rights on the Temple Mount simply because we're Jews. This is our Jewish State, and we cannot accept a situation in which a Muslim can go and pray on the Mount whereas a Jew who prays there is arrested.”