The Chief Rabbis of Israel and the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Places published a joint statement calling for stones from the Western Wall that are currently being displayed in various locations in the country to be returned to be stored in their original location.
The statement comes after a five-ton stone from the Western Wall, which fell during the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, was taken to be displayed at Ben Gurion International Airport. The stone was moved to be used in a historical display which the rabbis refer to as "the desecration of the holy stones."
Sephardic Chief Rabbi David Yosef and the Rabbi of the Western Wall, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, made clear in an official letter that "these stones are holy and we have no permission to use them, and they need proper storage."
According to them, the stones' proper storage place is "next to the stones that fell from the Temple Mount that are in a pile at the south side of the Western Wall."
Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber joined his fellow rabbis, and emphasized: "It is clear that according to Jewish law, one must not use these stones as a museum piece that can be moved from place to place like a display of a mundane object."
The issue was recently raised in the Knesset Plenum by MK Avraham Betzalel (Shas) who demanded that the Antiquities Authority return the Western Wall Stones that are currently displayed at Ben Gurion Airport, the President's Residence, the Kirya base in Tel Aviv, the Israel Museum, and the Antiquities Authority warehouse.
In response to the discussion at the Knesset, Minister Amichai Chikli responded on behalf of the government: "The state will act per the Chief Rabbinate's ruling."
The stones that fell during the destruction of the Second Temple were kept in various locations for years and have become displays of historical importance at various state establishments.