A group of Levites, including one originally from Bondi, Australia, ascended the Temple Mount on Monday, the first day of Hanukkah. At the holiest site to the Jewish people, they sang a passage from the Hanukkah liturgy in memory of the victims of the horrific terror attack in Sydney and in solidarity with the Jewish community of Australia.
The Levites sang the final verse of the song “Maoz Tzur,” traditionally recited while lighting Hanukkah candles, as a message of strength and Jewish unity between Jerusalem and the Jewish Diaspora.
Beyadenus' guides accompanied the ascent as part of the organization’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the living, national connection to the Temple Mount.
Akiva Ariel, Acting CEO of the Beyadenu movement, said: “On Hanukkah, the festival of light and heroism, the song of the Levites on the Temple Mount takes on an especially deep meaning. Even in painful and difficult moments, when we are attacked, the voice of the Jewish people will never be silenced, neither in the Land of Israel nor in the Diaspora.”
Beyadenu is encouraging additional Levites to come forward and join the growing Levite community on the Temple Mount.