Jewish visits to the Temple Mount continue to break records. During the Hebrew year 5786, 68,944 Jews ascended the Temple Mount, approximately 500 more than in the previous year.
Data from the Beyadenu - Returning to the Temple Mount organization shows that the record was set despite significant restrictions, as the Temple Mount was open to Jewish visitors for only 220 days, while it remained closed for 134 days, including Shabbat, Muslim holidays and closures for security reasons.
Among other things, following Operation Roaring Lion, and the security incidents that accompanied it, the Temple Mount was completely closed to Jewish visitors. The organization noted that without the prolonged closure and restrictions during this period, the number of visitors would have been higher.
Broken down by date, the busiest month of the year was Tishrei, during which 12,778 Jews visited the site. The busiest single day of the year was the fast of Tisha B’Av, when 4,288 Jews ascended the Temple Mount in a single day.
The data also revealed a sharp increase in the number of personal and family occasions marked at the holy site. During 5786, 217 brides and grooms ascended the Temple Mount during the year of their wedding - 160 grooms and 57 brides, compared with 124 grooms and 44 brides in 5785.
In addition, 45 boys and girls celebrated reaching the age of bar or bat mitzvah on the Temple Mount, including 36 bar mitzvah boys and nine bat mitzvah girls.
Regarding police enforcement, 383 people were detained and 36 were arrested during the year, for a total of 419 detentions and arrests. In addition, administrative and police-issued restraining orders were imposed on 127 citizens.
Beyadenu stated: “The year 5786 has once again demonstrated that the Israeli public is voting with its feet and that the connection to the Temple Mount is continuing to deepen. The fact that so many couples and families are choosing to mark the most significant moments of their lives on the Mount is tremendous news. We will continue working to remove the restrictions and to open the Mount fully and freely."