Before the Hebron Massacre, There Was The Kotel Disturbances

I commented (*) at Picture A Day, filling out the events leading up to the Hebron Massacre and the 1929 Riots in other locations, an act of ethnic cleanisng by Arabs directed against Jews, and after a second thought, I consider it imperative to expand on the flashpoint a year earlier.

On September 24, 1928, on Yom Kippur, the mechitza, which had been temporarily up for the two days of the previous Rosh Hashana and had been removed during the midweek, was put up for the fast day by the Admor of Radziman, Aharon Menachem Mendel Gutterman.

Upon a complaint, and Arab sources claim it was the Sefaradi shamash who informed the Mufti's officials, the Mufti went to the British complaining of a violation of the status quo

I went to the archives of Davar and present snaps from the news:

a) this is the front page headline reporting on the protest assemble held later during the week:

b)  "The British Police 'Conducting' at the Western Wall"

c) we're informed that a demand was made by the police to remove the mechitza on Yom Kippur evening after it had been removed after Rosh Hashana with no complaint being made about its erection.  The shamash explained that it should stay til the end of the fast so as not to disturb the day's sanctity but the police returened in the morning abd first began removing the chairs which were permitted to be ther ein any case:

d) a general description of the melee and pushing and shoving:

e)  there was an attempt to protest at the Governor's office the police behavior including an American woman whose clothes had been torn.  Some said that there might have even been a death caused by Sergeant Duff's unnecessary roughness had not he himself fallen over the torn down mechitza:

f)  at the mass protest assembly, Chief Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook spoke, sayin the good will yet come out of this when England will recognize how wounding was this act and what was stolen from us must be returned:

g)  as did the Rebbe of Radziman who stressed the importance of separate prayer between men and women:

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(*)


The September 1928 incident was discussed in Parliament (see: here). In addition to the Revisionist campaign, Prof. Joseph Klausner headed a public committee. There is a claim that is was the Sefaradi shamash who complained to the Mufti that the Ashkenazim were altering the status quo! And the Radziman Rebbe, Aharon Menachem Mendel Gutmacher, was responsible for setting the Mechitza up, btw.

After the two demonstrations by Betar and Arabs, on the Sunday, August 16y, Abraham Mizrachi was stabbed to death by Arabs after walking into a vegetable patch to retrieve a soccer ball at the Maccabi grounds near the Bukharan Quarter

Following the riots, an International Committee decided that we Jews had precious few rights at the Kotel. Excerpts from the Shaw Commission Report are here.

Here was a good MP:
HC Deb 03 December 1928 vol 223 cc813-4 813
-12. Lt. Commander Kenworthy
asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies why the White Paper Cmd. 3229, purporting to deal with recent incidents at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, contains no mention of alleged infringements of the status quo by the Moslem religious authorities; if he intends to issue a further White Paper on this aspect of the matter; and whether he is now in a position to make a statement as to the addition of further masonry courses to the wall itself by the Moslem religious authorities and the other alleged infringements of the status quo?

An Arab view.

Another angle is “The Temple Mount as Part of the Arab-Jewish Conflict 1922-1933” by Shulamit Eliash.

 
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