Putin's Interlocuter: Gavriel Mordechiyev

I posted about the amazing conversation that took place between a Hassid and Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the Western Wall Plaza, when Putin responded to the Hassid's words that

"this is exactly for what I came here, to pray that the Temple will be rebuilt.  I wish that all your prayers be answered."

Chabad's weekly sheet, Sichat HaShavua, this week, Pinchas, has more details.

The Chassid's name is Gavriel Mordechiyev, a Bratslav chassid.

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Putin and the Western Wall, Cont'd

I blogged about Vladimir Putins and the Temple discussion he conducted.

He reacted to the matter in response to a question at a press conference (k/t=IMRA):

QUESTION: You visited the main holy sites here and in Jerusalem. You even prayed at the Wailing Wall. I will venture to ask, what did you pray to God about?

VLADIMIR PUTIN: The Wailing Wall is a holy shrine for the Jewish people; it is one of the pillars of one of the world’s major religions, Judaism. As you know, Judaism is one of the four traditional religions in our nation, and this status for Judaism was established by the law of the Russian
Federation. Thus, I feel that it is entirely normal to visit this shrine – in this case, a shrine of the Jewish people.

In addition, there are also other considerations. You know, all disputes in the Middle East ultimately come down to this place, because it is a point of contention, and one of the most problematic matters in this discussion is who this place belongs to. First, a synagogue was built here, then other cultural buildings, then still others – and so on. Honestly, I have been here before, I have watched, and I have visited the Wailing Wall, too. But I never had the chance to get to see it so closely. It was very interesting and useful to look at this problem from within, to hear specialists talk about it.

Moreover, I do not know who among you has been there, whether you have seen it or not, but I was able, quite spontaneously, to talk to people who had just come there to pray. I must say that it was an interesting conversation and the people were very open, kind, interested in cooperating with all their sisters and brothers from other faiths. It was very nice to hear and see.

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Islamic Putdown of Putin

I have found a response to Russian President Putin's pro-Temple statement.

It's here:-

The lawyer Zahi Nujeidat, the official spokesman for the Islamist movement in the Palestinian territories, said:

"This is a cheap and unctuous position about the Israeli establishment, by the Russian bear, who spills the blood of our people in the Levant, and I believe there is great harmony between the two positions [between Zionism and Putin - YM].":

The "Al-Aqsa Foundation" responds to what was stated by saying:
"We say to Putin and his ilk, that the Wailing Wall is pure Islamic, a part and parcel of the Al Aqsa Mosque, nor do non-Muslims have a right to the Wall or in the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and all the historical facts and international documents confirm it as the Islamic Al-Buraq Wall, including the British Shaw Commission..."

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Is this appropriate?

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Putin: May The Temple Be Rebuilt

In this story relating about Vladimir Putin's visit to the Kotel and his conversation with a recent Russian immigrant, you can listen to the Russian-language conversation or you can read this in the Hebrew:

אותו יהודי שזכה לדקות שיחה ידידותית עם פוטין, סיפר לנשיא על חשיבותו של הכותל לעם היהודי, על בית המקדש שחרב ועל שלמה המלך שבנה אותו. הנשיא הקשיב לו בשקיקה, ואמר: "בדיוק בשביל זה באתי לכאן, להתפלל שיבנה שוב בית המקדש. אני מאחל לכם שיתקבלו תפילותיכם". לאחר מכן לחץ את ידיו של היהודי בחום לב, ונפרד ממנו באיחולים.

or, in short, Putin is told how important the area is, the importance of the Kotel, the Temple that was destroyed and was rebuilt and Putin responds:

"this is exactly for what I came here, to pray that the Temple will be rebuilt.  I wish that all your prayers be answered."

From his mouth to God's ear.

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Update

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Putin Conquers Downtown Jerusalem

In a previous post (here), I discussed the unholy fact that Israel's government plans to transfer ownership of the land on which the capital's St. Sergius Church stands to Russia as per Putin's demands, a 'conquest' I first noted already in May.

Now, in an article, Putin's Unholy Land Grab: Red Square in Jerusalem, my friend Zalmi Unsdorfer goes into great detail on the matter.

He asserts, based on documentation, that this

shady transfer to Putin of what is known as the Russian Compound - a 17-acre site between Jaffa and Hanevi'im roads, close to the Old City walls. According to a Foreign Ministry letter that has come into this writer's possession, the deal was agreed on between the two governments on December 12, 2007.

Zalmi considers what happened

yet another surrender concocted between the executive and the judiciary, without any parliamentary involvement or oversight.

Dealing with the germanation of how this deal started, Zalmi explains that

During his state visit to Israel in 2005, Vladimir Putin paid a private visit to
the compound and the magnificent Sergei Building is said to have 'captured his
heart.' He declared his intention to get it back for Russia.

Beyond the loss of this strategic site to the Russian government, there are those who worry about the precedent that would be set. Will the Greeks be reclaiming land on which the Knesset itself and the president's residence are standing. Where will it all end?'

In a cross-posting, Zalmi informs us that he decided to write to the lawful descendent of the original purchaser of the land, Sergei Alexandrovich who died without children who happens to be Great Britain's Prince Phillip.

you, Sir, are probably the only truly legitimate claimant to this Romanov family property. I have it on good authority that a single letter from Your Royal Highness would halt this nefarious transaction in its tracks and probably stall it for many years to come...with the required intervention on the part of Your Royal Highness, the property might be transferred to a trust for its conversion into a heritage center for the hundreds of thousands of Russian pilgrims who now have the freedom to visit Jerusalem each year.

Will Russia's march into Jerusalem by halted on the banks of the Thames?