By COLlive reporter
Photo by Amos BenGershom / Israel Government Press Office
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu marked Jerusalem Day on Tuesday at Mercaz HaRav in Jerusalem, the most prominent yeshiva in the religious Zionist world.
As he entered the Beit Medrash, over a thousand students sang Avraham Fried‘s song on the words with which Moshe blessed the tribe of Binyamin: “And to Binyamin he said: Beloved by G-d, he will dwell in security.”
According to IsraelNationalNews.com, the Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yaakov Shapira welcomed the Prime Minister with warm words for his forthright speech in the U.S. Congress, adding that our “roadmap” is the Bible and that all of the land of Israel stems from Jerusalem and has the same indivisible status as the holy city.
Netanyahu on his part said “There’s nothing more holy to us than Jerusalem. We’ll keep Jerusalem, we’ll keep its unity, we’ll build it. we’ll protect Jerusalem and Jerusalem will protect us.”
Sitting in the second row of the dais, between two right-wing Knesset members Uri Orbach and Michael Ben Ari, was Chabad Rabbi Sholom Ber Lipskar, founder of spiritual leader of The Shul of Bal Harbour, Florida.
Lipskar’s high profile congregation of businessmen and professionals often hosts dignitaries, the latest were Senator Joe Lieberman, and two Chiefs of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Gabi Ashkenazi and Benny Gantz.
Efforts by COLlive.com to reach Rabbi Lipskar on U.S. and Israeli cellphones to get more details about his attendance at the event were not successful. His secretary said he won’t be available by phone or email until he returns home on Sunday.
There was no answer at the offices of Mercaz Harav.
Other participants of the celebration were Israeli Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger, Speaker of the Knesset Rubi Rivlin, Justice Minister Ya’akov Ne’eman and Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat.
yedid hashem
special jew
Bibi looks good in the kippa!