Simcha Rothman requests Temple Mount prayer access for Rosh Hashanah

Simcha Rothman, chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, has formally requested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir permit Jewish prayer and the blowing of the shofar on the Temple Mount during Rosh Hashanah.

In a letter released Wednesday, Rothman argued that the inability to blow the shofar at the site constitutes a significant infringement on a central commandment of the holiday. He also requested that the site be opened for Musaf prayers on the first day of Rosh Hashanah, noting that because the holiday falls on Shabbat this year, opening the site would provide a rare opportunity for the public to pray at the holy site.

Under the current status quo governing the Temple Mount, Jewish visitors are permitted to visit during designated hours but are officially prohibited from praying at the site.