There was a significant police presence on Monday night, the eve of 26 Menachem Av 5772 at the Har Sinai Shul, which was to be torn down during the predawn hours. Police were on hand to oversee the eviction was carried out without dispute.

Mispallalim were on hand, pained at the reality the shul was going to be removed and then razed. As they waited for the contractor who spearheaded the entire process, it became clear that he was not in attendance so the eviction and destruction of the beis tefilla was delayed. When asked to comment on the event, the attorney representing mispallalim simply quoted the posuk ‘רבות מחשבות בלב איש ועצת השם היא תקום’. Mispallalim explain that Yad Hashem is clear as day in this case.

The attorney and the shul’s board spent the entire day on Monday seeking to delay the move by a month, simply seeking adequate time to find a suitable alternative venue in the city’s N’vei Sha’anan neighborhood but the contractor who owns the land was not willing to hear their plea. When he failed to show the contractor was contacted and he told police that he believed the event was to take place on Tuesday night, not Monday.

The investor behind the project explained that the process has taken over a decade and as such, he is unwilling to delay for another month so the date was set for Monday night.

Shul officials explained that they still do not have a place to put the Sifrei Torah and the remainder of the shul’s contents. They finally accepted the fact they do not have another venue for the minyan so they planned to store everything in a room of the city’s religious council until a new location was found. Chadrei Chareidim reports police were no overjoyed with the assignment of standing by as a shul was removed, but commanders explained there was a court order and they had no alternative.

Now it becomes more interesting as it appears the court order for the removal of the shul expired on August 14, 2012, so the contractor cannot make arrangements with police for another date since his court order is no longer valid. Legal experts explain that the process of obtaining a new court order will be a relatively lengthy one.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)