Closing Jewish tomb in Egypt raises tensions
Egypt’s closure of the tomb of Rabbi Abu Hasira and the cancelation of the annual festival celebrating his birth in the Nile Delta have angered Jewish pilgrims and tourists, inciting Tel Aviv to take the matter to UNESCO.
CAIRO — The women in Beheira governorate, west of Cairo, cheered following the announcement of the Egyptian judiciary’s ruling to cancel the annual celebration of the birth of the Jewish rabbi known as Abu Hasira, whose tomb is in the village of Damtu in Beheira governorate. Consequently, there was Israeli rage and resentment, and tensions between Cairo and Tel Aviv renewed over the rabbi's tomb, while the Israeli Foreign Ministry commented on the Egyptian court ruling and said it would consider a response and discuss it with the Egyptian authorities.
Israeli newspapers and local channels made withering attacks on Egypt because of this court ruling, and said it was unacceptable.
According to Israel’s Channel 7, Tel Aviv decided to resort to UNESCO to register the tomb of the rabbi as a monument so it would not be destroyed. It will also renew its demand to the Egyptian authorities to transfer the remains of the rabbi to Israel. The Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper warned that removing the tomb from Egypt's historic heritage sites may cause a problem in the future, yet the newspaper did not explain what kind of problem it could possibly cause.
Egypt’s court ruling to cancel the annual celebration of the birth of the Jewish rabbi stated that the festival would be “permanently canceled for violating public order and morals, and being incompatible with the dignity and purity of religious rites.”
