Yeshiva Head Banned From Temple Mount for a Month Amid Rising Jewish Visits

A significant precedent was set at the Temple Mount when Chief Superintendent Avshalom Peled issued a one-month ban on Rabbi Noam Waldman, head of the Nir Yeshiva in Kiryat Arba. The ban followed events during the Tisha B'Av visit, when students of the Nir Yeshiva continued praying on the Temple Mount after police reportedly prevented them from completing their prayers in the eastern area designated for them. Rabbi Waldman, a leading figure in the Hesder Yeshivot and a longtime organizer of Nir Yeshiva students' visits to the site, was banned due to this incident.

Simultaneously, David Erlanger was banned from the Temple Mount for three months on suspicion of attempting to bring tefillin onto the site. Erlanger was detained at the entrance plaza, and the ban was reportedly based on this suspicion.

These developments come amid changes in police policy over recent years and a significant increase in Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount. On the recent Tisha B'Av, over 2,000 Jews ascended the site, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Minister Itzhak Vissar-Lof, and other Knesset members. Ben-Gvir described the visit as a "huge advancement," stating that "Jews praying here feel like owners of the place."

However, despite such statements, the reality shows ongoing tensions: while Jewish visits and official rhetoric about policy shifts increase, so do the number of bans. According to police data provided to the Freedom of Information Movement, 536 Jews were banned from the Temple Mount in 2025, nearly double the 278 bans recorded in 2024.