Israeli Man Banned From Temple Mount for Three Months Over Tefillin Incident

Avi Kugel, a father whose daughter died in a car accident and a teacher at a religious school, was banned from the Temple Mount for three months after police claimed he gave tefillin to a visitor ascending the site on Tisha B'Av. Kugel's ban follows similar restrictions placed on two other Jewish figures, Rabbi Noam Waldman, head of the Nir Yeshiva, and Rabbi David Erlanger, after the Tisha B'Av events. Kugel explained that during the visit, a worshiper asked to use his tefillin and brought them up to the Temple Mount. Police ordered the visitor to remove the tefillin, and when he returned them to Kugel, officers saw this and decided to ban Kugel despite his compliance with police instructions and no violation of any regulations. Kugel expressed shock at the decision and hopes the authorities will stop what he calls the persecution of Jews at the site. He distinguished between the policies of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and the on-the-ground enforcement, emphasizing that Jews at the Temple Mount remain under constant threat of arbitrary police bans without clear reasons. The ban against Kugel adds to a series of similar orders issued after the Tisha B'Av visits, including one against Rabbi Waldman that was later canceled following media coverage.