Jerusalem Police Thwart Passover Goat Sacrifice Plot
Israeli police detained seven Jewish men suspected of planning to sacrifice goats in the Old City of Jerusalem in honor of Passover, reported.
The arrests on Friday came amid a pre-holiday crackdown against right-wing activists whose visits to the contested Temple Mount have been at the center of months-long tensions between Israel and the Palestinians.
Authorities barred several groups from entering Jerusalem during the week-long Passover holiday, which begins Friday evening, citing information they intended to carry out sacrificial rituals on the Temple Mount.
According to the Times of Israel, two of the men picked up on Friday morning were on their way to carry out the sacrifice, but were stopped by police before they could do so.
Upon their arrest, police spotted a second goat that had been left unattended, which they later connected to a third suspect who was subsequently detained.
A few hours later, officers picked up another four people — all minors — who had a third goat they intended to sacrifice, police said.
The seven suspects were charged with disturbing the peace, a police spokesperson said.
The three goats confiscated by police on Friday were unharmed and have been handed over to the municipality’s animal control department, the police said.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we still need 300 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Only 300 more gifts needed by April 30