Keghart.Com’s Last Editorial

Vahe H. Apelian

 Dome of the Rock Mosque, aka Noble Sanctuary (“Haram el Sharif”) in Old Jerusalem

As an introductory remark let me note that Keghart.com is “Dr. Dikran Aprahamian’s non-partisan website devoted to community activities, human rights, and democracy”.

Dikran Aprahamian M.D. launched his website in September 2007. He emphatically emphasized that although the website primarily and mostly treated subjects that dealt with Armenian issues, it was nonetheless an open forum for any community activity and for any human rights issue. Regretfully last year the website ceased to be active because of Dr. Aprahamian’s poor health. Thanks to website’s Webmaster Vako Nicolian, the website remains a treasure trove of sorts regarding issues that moved the Armenian community during the past ten years. The website is equipped with a search engine that can sort through the many articles, opinions, letters, that remain archived in the website.

Each issue of keghart.com carried an editorial that was mostly if not exclusively penned by the eminent journalist Jirair Tutuanjian who lives in Canada and hails from Jerusalem.  His last editorial is dated February 16, 2019 and is the last Keghart.com editorial. It remains posted on the website. It is titled: “The Peripatetic Temple”.

The crux of the editorial Jirair Tutunjian has penned is the following. The Jews claim that they have unearthed new archeological evidence that tells them that the long-held belief that the current Dome of the Rock mosque in Jerusalem was built on the first Jewish temple is wrong. The newly unearthed evidence, they claim, indicates that the King Solomon’s temple was built on property owned by the Armenians known as the Armenian Quarter. Jirair notes: “The Jewish extremists have placed a 10-minute “documentary” on YouTube where they “prove” Solomon’s Temple was built on land which is now part of the Armenian Quarter. “

To many, Jews in Israel building the third temple might look as fictional endeavor espoused by Jewish extremists only but that might not be true and that building the temple might be a legitimate issue that conceerns them all.  I quote Hagop Toroyan’s interpretation: “After the destruction of the second temple in 70AD, for 2000 years the Jews greeted each other "next year in Jerusalem", but they had in their mind was the third temple. Jeremiah 33:14-18 addresses the Messianic age and most observant Jews believe in that when the Messiah comes  “He shall execute justice and righteousness on the earth", after the building of the third temple. 

The above are just a few words from so many books and articles that have been written over two thousand years and still, and there are many debates. Many priests are already trained, ceremonial clothing, songs are ready. 

The idea of the discovery of the "original" location will appeal to the Jews and likewise to all Muslims. The Dome of the Rock will stay as is and the Third Temple will be built in the Armenian courter. Even the Catholic world and especially the Greek Orthodox world will think,  "After all, who are these Armenians anyway..." 

Jirair further notes:  “The Armenian Church of Jerusalem has its hands full battling Zionist encroachments. Just last year the Israeli government grabbed more than 50 percent of an Armenian shrine and converted it to a park. Every year the authorities and the settlers devise new plots to eventually make Old Jerusalem one-hundred percent Jewish. For these extremists, one Christian in Jerusalem is one too many.” 

Concluding his editorial, Jirair appeals that the “diaspora Armenians should protest by writing to their political representative, to the media, and Israeli embassies/consulates. They should post letters on social media. Diaspora Armenians can also help the Armenian Church and community of Jerusalem by visiting Jerusalem in large numbers: the visits signal to the authorities and the settlers that the Armenians of Jerusalem are not orphans. The visits will also send the message that Armenians are alert to every Israeli government or settler encroachments.”

Jirair’s editoiral is thought provoking but it is appearent that Keghart.com’s last editoiral has not generated the interest it deserves. Thus far it has registered 373 reads only.