This month marks the 10th anniversary of the murder of 13-year-old Hallel Ariel by a Palestinian terrorist on June 30, 2016.
A resident of Kiryat Arba, Hallel was asleep in her bed when the 17-year-old assailant broke into the Ariel home and stabbed her to death. The terrorist, Muhammad Nasser Tarayra, was shot and killed at the scene by responding security personnel and Hallel’s father, Rabbi Amichai Ariel.
During the confrontation, Kiryat Arba’s volunteer security coordinator, Shuki Gilboa, was seriously wounded and later lost sight in one eye. In the aftermath of the attack, Israeli authorities arrested members of the terrorist’s family for questioning and later demolished the family home in the nearby village of Bani Na’im.
The Hebrew date of the brutal murder was the 24th of Sivan, which this year corresponded to Tuesday, June 9. Approximately 60 men and women joined the Ariel family that day in ascending the Temple Mount, where they prayed, sang, danced and discussed Torah topics relating to the holy site and Jewish destiny.
The circumstances at this year’s event differed significantly from the first memorial held for Hallel a month after the attack, when restrictions on non-Muslim visitors, especially Jews, were much tougher than they are today.
Rena Ariel, Hallel’s mother, and her three sisters are among a small group of women who founded Nashim Lema’an Hamikdash (“Women for the Holy Temple”) 26 years ago. The organization is part of an umbrella of groups, including the Temple Mount Institute, advocating for Jewish sovereignty on the Temple Mount, Judaism’s holiest site, and preparing for the building of the Third Temple.
Although Israel liberated eastern Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War, the Jordanian Muslim religious trust (Waqf) was given authority over the site. Since then, many inequities have remained. For example, there are 10 active entrances to the site, but only one is accessible to non-Muslims: the Mughrabi Gate.
Ariel recalled the humiliation endured until recently. The prohibitions against Jews included praying, bowing, singing and drinking water from the fountains. Guards would follow closely and monitor conversations. Dozens of women in burqas would scream “Allahu Akbar” at visitors, and young boys would throw stones at them.
Nevertheless, there have been many improvements over the past decade, likely as a result of the determination of Jewish activists who continued to visit despite the challenges. Today, Jews pray and sing openly on the site and, for the most part, are treated with respect.
Hallel, like her parents, felt a deep attachment to Har Habayit, the Hebrew name for the Temple Mount. After her murder, the Mughrabi Gate was renamed Sha’ar Hallel in her memory.
The event on Tuesday was intense. Emotions ranged from grief over the loss of Hallel to celebration of the positive changes, inspiration, passion and faith.
Addressing the women, Ariel spoke about the bereaved parents mourning the deaths of their IDF soldier sons who fought selflessly for their country. In many cases, she noted, it was only during the shiva period that the mourners learned so much more about their children and their heroic deeds.
“Hallel was still young; she didn’t fight, and she wasn’t a hero. She is no longer here with us; we will never see grandchildren from her,” Ariel lamented. “What we have is Sha’ar Hallel.”
“My message to you,” she continued, “is that if you have daughters, go and hug them because it’s amazing that they are with us. It’s amazing that they are following our path.
“And even if they aren’t exactly following that path, accept them. Take care of them. Love them and be thankful they are with us.”
