http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Columnists/Article.aspx?id=276285

There has been string of recent incidents that should have sparked Jewish outrage, but were met with silence.

On a number of occasions, Jews seeking to exercise their basic human rights such as freedom of worship and assembly, and freedom of speech, have seen their liberties callously disregarded, and even trampled upon.

Those wishing to pray have been hushed and even threatened with arrest, while others have been asked to remove their yarmulkes while in public.

Needless to say, these detestable acts of anti-Semitism elicited neither a single press release nor even a peep of public protest from world Jewish leaders or organizations.

Had they occurred in Paris, London or New York, the guardian lions of civil rights would surely have made their roars heard. But since these affronts against Jews have all taken place on the Temple Mount, in the heart of Jerusalem, the raucous lions have instead turned into silent lambs, refusing even to bleat in disapproval.

Consider the following. According to a report in Ma¹ariv (May 22), the Israeli police have issued new instructions which forbid Jews on the Temple Mount from rocking back and forth, moving their lips or even closing their eyes, as these all might be construed as acts of prayer.

Under pressure from the Muslim Wakf which administers the site, Israel¹s finest also warned Jewish visitors against removing a note of paper from one¹s pocket and reading it, ostensibly out of fear that the offending page might contain Biblical verses or words of entreaty to Heaven.

Don¹t let the absurdity of these regulations detract from their seriousness: this is a shocking and extreme violation of every person¹s fundamental freedoms.

It is nothing less than a form of petty dictatorship which cannot be tolerated. Jews, like anyone else, have the right to commune with their Creator, sing, dance and yes, even move their lips. The fact that the police enforce such rules, and interfere with the right of Jews to pray freely, is scandalous.

Not surprisingly, the police haven¹t hesitated to go even further. On a couple of occasions, they have barred rabbis from setting foot on the Mount after they gave media interviews in which they discussed rebuilding the Temple.