Security forces in Egypt released on Sunday 50 protesters arrested
last weekend for demonstrating against a group of hundreds of Jews who
arrived at the grave of HaRav Yaakov Abuchatzeira in the village of
Mandur in the northwest part of the country to mark his yahrtzeit.
Three of the organizers of the demonstration remained in custody.
The opposition movement and extremist Islamic organizations took
various steps to protest the permission granted to the group. On the
other hand, the police deployed heavily to protect the hundreds of
Jews who had received permission to come. Some of the travelers
described hostility from the local Arabs.
HaRav Yaakov Abuchatzeira, who passed away in 5640 (1880) was among
the leading rabbonim of Morocco. Known as the Abir Yaakov, he led the
Jewish community in the province of Tafilalet, serving as rov and
speaker.
With the peace treaty signed with Egypt, the grave was opened to
Israeli visitors in 1980. Most visits take place on the yahrtzeit, 20
Teves. Tens of thousands of Israelis have visited the site over the
years. In recent years petitions have been filed in Egyptian courts to
stop the visits. Due to security warnings, the Egyptian government
limits the number of Israel visitors to a few hundred.
