There was a report circulating in Arab media that claimed that Jewish prayer services were held for the first time at a building that’s referred to as the Tankaziya school on the Temple Mount. The building is reported to be a border police station and a synagogue for soldiers.

However, what they do not realize is that Jews have been praying in that room every Yom Kippur since 1971 an investigation by Breaking Israel News discovered. Back then, approval was issued by the defense minister who received the request from the chief of staff who received the request from the IDF’s former chief rabbi, Rabbi Shlomo Goren z”l.

In Hebrew, the room is called the Machkamah. Half of the Machkamah sits on the Temple Mount. The other half is off of the holy site. The room is inside a complex that overlooks the Western Wall but breaches into the Temple Mount’s territory. It is located between the Gate of the Chain to the north and Western Wall to the south.

The room hosts two minyanim (prayer services) a year. One is on Yom Kippur and the other is on the 9th of Av. On the 9th of Av there are two prayer services. One s led by a private Yeshiva and the other one is led by Rami Goren, the son of Rabbi Shlomo Goren z”l. Every year, more people have asked to join the prayer service.

Jews are not allowed to pray, let alone formulate a minyan on the Temple Mount itself making this development highly significant.

The Jordanian Waqf, who acts as the custodian of the Temple Mount, closely monitors Jewish prayer on the site and are tasked with alerting the police officers present if they see a Jewish pilgrim praying on the location of the first and second Temples.