Eitan Krantman from Rehovot and Coral Daisy Dean from Tel Mond got engaged on the Temple Mount Sunday morning, the first day of the new month of Sivan. Eitan gave his future wife Coral an engagement ring on the Temple Mount, while other Jews who ascended to the Temple Mount acted as witnesses.

Coral explained that this seemed to be a growing trend.

 “I regularly go up to the Temple Mount with my father and not long ago I saw a guy who got engaged on the Temple Mount,” she said. “I suggested this to Eitan and he immediately agreed. Today we got engaged on the first day of Sivan, exactly one year after our first meeting.”

Coral told Israel365 News that they informed the policeman accompanying them of their intentions and he did not object. After Eitan presented Coral with the ring, several policemen blessed them.

However, when they exited the Temple Mount compound, another policeman wrote down their identifying information and suggested that they be in contact with a lawyer.

“We intend to have a faithful house in Israel so it is important that we establish our house with the proper intention,” Coral explained.

According to Jewish law, marriages are performed in two stages. The first stage referred to as Kiddushin is the betrothal and is performed by giving the woman an article of value, in this case a ring, in front of two witnesses. The second stage, nisuin, is accomplished through “chuppah” (canopy), i.e. the husband uniting with the wife under one roof for the sake of marriage. In ancient times, these two stages were performed separately, sometimes months apart. By the twelfth century this practice had ended, and it became customary to do both kiddushin and nisuin, successively, beneath the chuppah. In this case, Eitan and Coral performed kiddushin but not nisuin.

Eitan noted that the fourth of the seven blessings recited under the chuppah is, “Blessed are you, Lord our God, Ruler of the Universe, who created humanity in His image, in the image of the likeness of his form, and made for them an everlasting establishment. Blessed are you, Lord, who created humanity.” It is understood to refer to the union of man and woman which leads to future generations. The Hebrew term for “everlasting establishment” is binyan adei ad which can be more precisely translated as “an everlasting building.”

“We want our marriage to be an ‘everlasting establishment’ but we also want an everlasting building on the Temple Mount,” Eitan said.

They also referred to the verse from Jeremiah that is sung at weddings:

“Thus said Hashem: Again there shall be heard in this place, which you say is ruined, without man or beast—in the towns of Yehuda and the streets of Yerushalayim that are desolate, without man, without inhabitants, without beast—the sound of mirth and gladness, the voice of bridegroom and bride, the voice of those who cry, “Give thanks to the lord of Hosts, for Hashem is good, for His kindness is everlasting!” as they bring thanksgiving offerings to the House of Hashem. For I will restore the fortunes of the land as of old—said Hashem.” Jeremiah 33:10-11

“It is true that right now, the Temple Mount is desolate,” Coral said. “But today, this prophecy appeared. The voice of a bridegroom and bride were heard.”

The Temple Mount is especially relevant to betrothals. When King Solomon built the Temple Mount, he established two gates in the southern wall; one for bridegrooms and the other for mourners. And on Saturdays, the inhabitants of Jerusalem would gather at these gates to greet those who entered these gates, blessing the grooms and joining and their happiness and comforting the mourners. Jewish tradition claims that these gates are the ones that were later called sha’ar harachamim (the Gate of Mercy or the Golden Gate).

Tom Nisani, head of the Beyadenu Temple Mount advocacy group, who himself previously got engaged on the Temple Mount, commented on the event.

“It moves me to see a young couple so connected to the Temple Mount get engaged without fear in the holiest place for the Jewish people,”: Nisani said. “But it is natural that they hold such an important event at Judaism’s holiest site. I thank the police for making the event possible.”