2010 West Wendover high School Graduate Arieh Copelan made the international news last week when he was barred entry onto the the Temple Mount in Jerusalem by an Israeli policeman.
Late last month Hebrew University professor Roni Allenblum took his “Geographical History of Jerusalem” class up to the Temple Mount, or rather, most of his class. Arieh Copelan is the only religious, kipa-wearing Jewish student in the class who decided to join the class’s field trip.
Despite wearing a baseball cap the police at the entrance realized Copelan was a religious Jew and forbade his entrance. The rest of the class were allowed through unhindered.
“The cop who stoped me I am told is known to give problems to religious Jews,” Arieh said this Sunday.
The story was picked up by local Israeli and international press.
“This student should find a good lawyer and sue not only the police but the government (ie Bibi) for discrimination and religious persecution,” wrote commentator Sarah Esther on the Jewish Press website. “This is not acceptable for a country which proudly calls itself a democracy.”
Arieh confirmed that he had been contacted by a bevy of lawyers eager to take his case for free. However the recently released Sergeant f an Israeli Army infantry platoon said he was reluctant to sue the state he had so recently fought for less than a year ago.
“I don’t think the cop who barred him from the Temple Mount had any problem with Arieh wearing his kip for three years whole he was on the Gaza border or in Nablus fighting terrorists,” said father Howard Copelan “Arieh wore his kipa every day since he started junior High in Wendover and was always treated with the utmost respect by his teachers, classmates and team mates. Its ironic that the only time he is singled out is by an Israeli cop on the Temple Mount Judaism’s holiest site.
Arieh’s story was picked up by Reuters as well as the local Israeli Press and the Arab press of Saudi Arabia.
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