Traditional religious celebrations in the Christian Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City have recently turned into an outrageous show of support for terrorism, as local residents cynically used the annual “Return of the Virgin Mary” procession to stage a mass celebration honoring the release from prison of John William Kakish, a Palestinian Christian who completed an 11-year prison sentence for a serious stabbing attack.
How did the Virgin Mary procession in Jerusalem’s Christian Quarter become a celebration for a released security prisoner?
The “Return of the Virgin Mary” procession is an ancient and sacred Orthodox Christian religious ceremony marking the culmination of celebrations surrounding the Assumption of the Virgin Mary in Jerusalem. During the event, worshippers return the “burial icon” of Mary from her tomb in Gethsemane to its permanent home near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter. The event is meant to convey holiness, prayer and modesty, drawing large numbers of believers carrying candles and flowers through the streets of the Old City.
This year, however, when the procession reached the Christian Quarter, the religious event was hijacked for nationalist purposes. Kakish’s friends lifted the released security prisoner onto their shoulders and turned the religious ceremony into a loud celebration, mixing chants praising his freedom with the religious hymns.
Who is John William Kakish and how did he carry out the stabbing attack in Jerusalem?
The public and boisterous celebration is especially jarring in light of Kakish’s past: on the night between May 23 and 24, 2015, on the eve of Shavuot, Kakish lay in wait for a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews making their way to the Western Wall in Jerusalem for the traditional all-night Shavuot study. Near Damascus Gate, the terrorist rushed at the group, pulled out a knife and brutally stabbed two yeshiva students, aged about 16 and 17, who were moderately wounded.
Kakish fled, changed his clothes and altered his appearance, but was captured thanks to security camera footage obtained by Jerusalem Police. During questioning, he admitted that he had carried out the attack out of a racist motive of “revenge against Jews.” Kakish was convicted, under a plea agreement, of two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with a knife. The District Court initially sentenced him to nine years in prison, but following an appeal by the prosecution, the Supreme Court increased his sentence to 11 years in prison. He was released in May, precisely on the eve of Shavuot – a chilling coincidence with the date on which he carried out the attack.
Turning a sacred religious procession into a public tribute to a terrorist who stabbed teenagers on their way to prayer once again demonstrates how extremist elements in East Jerusalem are willing to exploit sacred religious symbols to glorify violence and terrorism. Just days after the show of support in the Christian Quarter, Kakish was arrested again by security forces.
