Women in Green - Media Releases - August 1999

WOMEN FOR ISRAEL'S TOMORROW

WOMEN IN GREEN

Media Releases - August 1999


August 1999
August 12, 1999 Senators Say "Yes to American Embassy in Jerusalem
August 15, 1999 The "Piece" Process
August 16, 1999 Barak - 013 Telephone Company
August 23, 1999 They're Changing Our History
August 30, 1999 First You Murdered Us and Then You Took Our Inheritance
August 30, 1999 Burger King Demonstration
August 31, 1999 Update on the Campaign Against the "New Historians"

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Jerusalem, August 12, 1999

84 Senators Say "Yes" to American Embassy in Jerusalem
The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton President of the United States The White House Washington D.C. 20500 Dear Mr. President, We are deeply disappointed that you chose to exercise the waiver provision contained in the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. Jerusalem is Israel's capital, a fact that should have been recognized long ago by putting our embassy there. The waiver authority provided in the Jerusalem Embassy Act does not apply to the provisions of the Act, other than the sanctions provisions. One of those other provisions contains a statement of the U.S. policy that is the law of the land is not subject to waiver: Jerusalem should remain united and should be recognized as Israel's capital, with our embassy located there. As permanent status negotiations approach, we expect America's approach to Jerusalem to be based on U.S. law, as stated in the Jerusalem Embassy Act. Sincerely, 84 United States Senators (signatures available). ******************************************************* Jerusalem, August 15,1999
The "Piece" Process
Col. William Lichtman, (retired) is an American army pilot who volunteered and fought in behalf of the Jewish People in Israel's 1948 War of Independence. Now 81, residing in Chicago, his Zionist interest and love of Israel has not waned over the years. He has appeared on the Ruth Matar weekly radio program on Arutz 7, and has become an ardent supporter of Women for Israel's Tomorrow (Women In Green.). He has recently sent us an article he has written which we believe deserves wide distribution, entitled: "The Piece Process." Since this courageous warrior has proven his devotion to the Jewish People by concrete deeds, his views today should be considered carefully. Those views, after all, are from an experienced U.S. Army Colonel, who actually fought in our behalf in this region, and are therefore extremely relevant to all who are concerned with the survival of Israel. Ruth and Nadia Matar --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prime Minister Ehud Barak has wrapped up his six day land-for-peace visit to the United States. I am not about to tell him how to handle the peace process. I only hope that it does not turn into a piece process, and Israel doesn't find itself chopped into little pieces and back to its 1948 borders. I know Barak is an honest man, has fine credentials, and Israel's most decorated soldier. So did his mentor Yitzhak Rabin have good credentials, but he presided over the dismemberment of Israel when he signed the 1993 Oslo peace accord with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. This was the start of the downhill roll for Israel. I listened to Barak on television standing next to President Clinton, repeat the flowery phrases of Rabin, that the Israeli and Palestinian people should live side-by-side, build homes and plant trees. And all the while I was thinking: sure, the lion and the lamb will lie down together, but I'll bet ya the lamb won't get much sleep. It's too early to tell whether Barak's peace mission will bear fruit. There is a lot of budding optimism around. Euphoria has engulfed Washington and Israel, but the jury is still out. Let's wait and see what the future will bring. In the meantime I would like to clue Barak a little on Clinton. This guy is faster than a speeding bullet. He has lots of talent, but no character. His field of honor is a desktop. He has a talent for confusing rhetoric with reality. He makes it sound as if he knows what he is doing. Political insiders are privately expressing concern that Clinton has undermined Israel's negotiating position by supporting the Palestinians outright. They also say that Clinton's desire to secure a quick agreement before he leaves office in 16 months could run counter to Barak's careful and calculated style. Sometimes I wonder whether Clinton is really interested in peace, or just the appearance of peace. I'd like to add two points to the obvious. There are many flaws in Clinton's thinking. One. He has asked Israel to commit suicide. He has asked the Jews to become a minority in their own country. He said he would like it if the Palestinian refugees felt free to live wherever they chose. He compared his views on this to the resettling of the Kosovo refugees with the Palestinians, who should be able to return "home" even if home is the core of Israel's territory. Clinton is mistaken when he calls the Palestinians refugees.. They left Israel on their own free will during the 1948 War of Independence on the advice of their Arab leaders. That after Israel is destroyed and the Jews are wiped out, they can return home to Palestine. The Palestinians are not numbered in the hundred thousands as Clinton has suggested, but more like 3 million. I don't find Clinton's remarks unexpected. I don't think he gives much thought to what the consequences might be from some of his statements. He can afford to be generous with Israel's land. Two. His refusal to declare that the U.S. Embassy should be moved from Tel Aviv to Israel's capital, Jerusalem, has not been helpful to Israel or the cause of peace. He is telling the Palestinians that he will recognize East Jerusalem as their capital. Equally disturbing is what the high-minded leftwing Clinton Jewish supporters have to say about all this? Unfortunately, they are always trying to soften and clarify his remarks to the rest of the Jewish community. They try to make his remarks sound trivial, and keep telling us what a good friend he is to Israel. He is the best friend Israel ever had, according to them. I'm puzzled. I ask. Where? Not according to the people of Israel. They see his administration as the most pro-Palestinian ever. It has tolerated Arafat's failures to contain terrorism; paid no attention to his inflammatory rhetoric against Israel; and has kept pressing Israel to make more territorial concessions to Arafat. He did not force the Arabs to compromise, but gave them reasons to escalate their demands. And he expects the Israelis to have trust and faith in him. A good friend he isn't. Every time you criticize Clinton, these Jews get a nervous twitch. A question. I know that Barak was a serious minded military man. I know that he is an honest man. But I also remember when he was chief of staff of the Israeli Army, before he entered politics. He insisted then on the need to retain the Golan Heights for security reasons. The question is why was the Golan Heights strategically important when you were chief of staff, and now you are willing to exchange the Golan for a promise of peace from Syrian Hafiz Assad? What worries me about this peace process is the urge for peace at any price. The Israelis are behaving like the vanquished instead of the victors. They encourage their opponents to dictate the peace terms. Maybe other Jews have short memories. Maybe the old warrior is too old to change. But I have a good memory. I'm 81, have been in 3 wars; I've heard the word peace time and time again. Without going too deeply back into history, I recall it was in July 1981 when President Reagan held up the delivery of two needed shipments of U.S. bombers to Israel, because of the fighting in southern Lebanon. I've learned a lesson in war (one war was in Israel in '48). Don't ever wait to be rescued by someone else. By the time they arrive you may not be there. On a more substantial level. It's a big mistake when thinking of the peace process to think of the Middle East in terms of relations between Spain and Italy, France and Germany, even London and Paris. The Middle East is not Europe. Outside of Israel, which is a democracy, the Arab world still has to be painstakingly dragged into the 20th Century. Peace with Syria? Maybe! Since 1974 the Syrians have not fired at Israelis. Why? Not because they are nice people, and like Israelis, but because there are 17,000 Jews on the Golon. Do the Israelis think that a Palestinian state will just form a benign business-oriented confederation with it's Arab neighbors, and not want to acquire tanks, fighter planes and heavy artillery? Do they believe the Palestinians will forgive and forget about hatred and revenge? Will a Palestinian State be militarized or demilitarized? Will an effective attempt be made to limit their arms, knowing an armed Palestinian state will be situated close to Israeli population centers and airports? I'm talking about Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. The dream of peace is so seductive, it is positively irresistible. It's almost a sin to say anything against it. The super-dovish peace architects like Shimon Peres and Yossi Beilin say there will be some pain, but peace has to be achieved at any price. They share Clinton's view of a Mideast utopia. As an American Jew who lived in Israel, I always believed in a Jewish homeland and Jewish solidarity. I also met two kinds of Jews. Those who are afraid of everything and everyone, and Jews who are afraid of nothing. I recently read that President Mubarak of Egypt said in the Egyptian Press that if the Jewish State ever goes back to the 1949 armistice lines it will become an irresistible temptation, as it was in 1967. Some people in Israel may regard this as a joke. With all of Mubarak's talk of peace with Israel, he does not visit Israel. Very few Egyptians have. But not so the Israelis; they visit Egypt all the time. Yet, according to newspaper reports, Egypt is the world's largest producer and distributor of anti-Semitic material and anti-Israel movies to organizations in the U.S. and Europe. But no one in the U.S. and liberal Israel seem to give a damn. Another unanswered question. Will the left-wing politicians in their unvarnished reckless liberalism, bargain East Jerusalem away? Will they divide Jerusalem? Have they not learned from experience that when Arabs occupied Jerusalem's Old City from 1948-1967 they systematically destroyed and desecrated schools, synagogues and cemeteries? Yet when Israel re-occupied the Old City since 1967 they treated all the Moslem Holy places with respect. Who's to say when the Palestinians make East Jerusalem their capital one day, they will restore the old 1948 dividing line and drive the Jews out again? Finally. The Jews have been in 5 wars and suffered 19,000 casualties. They better have no illusions about the peace accords. They best realize once they are on the road to "peace," there is no turning back for them. I believe that over time, the Oslo and Wye Accords will result in war, rather than peace. The Jews have waited 2,000 years for Israel. I hope they don't blow it. I know that not everyone who is concerned about protecting Israel's security will necessarily agree with what I have written, but I hope it will give them pause to think. Col. William Lichtman RAF, USAF, and Israel Air Force
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Jerusalem, August 16, 1999  

Barak - 013 Telephone Company
Director-General of the Barak - 013 Telephone Company Recommends Cutting Budgetary Transfers to Judea, Samaria, and Gaza - Women in Green Movement Recommends Cutting Investments in the Barak - 013 Telephone Company --------------------------------------------------------------------- To: Avi Patir Director-General, Barak - 013 Telephone Company Dear Sir, In the Friday, August 13, 1999, edition of Maariv, in the Asakim (Business) section, a poll was conducted among leading figures in the economy who were asked to advise the Minister of Finance on ways to make cuts in the state budget. You were quoted in the newspaper as favoring, among other steps, a cutback in the budgetary transfers to the settlements and for bypass roads, in order to invest in other infrastructures, in communications, and in education. I wrote to you in an attempt to receive a denial of these grave statements. In its letter of response, the company replied that this was your "personal view." You are undoubtedly aware of the fact that the publication in the press of the opinions of the Director-General of a major corporation as a "personal view" carries weight with the public, and he, in effect, represents the corporation. Whoever favors or advises cutting back on budgetary transfers to Judea, Samaria, and Gaza repeats the well-known lie that is disseminated by the circles of the extremist left - as if investments in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are at the expense of any other budget. In light of your "personal" recommendation to the Minister of Finance, our movement will recommend that consumers cut back on monetary expenditures to the Barak - 013 company, and invest their money in other companies. With the blessings of the people and the land, Nadia Matar, Co-Chairperson, Women in Green --------------------------------------------------------------------- The public is requested to send faxes expressing our disappointment with the Director-General of Barak - 013: Avi Patir, Director-General, Barak - 013 Company, tel.: (03)900-1000 fax: (03)900-1010 ******************************************************** Jerusalem, August 23, 1999
THEY'RE CHANGING OUR HISTORY!
by Ruth Matar Arutz Sheva Israel National Radio Broadcast on August 18, 1999 / Elul 6, 5759 This article is based on a show hosted by Ruth Matar of Women in Green, and adapted for print. In This Article: 1. New Israeli Textbooks - with Newly-Written History 2. From Whence the "New" Facts? 3. The True Motive 4. An American Volunteer's View 5. What to Do NEW ISRAELI TEXTBOOKS - WITH NEWLY-WRITTEN HISTORY Good evening. Dear listeners, today we'll be discussing a very important subject. Israel's history books are being rewritten, and our youngsters are being brainwashed to adopt the post-Zionist orientation. These books are not ordinary books - they are textbooks, approved by Israel's Ministry of Education, and each student in the public school system must buy one of three new such textbooks, according to the decision of each school or district. The front-runner among the three books is, by far, one entitled The 20th Century, by Prof. Ayal Naveh. Four days ago, the New York Times had a long front-page article, entitled "Israel's History Textbooks Replace Myth With Facts," explaining how the new books shed a "different light" on the Israeli-Arab conflict. Let's compare the new books with the old ones. I have a textbook published in 1984, entitled, "Not on a Silver Platter: From National Home to Sovereign State, 1939-1949" written by Yosef Ofek. He writes, "The numerical standoff [during Israel's War of Independence in 1948] was horrifyingly unbalanced. The Jewish population totaled only 650,000, while the Arab states together comprised more than 40 million people. The chances of success were doubtful, and the Jewish community had to draft every possible fighter for its defense." OK, now let's see what the new book has to say on this topic. The book by Naveh, published this year, which many 9th graders all over the country are now buying, states as follows: "On nearly every front and in nearly every battle, the Jewish side had the advantage, in terms of planning, organization, equipment, and the number of trained fighters in each battle." FROM WHENCE THE "NEW" FACTS? Where did Prof. Naveh get his facts to replace what he calls the old myths? After all, he was born only in 1952, four years after the War of Independence. He certainly has no first-hand information - so where did he get his facts? Naveh says that his book is "based on newly-opened state archives." When were these permitted to be opened? "In 1977," he answers - 22 years ago. In my book, that is not exactly newly-opened… To find out what really happened during our War of Independence, we are privileged to have as our guests on our show tonight two men who were actively involved in it, and are able to give us a true picture of what really happened more than 50 years ago. First - Prof. Re'uel Shinar, a Professor of Engineering in City College in New York and presently an engineering consultant. He worked, as he put it, for the "nascent Israeli military industry, on the front and underground… I graduated before the war with a chemical engineering degree. During the war I dealt with explosives and demolitions, and we had a very difficult time with this at the time. We were very lacking in weapons all over…" Ruth Matar: "How did you feel when you read the NY Times article about the new books?" Prof. Shinar: "I was very upset. I felt that this was such a falsification of experience that I can only compare to another similar falsification of history - I am referring to the denial of the Holocaust." RM: "Really! That is quite a strong indictment." Prof. Shinar: "- Because for me and most of my generation, the War of Independence was a very formative experience in our whole attitude to life. The first two weeks of the war seemed simply hopeless. The British had armed the Arabs, and they prevented us from arming ourselves. We had good preparation and good fighters, but we had very little to fight with. The fact that whole world was ready to sit by and watch, so soon after the Holocaust, how these large and well-equipped Arab armies slaughter the Jews - this was a major aspect of the formulation of my life. As an example, the Arabs had real planes and real bombs, and they could have overrun the whole country in the first two weeks. Only after a while did we receive arms from the one country who was ready to help us - Czechoslovakia. The British didn't allow us to prepare ourselves… Let me give you an example that will show you how hopeless our situation was. On the second day of the war, an Air Force officer came to me with a strange request - RM: "I thought there was no Israel Air Force?" Prof. Shinar: "Oh, we had a few small planes, like Piper Cubs- RM: "You mean that small plane, the one in which JFK Jr. was just killed? But that only has one engine!" Prof. Shinar: "Right, that's what we had in those days. The copilot would hold the bomb in his hand and throw it out the window. This was our Air Force. In any event, this officer came to me and said there weren't enough bombs. He said that they had an idea to use cases of empty beer bottles - because one of the purposes of bombs is not only to cause damage, but to cause noise so that they will be afraid, keep their heads down, and not see from where the bombs are coming. So the idea was to use these cases that would make a lot of noise when they crashed down. But, he said, there was one problem: beer-bottle cases don't shriek when they fall, as bombs do, and he asked if I could do something about it. I had had no experience in this, but I said I would try… In the end, we found some toy sirens, and we copied and enlarged them a bit, and within a day or two we had 20 of them. … I am still amazed now that the Arabs, in those first two weeks, didn't simply come into Tel Aviv and take it over. They were very incompetent, it's true, but we couldn't exactly rely on that. What this author wrote is irresponsible nonsense. He could have spoken to many people who were alive at the time, such as [former Techiyah Knesset Member] Prof. Yuval Ne'eman, who was working with the tactics team at the time…" THE TRUE MOTIVE RM: "What do you think is the motive of these people who are rewriting history?" Prof. Shinar: "Young professors who need to make a reputation for themselves write outrageous statements so they will get their names into the papers... But this professor is not at fault - it's the fault of Education Minister Yossi Sarid, who put these books into the schools! He's mis-using the schools for political purposes. Sarid has always fought for a different peace than that which Barak and Peres and Netanyahu have fought for, which is the only one acceptable to the majority of Israel. They wish to protect Israel's ability to defend itself, and not to give up. But Sarid knows that what prevents people from accepting his idea of peace is the memory of '48, so he wants to eradicate the memory. Those who were there at the time remember what happened, and he can't change that, but he can poison children in the schools and do it that way. This is a very old leftist idea, used by Hitler too, that people's idea of life is formed by history and their experience and that of their parents. Sarid wishes to change what people think by changing what they know of their history." RM: "This is clearly a very dangerous situation. People like you, who were there, must speak up." Prof. Shinar: "Yes, I will speak up, and contact my friends, and write... But it is truly up to Barak: Barak knows Sarid, and knows what he's doing, and if Barak does not stop him, then he is not fit to be a Prime Minister, and his coalition must not allow him to do this. [Ruth Matar thanked Prof. Shinar, and continued:] AN AMERICAN VOLUNTEER'S VIEW Our next guest is Col. Bill Lichtman, retired U.S. Air Force pilot who volunteered in Israel in 1948. What impressed me about Col. Lichtman is that he does not portray himself in a heroic mode, but simply says that when he was approached by the Israelis to help in their desperate fight, he said that he thought long and hard about it, because he was already tired of war and he knew that his trip to Israel might be a one-way trip - but he decided to do it anyway. Many of you listeners fell in love with this crusty old warrior the last time he was on our show… Col. Lichtman: "I would just like to make a quick comment first, if I may: I can't understand what drives these guys to try to rewrite history and compromise on the truth. Is it insecurity, Jewish self-hatred, guilt, hostility, or what? They never give a thought to what it will do to the children in the schools… OK, regarding the war itself: This guy simply doesn't know what he's talking about! We didn't have a military edge, or a military supply line. There was an arms embargo from the US. We got our arms in a very partisan manner, 'catch as catch can.' There were guys who walked around with suitcases with money, and they went wherever there were a couple of planes that they could get - Panama, Mexico, or wherever. The embargo from the U.S. was very strictly enforced. If you got caught smuggling a plane out of the U.S., you would have your passport taken away… Flying these WW2 planes to Israel from various corners of the world was very dangerous… The DC-3's that we had were usually used as cargo planes - we rigged them for war. We had bomb chuckers. An individual was roped to the bulkheads, and he would chuck the bombs out the door. Only after a while were they able to put regular bomb-releases under the wings..." Lichtman continued to describe the difficulties that Israel faced in procuring arms and putting together a fighting army while in the midst of waging its defensive war of independence. "In short, everything this new book says is not true, and it certainly was not as easy as he writes." RM: "Thanks for being with us, Col. Lichtman, but most of all, thanks for being with us in 1948 in our hour of need… You and the others must speak up." Col. Lichtman: "I do, and I write a lot, and I just want to say that this book is a terrible insult to myself and to my colleagues who fought at the time…" [Ruth Matar then read aloud several passages from the book written by Naveh.] One passage stated that the PLO was established after the 1967 war's conquest of the territories and their two million Palestinian inhabitants "which Israel refused to recognize as a national entity." This is of course part of the Big Lie, because the Palestine Liberation Organization was really founded in 1964 - what exactly were they trying to liberate at the time? The only "territories" at the time were the original State of Israel - and that's what the PLO was trying to liberate! In addition, Naveh gives the students the standard left-wing empathy exercises: "Pretend you are an Egyptian soldier writing to his family from an Israeli prison," and "Pretend you are a woman refugee in a Gazan refugee camp conquered by Israel." It's very significant that in this whole empathy exercise, nowhere are the students asked to pretend to be an Israeli soldier writing home about how exalted he feels taking part in the return to our Biblical lands that G-d has promised us in our Bible. This, Naveh does not ask! WHAT TO DO Fellow Jews in Israel and the Diaspora! This is your problem as well! 60% of Israel's students in the public school system will be indoctrinated with these post-Zionist lies - and then if they don't regurgitate these lies on their final exams and their Bagrut matriculation examinations, they will receive failing grades! School must be a place not only to learn facts, but also to be indoctrinated with a love for one's country and a spirit of Zionism! A new generation could G-d forbid arise that doesn't understand why they must defend Eretz Yisrael! Why should they, if they have been taught that it does not rightly belong to them! This is not a small problem. The Jewish state is being destroyed from within by the brainwashing of our children. You can stop this madness by calling or faxing Prime Minister Barak and making him aware of what the Education Ministry is doing. His fax number is (972-2) 566-4838, and his phone number is (972-3) 670-5510. It is crucial that we raise our voice on this matter! * * * * * * * Ruth Matar is co-chairperson of the Women in Green organization, and hosts a weekly show on Arutz-7.
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Jerusalem, August 30, 1999

First You Murdered Us and Then You Took Our Inheritance
This Wednesday, September 1st at 4:00 pm in the Avraham Avinu quarter the Hevron Jewish community is organizing a major demonstration against the dangerous opening of the shuk. The Women in Green will show solidarity with the residents of Hevron. The Hevron Jewish Community is arranging buses (with fee) at the following locations: Jerusalem - Binyanei Hauma at 3:00 pm Efrat - shopping center at 3:45 pm Alon Shvut - at entrance of the yishuv at 4:00 pm Bnei Brak- Rabbi Akiva street next to Dubak at 2:30 pm Rehovot - Herzl street corner Yaakov at 2:45 pm for more details: Hevron action committee 02-9965333 Nadia -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The following advertisement appeared today in major Israeli newspapers throughout Israel: THE WHOLESALE MARKET IN HEBRON IS LOCATED ON JEWISH LAND, STOLEN FROM US. IT IS OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE TO OUR SECURITY. HANDING OVER THIS LAND TO THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY IS: A REWARD FOR TERROR A CONTINUATION OF HISTORICAL INJUSTICE A GRAVE DANGER TO JEWS IN HEBRON The market was built on stolen Jewish land by Arabs following the massacre in 1929. Therefore, continued existence of the market is an inexcusable injustice. Use of the market today by Arabs is nothing less than "FIRST YOU MURDERED US AND THEN YOU INHERITED US!" The location of the market, in the heart of the Avraham Avinu neighborhood is a true security threat. The location of the market negates all logic. In addition to the security threats, it creates other major problems, such as health and cleanliness in the area. The location of the market negates any normal, logical city planning. In the past we demanded that the market be relocated to a more suitable location, thereby benefiting the cities Jewish residents, the venders and the buyers. We even offered to assist in its relocation. The persistence of the PA to keep the market at its current location stems only from their desire to maintain a provocation adjacent to the Jewish neighborhood. There is no other reason for their inflexibility. THE STATE OF ISRAEL FULFILLED ITS PAINFUL ROLE AS DECREED BY THE HEBRON ACCORDS. AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY OF THE CITY WAS TRANSFERRED TO THE PALESTINIANS. THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY REFUSES TO FULFILL ITS OBLIGATIONS AND CONTINUES TO VIOLATE THE ACCORDS DAILY. A security buffer zone is non-existent. There is no ongoing action against the Arab terror base in Hebron. Murderous terror continues throughout Judea, Samaria and Gazza. Hebron suffered two murderous attacks in the space of a year. Only a few weeks ago two Jews were shot at and wounded in Hebron. In spite of these facts, the Barak administration has granted the PA the reopening of King David Street (Shuhada) in Hebron and is now planning an additional reward for their continuing terror: the transfer of the market to the PA and its reopening as a wholesale market. WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT REWARDING TERROR? WHY DOES THE GOVERNMENT AGREE TO CONTINUED CONCESSIONS DESPITE THE TOTAL VIOLATION OF THE ACCORDS BY THE PA? WHY IS THE GOVERNMENT PLANNING ON TRANSFERRING AN IMPORTANT AND LARGE PIECE OF JEWISH LAND TO THE ENEMY? WHY IS IT IMPOSSIBLE TO RELOCATE THE MARKET AND RETURN THIS STOLEN LAND TO ITS RIGHTFUL OWNERS? THE YESHA COUNCIL THE JEWISH COMMUNITY OF HEBRON (To assist in funding this newspaper advertisement please call 972-2-996-5333 or email hebron@hebron.org.il) ******************************************************** Jerusalem, August 30, 1999
Burger King Demonstration
The Moledet youth, Women in Green and others are demonstrating against Burger King on Tuesday afternoon at 3:00 pm at 3 locations: 1) Burger King Jerusalem (Ben Yehuda street) 2) Burger King Ma'aleh Adumim 3) Burger King Natanya Come with your children and make some original placards in English mainly . Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, August 31, 1999

UPDATE ON THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE "NEW HISTORIANS"
Women in Green has been spreading the word about the new anti-Zionist history books that Israeli schoolchildren are asked to purchase. We are mainly focusing on the book by Eyal Naveh, "The Twentieth Century" that is the most extreme in its anti-Zionism. Having read the book entirely, I can testify that it is horrendous. Sending faxes of protest to Ehud Barak is a good beginning but it is not enough, so over the past 2 weeks we have been sending (by mail) copies of specific parts of the book to tens of professors, educators, public figures,lawyers, Knesset members, authors, poets, singers, journalists etc. In the package we included a petition calling upon parents and teachers not to buy the book and asking those people to sign that petition. Our goal is to print that petition in the newspapers (or at least in Ha'aretz - the only one we hopefully can afford). A copy of the petition follows . Our campaign is already bearing fruit: * Amnon Shomron received our information and wrote about it extensively in Makor Rishon this past Friday. * Elyakim Haetzni wrote an op-ed about it in today's Yediot Acharonot.(We will soon send you a translation of his article). * Chani Luz of Hatzofeh is preparing an article about it too. We have also asked the Education Ministry for a list of all the high schools in Israel and the names of their principals - it will take a week till we get it. Then we will send a personal note to each principal of every high school in Israel (over 1250 Jewish schools) telling him about the dangers of that book and urging him to get another history book for his school. We know it is late in the game and that most pupils already ordered their books...but so what...let them get others ! (By the way...in the NY Times article it said that those books are only meant for the non-religious schools...it is not true. We found out for instance that the yeshiva high school in Sussya (Southern Hebron) also asked their students to purchase it... and who knows how many other yeshivot did the same... You see, this history book is on the list of the Education Ministry and any principal can order it (obviously not knowing what kind of book he is getting for his pupils). The Women in Green will not let the extreme left brainwash our children. It is almost like kidnapping them and putting them against our will in some kind of sect....the sect of the "new historians". We call upon all parents and grandparents to check their children's and grandchildren's textbooks and to fight against any anti-Zionist propaganda...the same way we would fight if they would give our children textbooks denying the Holocaust. This campaign can only succeed with your active cooperation. Last but not least: we thank the New York Times for writing the article about Naveh's book, without which we may have never known about it. Nadia Matar co-Chair, Women in Green --------------------------------------------------------------------- TRANSLATION OF THE PETITION: We, the undersigned, appeal to teachers, school principals, and parents to oppose and not purchase the new history textbook by Dr. Eyal Naveh, "The Twentieth Century on the Threshold of Tomorrow - History for the 9th Grade". The book is written in a post-Zionist spirit that casts doubt upon the righteousness of Zionist history and the establishment of the State of Israel, to the extent of undermining our right to our land. The book rewrites our history, distorts facts, falsifies them, and asks of the pupil that he identify with the Arab side and with the justification of the terror that the enemy uses against us. For example: * The book falsifies the facts of the imbalance of forces in the War of Independence, and claims that "in almost every sector and in every battle the Jewish side had the advantage over the Arab one" (p. 143). * The PLO is described in the book (p. 162) as a political organization that was founded in the wake of the Six Day War (1967), while this terrorist organization, whose Covenant calls for the destruction of the Jewish entity and the State of Israel, was founded in 1964. Do not let your children, the citizens of the future, be held hostage by the "new historians." Do not purchase the textbook by Dr. Eyal Naveh. Presented as a service to the public by Women for Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green). POB 7352, Jerusalem tel: (02)624-9887 fax: (02)624-5380 --------------------------------- To help fund the printing of this petition in the press, please send donations to: Women in Green, POB 7352, Jerusalem
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