September 2002
September 5, 2002 The Controversy Surrounding the Chief Rabbi of England
September 6, 2002 Welcome to the First Grade
September 11, 2002 Morality in the Israeli Defense Forces
September 22, 2002 Temple Mount Outrage
September 26, 2002 The Land of Israel Belongs to the People of Israel
September 30, 2002 Memorial for Gandhi
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Jerusalem, September 5, 2002
The Controversy Surrounding the Chief Rabbi of England
(Ruth Matar's Radio Program, Arutz Sheva, September 4, 2002)
Ruth Matar interviews London Rabbi Alan Kimche,
and Jerusalem Rabbi Sholom Gold
In these dangerous times when we so desperately need the support of our
Jewish brethren in the Diaspora, when anti-Semitism and anti-Israel fervor
is growing by leaps and bounds, Jonathan Sachs, the Chief Rabbi of England,
decides to give an interview to The Guardian, a publication which is
well-known for its vitriolic antagonism toward Israel.
Why would Chief Rabbi Sachs specifically choose the anti-Israel Guardian for
his criticism of Israel? It is well-known that The Guardian gladly prints
any and all anti-Israeli views. And to be able to cite critical comments by
a Jew, especially one who is supposedly the leader of the Jewish community
of all of England, that certainly is a journalistic coup!
Rabbi Sachs' bizarre choice of messenger may possibly be explained by the
recent publication of his new book, The Dignity of Difference. He is
understandably seeking to promote this new book; as a matter of fact, The
Guardian has already started to serialize it. The question is who was Rabbi
Sachs addressing his remarks to? English Jewry? Israeli Jews? World Jewry?
Or maybe he was trying to impress the upper echelon and opinion makers of
British society, and did not intend this message primarily for a Jewish
audience?
Surely Rabbi Sachs understands that he is playing a dangerous game by giving
this interview to The Guardian; surely Rabbi Sachs is aware that double
standards against Jews and Israel are commonplace in Britain. I remember
speaking about this double standard on a previous radio program, my program
of June 19, 2002, to be exact.
There had just been another horrendous suicide attack in Jerusalem, and I
was discussing the reaction thereto of various public figures. Cherie
Blair, wife of British Prime Minister Toni Blair, claimed that Palestinian
terrorism against Israel is a symptom of despair. "As long as young people
feel that they have no hope but to blow themselves up, you are never going
to make progress," said Cherie Blair, who appeared with Jordan's Queen
Rania, at a charity appeal for Medical Aid for Palestinians. No such
compassion was shown to the Jewish victims of this suicide bombing.
Foreign ambassadors to London can publish poetry praising a suicide bomber,
can give lectures in which Israeli soldiers are described as being worse
than Nazis, and can attend cocktail parties where they describe Israel as a
"shitty" little country; but any criticism of European funding for
Palestinian terrorist organizations is not allowed.
When British academics sign on in great numbers to a unilateral declaration
to implement a boycott against Israeli academics, this is thought to be
merely a gesture of support for Palestinian universities. But when the
Arabs bomb the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, killing nine people, five of
them Americans, these academics all of a sudden are like the three monkeys:
hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil.
No surprise then that The Guardian's interview with Rabbi Sachs includes
substantial criticism only of Israeli policy, and no examination whatsoever
of the Arab backing of the terror campaign against Israel by Arafat's
Palestinian Authority and the Islamic leadership of countries surrounding
Israel.
Now, this is interesting: Rabbi Sachs reveals that he had secretly met with
a variety of radical Muslims, including Ayatollah Abdullah Javadi-Amoli, one
of Iran's highest ranking clerics, and would not rule out meeting Abu Hamza,
the Sheikh of Finsbury Park in North London, a Taliban sympathizer who
admits to sharing the views of Osama bin Laden. If these meetings were to
promote goodwill between Jews and Arabs, why all the secrecy, and why had
they not been disclosed until now? Also, how come he has time to meet with
all these radical Muslims, but has no time for Jews who beseech him for
help. I'm going to quote from a letter to the editor of the Jerusalem Post
written by Yona Baumel, whose son has been missing in action in Lebanon
since 1982.
Sir—I remember visiting Jonathan Sachs several years ago on behalf of the
IDF soldiers missing in action. At the time the MIA's included not only my
son Zecharia, but Manchester-born Yossi Fink. During the five minutes the
Chief Rabbi was able to spare for us, he looked at his watch continuously,
despite the fact that the meeting had been pre-scheduled by the Jewish Board
of Deputies. He did nothing for the MIAs.
A better title for Sach's new book would be the Indignity of Indifference.
Yona Baumel, Jerusalem
You are probably getting impatient with me. "Why doesn't she tell us already
what Chief Rabbi Sachs said to The Guardian?"
So here goes: Rabbi Sachs said in his interview with The Guardian that
Israel's response to the Palestinian issue is "incompatible" with the ideals
of Judaism and is "corrupting" Israeli culture. "I regard the current
situation as nothing less than tragic. It is forcing Israel into postures
that are incompatible in the long run with our deepest ideals."
Going one step further, Sachs spoke of "things that happen on a daily basis
which make me feel very uncomfortable as a Jew." In particular, he noted,
he was "profoundly shocked" by reports of smiling Israeli soldiers posing
for a photograph with the corpse of a slain Palestinian. He also asserted
that in 1967 he was "convinced that Israel had to give back all the land for
the sake of peace" and added that he does not renounce that view now.
Them are fighting words! To find out how other rabbis feel about Rabbi
Sachs' pronouncements, I have invited London Rabbi Alan Kimche, and
Jerusalem Rabbi Sholom Gold to join us for this discussion.
(You can find the entire interview at www.IsraelNationalNews.com)
Actually the views of Rabbi Sachs are similar to the views of some of our
Israeli leftists and their political representatives. But therein lies the
difference, Sachs is not an Israeli, and he's not here with us fighting this
war.
Diaspora Jewish leaders are not required or expected to blindly support the
Jewish State, or even to refrain from criticizing Israel. But they are
required not to endorse the gross double standards and false morality
applied by Israel's most bitter opponents.
For Sachs to lecture us about "our deepest ideals" is worse than insulting.
He focuses on one picture of a soldier seeming to smile as he stands next to
a dead terrorist body. But he does not speak about the tens of thousands in
the Arab world who celebrate in the streets when the innocent blood of
Jewish civilians is spilled by terrorists.
Finally, I want to quote from an excellent editorial in the Jerusalem Post
of August 29, 2002, entitled "Resign, Rabbi Sachs".
"By assailing Israel, Rabbi Sachs has done his fellow Jews a grave
disservice, sowing defeatism rather than deliverance. There is a fine line
between constructive criticism delivered in a conscientious manner and
ill-conceived censure whose main effect is to cheer our enemies and those of
the Jewish people everywhere. Wherever one might reasonably draw that line,
Sachs has crossed it by a wide margin. If Sachs is so embarrassed by the
spectacle of Jews defending themselves as best and as morally as they know
how that he cannot contain himself, that is his right, but he cannot at the
same time hold office as leader of an important Diaspora Jewish community."
Rabbi Sachs, the Jews in Israel are fighting a war of survival. We are
fighting for our freedom, the future of our children, and our very lives.
Whose side are you on, Rabbi Sachs?
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Jerusalem, September 6, 2002
Welcome to the First Grade
(The following is the translation into English of part of Nadia Matar's radio
show-September 2, 2002)
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon provided the public with the real reason for
Israel's descent into the Oslo disaster. In a speech that he delivered to the
first grade in the Ben Zvi School in Ramleh, on the occasion of the opening
of the school year, he said: "Israel is the only place in the Middle East, and
possibly in the world, in which the first word taught in school is 'shalom'
["peace" in Hebrew, but it also means "welcome" or "hello"] - 'Shalom
Kita Alef' ['Welcome to the First Grade']." His seems to be a fine and
moving thought. But there's a catch to it.
We all agree that it is good to teach Israeli children that "peace" s an exalted
value. The problem begins when the educational system - that is dominated by
the left, even when the right is in power - distorts the meaning of the word "peace"
for its political purposes, and keeps from our children information about the true
meaning of the word shalom that is to be found in the Jewish sources. And so the
word "peace" has become synonymous with total capitulation to the demands by
the enemy, for the handing over of regions of the homeland to the enemy, for waiving
the values of Judaism. Israeli children who study in the State educational system sing
ad nauseum "Shir ha-Shalom" [the "Song of Peace"], and at times are even exposed
to the verse "Oseh shalom b'mromav - May the One who makes peace in the heights
make peace for us, and for all Israel. Now say: Amen" - but they do not learn the warnings
by our prophets against a false peace.
Who in the State educational system has learned of the admonition by Jeremiah
(6:14): "They offer healing offhand for the wounds of My people, saying, 'Peace, peace,'
when there is no peace"? There, and in other passages, the prophet Jeremiah warns the
people of Israel against false leaders and prophets who delude the people that
there will be peace, and lull the public with false promises that, even if the situation
seems difficult, there is no need to worry, the evil will not come(sounds familiar and
up to date?). The prophet Ezekiel also warns us time and again: "the prophets of
Israel who prophesy about Jerusalem and see a vision of shalom when there is no shalom" (13:16).
But most Israeli schoolchildren do not receive this important information from our
sources. Their minds are poisoned by the lies and false hopes that the leftists
drum into them from the first to the twelfth grades, through very "special" politicized
textbooks. Dr. Yoram Hazony, the President of the Shalem Center, has been
warning for years against the quiet de-Judaizing revolution that is underway in Israeli
schools and universities. We all recall the uproar about two years ago regarding a
new ninth grade history book that was written in a post-Zionist and anti-Jewish spirit.
The problem, however, is not any specific book.
As Hazony explains, in an article that appeared in the New Republic about two years
ago ("Who Removed Zionism from Israel's Textbooks ?"), the real problem is those
academics who decide about the curriculum of the educational system. People such
as Israel Bartel and the historian Moshe Zimmermann admit in interviews with them
that they brought about a revision in the entire educational system. According to them,
it was necessary to give new meaning to Jewish history, and to downplay its value and importance!!
The fact that these anti-Jewish individuals continued to be active, even
when the right was in power, is an unforgivable crime. Because of them,
the emphasis in Israel in recent decades has been on universal history,
and not on Jewish history. The study of the Jewish people, of Jewish
culture, and of the State of Israel appears in the curriculum, but only in
marginal chapters, in a sea of chapters on Greek, African, Brazilian, and
American culture, and who known what else.
The Israeli-Arab conflict, as well, is explained in the history
books from a "universal" perspective, so that the Israeli pupil does not
identify with the Zionist pioneers who established the State of Israel, but
- at best - feels neutral towards the subject, and - at worst - because he
did not receive the proper tools and the information concerning the
special bond of the people of Israel with Eretz Israel, identifies
specifically with the Arab side.
And so, because of the distortion of the meaning of the word
"peace" and all that this implies, a new generation has grown up in Israel
in the past twenty years, one that has undergone brainwashing, one that
received a spoilt education that undermines the basic principles of
Judaism, and our right to our land.
This is the generation that allowed its leaders to sign the cursed Oslo
accords.
Let us not deceive ourselves: even those who received a
Zionist State-Religious education have been adversely influenced by the
entire Oslo atmosphere that polluted our air in the last decade, not only
in the textbooks, but also in the state media. How many young people
who belong to the national camp are really capable of debating with
"Peace Now" people and win the debate by refuting all of their lying
slogans? Have our young people, who complete the twelfth grade and
enter the world at large, received the tools and the information to reject
the incorrect claims that are disseminated in the media, in the university,
in the army, and everywhere else, such as: "According to international
law, the presence of Israelis in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza is a violation of
international law"? Or another widespread lie: "The settlements in Judea,
Samaria, and Gaza are situated on occupied Arab land." Or, who knows
that the slogan "The Jewish people never had any historical connection
to the Gaza district" is a total falsehood? How many of our young people
are capable of facing a leftist and, based on clear and accurate
information, convincing him that the word "Israeli occupation" is total
nonsense and that in fact the opposite is true: it is the Arabs who
occupy our Jewish land!
Or that the concept "Jewish state" is not a "racist" concept, as the
extreme left claims?
In the past two years, the two years of the bloody Oslo War,
the Jewish people has sobered up and understood that the education
that it received was warped education for a false peace. The Education
Minister, Limor Livnat, announced the introduction of a curriculum that
will impart more Jewish heritage, more Zionism, and more Judaism to our
children, but it will take many years until this moderate program will have
an effect, if at all.
What is needed now is renewed and expedited education that will correct the
educational distortion that was committed, and that will
give our young people the tools to face the many challenges,
with strength and vigor. Already this year, we can, and must, begin to initiate
classes with the participation of both parents and their children, beginning from
the ninth grade and up, in which they will make up the material that they never
received: Bible, Jewish history, Zionist history, our right to Eretz Israel, refuting
the lies of our enemies - the list goes on and on.
Gandhi (Rehavam Ze'evi),HY"D, always recalled to us the verse:
"May the Lord grant strength to His people, may the Lord bestow on His
people shalom" (Psalms 29:11). First we must see strength and vigor, and
then and only then shalom will come. Only if we give our children a more
Jewish education, will, with God's help, a new generation grow up in
Israel, with greater strength. A generation that will no longer fall into the
trap of a false peace.
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Jerusalem, September 11, 2002
Morality in the Israeli Defense Forces
(Ruth Matar's Radio Program, Arutz Sheva,
September 11, 2002)
The United States is on high alert today as it marks
9/11. The Bush Administration elevated the terror
alert warning to its second highest level yesterday-code
orange-signaling that a terrorist attack may likely be
planned against a United States target to coincide with
the September 11 anniversary. Some areas have even been
designated as code red.
At the same time, about two thousand Palestinians
demonstrated in Gaza City yesterday to express
support for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, as
rally organizers distributed checks from him to
the families of Palestinians killed in clashes
with the Israeli Defense Forces. Also, Saddam Hussein
has increased money for the relatives of suicide bombers
from $10,000 to $25,000. This celebration was in spite
of the Palestinian Authority issuing orders that there
should not be any public celebration marking September
11. Palestinian journalists say they have been warned
against reporting or photographing any such expressions
of joy. They were told they would be arrested and put
on trial if they defied these instructions. Last year,
Palestinian Authority Security Forces forcibly confiscated
tapes from cameramen who covered the widespread celebrations
in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip immediately after the
September 11 attacks.
In addition, a 32-page booklet by a young Muslim preacher
from Jerusalem, predicting the end of the United States
by 2004, is a runaway best seller among Arabs. The
booklet and a similar videotape are a great embarrassment
to the Palestinian Authority.
The author, Abu Arafeh, says that his study was conducted
following the attacks in Washington DC and New York.
The booklet is entitled "The Koran Anticipates the Destruction
of the United States and the Sinking of the American Army".
Bin Laden is compared to Moses. Abu Arafeh explains that he
found many "striking similarities between the US
Administration and the corrupt Pharaoh who oppressed the
believers and enslaved them". "We are now facing Pharaoh II,"
Abu Arafeh concludes. "We are facing Bush II who is just like
Rameses II."
Despite the fact that the Palestinians again joyously
celebrate the September 11 attacks, the United States
does not seem to comprehend that the Arabs hate not only
Israel, but even more, the Great Satan America.
In today's Jerusalem Post, there is an article by Moshe
Shamir, a prominent Israeli author, entitled "Don't
Sacrifice Israel in this War". I'm quoting from this article:
"Whether wittingly or unwittingly, every time President Bush
speaks of a Palestinian state without mentioning that such a
state will be the end of the State of Israel, he is endangering
our lives and his ability to successfully wage this war."
We can only pray that President Bush will come to realize the
truth of the analysis of the author Moshe Shamir.
Surprisingly, the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, Jonathan Sacks,
also promotes a Palestinian state and is willing to give away
the Biblical heartlands of Judea and Samaria to the enemy for
"peace".
Because of such pronouncements by Rabbi Sacks, last week's
radio program "The Controversy Surrounding the Chief Rabbi
of Great Britain" evoked much interest and great passion.
Here are just a few comments from our audience:
"It is all political platitudes rather than religious thinking."
(Yisrael and Batya Medad, Shilo, Israel)
"Rabbi Sacks fans the flames of hatred against the Jewish State."
(Rabbi Sholom Gold, Jerusalem )
"Israel is fighting for its very existence and to be undermined
by a Rabbi is truly a tragedy. Spiritual leaders like Rabbi
Sacks do more harm than good to Israel and the US through
appeasement and undermine the war on terrorism. It is sad
when we cannot depend on spiritual leaders who are naive
and deceived in their effort to show tolerance."
(Rodney Jackson, Christian Zionist, Arkansas, USA)
"Can you deny that your remarks will provide grist for
the mills of anti-Semites who will undoubtedly quote
your moral strictures against Israel with relish?
What is the purpose of it all? To remonstrate with
the Jewish community that we are "corrupting" ourselves?
They hear that every day in the media. Was it to
distance Anglo Jewry from the Jewish state in the eyes
of Britons so that they may be perceived as different
and less fanatical than their Israeli kinsmen?
Chief Rabbi, for all your intelligence and originality,
your interview was badly timed, unleashed dark forces,
and will be thoroughly exploited by those who seek to
harm or delegitimize the Jewish state."
(Isi Leibler, Senior Vice President of the World Jewish
Congress,)
There was one particular letter which incorporated virtually
all the points made by our correspondents, an open letter
to Dr. Sacks by Robert Miller. I am going to read this
letter in its entirety.
Dr. Sacks:
You recently interviewed with a notoriously anti-Israel
newspaper, The Guardian, for the purpose of promoting
your new book. I consider your remarks and the interview
itself to be disgraceful and highly inappropriate, particularly
in the context of your position of Chief Rabbi of Great Britain.
For you to accuse Israel of 'behavior incompatible with Jewish
values' at a time when Israel is under attack by the forces of
militant Islam bent on her total destruction is not only an exercise
in blaming the victim but a contribution to those who wish to destroy
Israel.
You mention your shock over 'reports' of photographs of a couple
of Israeli soldiers smiling over the corpses of a couple of
dead terrorists. Even if this is true, I fail to see the
relevance. Have you seen the numerous photographs of the
Palestinians en masse celebrating the murder of Israeli women
and children? Can you honestly blame Israeli soldiers for
showing relief at the destruction of one of these murderers?
It is not Israel who initiated the violence in the Middle East,
nor are the Israelis responsible for its continuation. If the
Palestinians had the power, they would cheerfully murder every
Jew in Israel down to the last infant. The Israelis, on the
other hand, have the power to decimate the Palestinian population
and have not used it, even in the face of a murderous assault
on Israel's women and children. This small fact in itself
should open your eyes as to who is taking the morally superior
position.
As for your remarks about 'giving back all the land', they
are highly indicative of the nature of your thinking and of
your anxiousness to be a 'good Jew' and attempt to appease
those who would destroy the Jewish people. You know (or at
least you should) better than anyone that the vast majority
of the land Israelis now live on in Judea and Samaria,
including East Jerusalem, was either vacant or legally
owned by Jews and purchased by the Jewish National Fund
and only became 'Arab' after the Jordanians committed
ethnic cleansing against the Jewish population there in
1948. And even without dealing with the moral and historical
injustice of giving these areas back to the Arabs, can you
really permit yourself to believe that merely returning a
bit of land to people sworn to your destruction, who equate
Jews with Satan, will buy Israel survival? That's roughly
as sensible as believing that a school of sharks will allow
you to swim peaceably after you cut your arm off and throw
it to them. In any event, the Israelis attempted that
very thing and were answered with violence and death.
Lastly, it is abominable that you would sit down and
attempt to 'dialogue' with Islamic terrorists and
their supporters in Britain and elsewhere who look
with favor on the murder of Jews and the destruction
of the Jewish people. To recognize these people as
equals and treat their hateful beliefs as somehow
legitimate and worthy of discussion.... that is
incompatible with Jewish values, as far as I am
concerned.
You are entitled as a private person to your beliefs,
however misguided and erroneous. As Chief Rabbi and
a leader of the Jewish population in the United Kingdom
you are charged with the responsibility of leading and
defending a beleaguered Jewish population at a time when
Jew hatred is rife in Great Britain and in Europe.
In this you have failed utterly.
You have betrayed your people at a time when they most
needed your leadership and guidance.
Sincerely,
Robert Miller
What most upset me, personally, was that Rabbi Sacks
told The Guardian that events in Israel "on a daily
basis" made him feel "very uncomfortable as a Jew".
Rabbi Sacks bases his whole thesis on the immorality
of the Israeli Defense Forces on a report of a photograph
of Israeli soldiers smiling alongside the corpse of a Palestinian.
I have no doubt that events "on a daily basis" make Rabbi
Sacks "feel very uncomfortable as a Jew", especially as
a Jew living in Great Britain. Just last Monday, September
9, 2002, there was an article in the Jerusalem Post, headlined:
BBC SLAMMED FOR FOR ANTI-JEWISH BROADCAST
"The Board of Deputies, the representative body of British
Jewry, last week complained to the BBC over the 'violently
anti-Israel and anti-Jewish language' contained in a poetry
broadcast on the BBC Radio Program. In the poems the actions
of the Israelis were likened to those of the Nazis, and victims
of the Holocaust are asked why they 'have not learnt their lesson?'
Also, the British Zionist Federation has expressed 'increasing
concern' on the positions adopted on Israel by the University
and College Lecturers Union. The National Executive Council
of the Union recently advocated cutting academic links with
Israel. A statement made by the Union declared that it is
difficult to escape the conclusion that Israel has been the
main aggressor in respect of the Palestinian population and
described the West Bank and Gaza as 'open air prisons'."
Yes, Rabbi Sacks, I would think that things which happen "on
a daily basis" in Great Britain should make you "feel very
uncomfortable as a Jew". As the Chief Rabbi of Great Britain,
you should really discuss your discomfort with anti-Semitic
attitudes increasingly voiced in Great Britain with The Guardian.
Or, is it only Israel which makes you feel "uncomfortable as a Jew"?
But please, Rabbi Sacks, don't slander the Israeli soldiers,
our sons, who sacrifice years of their youth, and sometimes
even their lives, in defense of their families and their homeland.
Many of our soldiers lie in graves because they thought to
minimize civilian casualties and refrained from using the
awesome military power at their disposal.
One of these soldiers was a young Jew, Alex Singer, a true
hero in Israel, who was killed in action in defense of his
homeland. He was killed on his 25th birthday when he
courageously chose to come to the aid of his wounded platoon commander.
The spirit of Alex Singer, an American immigrant to Israel,
continues to live on in our memory, because his family
decided to share hundreds of pages of his writings, which
include personal letters to his family. The title of the
book which tells his story is ALEX: Building A Life, the
Story of an American Who Fell Defending Israel.
It is an honor to have as our guest tonight Saul Singer,
the Editorial Page Editor of the Jerusalem Post, who is
the brother of the late Alex Singer.
(The complete interview with Mr. Saul Singer can be
accessed at: http://israelnationalnews.com/metafiles/asx/wig.asx )
This has been a very emotional program for me. Our oldest
grandson is about to enter the Israeli Defense Forces, and I
certainly want him to read this book. Alex shares his tales of
courage, and strength and confidence about himself and about
Israel, but he also confides his doubts, fears and pains.
Anyone who is concerned about Israel, about education, about
aliyah, about Judaism, and above all about the morality of
the Israeli Defense Forces, will benefit by reading this book.
It is easily one of the most moving books I have ever read.
You can order ALEX: Building a Life
Directly from www.alexsinger.org
Or from Gefen Publishing House
Israel: fax: 972-2-538-8423 e-mail: orders@gefenpublishing.com
USA: fax: 516-295-2739 e-mail: gefenbooks@compuserve.com
Or from www.Amazon.com
Or in Israel from Steimatzky.
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Jerusalem, September 19, 2002
Temple Mount Outrage
[Ruth Matar's Women in Green Radio Program
Arutz Sheva, September 18, 2002]
Last Monday, Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, Jews all over
the world fasted and prayed for forgiveness. The special prayer
book for Yom Kippur repeatedly makes reference to our longing
to rebuild the Holy Temple on the Mountain of G-d.
What happened since the glorious days of the Six-Day War in
1967, is indeed a tragic story. According to the Head of the Temple
Mount Faithful, Gershon Solomon, who was one of the soldiers who
liberated the Mount, one of the happiest moments of his whole life
was when he heard his division commander, Motta Gur, shout: "The
Temple Mount is in our hands!" And on the fourth day of the war, for
twelve glorious hours, the Israeli flag waved proudly over the Temple
Mount as confirmation of the miracle just experienced by the Jewish
People.
But Defense Minister Moshe Dayan ordered the Israeli flag taken down.
He handed over the administration of the Temple Mount to the Arabs,
with the Jews retaining only nominal sovereignty over the site.
Extraordinary! In victory, we left our holiest place in the hands of our
enemies. Moshe Dayan's motivation is thought to have been that to
do otherwise would lead to unending strife with the entire, enormous
Muslim world.
Did Israel's generosity earn it goodwill from the Muslims? In no
way! Whereas in the beginning, the Arabs may not have fully
comprehended the generosity and/or stupidity of their Jewish conquerors,
they soon realized that the nominal Jewish sovereignty over the Temple
Mount could be abrogated by continual threats of violence. These threats
have increased during the last thirty-five years. Who says that terror
doesn't pay, or even just threats of violence? And slowly we lost control
even of the nominal sovereignty over the Temple Mount.
I feel a great sadness when I reread a very optimistic article in the
Jerusalem Post of June 28, 1967, entitled "Eshkol Tells Religious Leaders
of Free Access to Holy Places". (I hope you paid attention to the date:
June 28, 1967). I still have a crumbling copy of that newspaper issue which
I have managed to save for 35 years.
Prime Minister Eshkol spoke to the religious leaders assembled in his
office and told them that all Holy Places and places of worship in
Jerusalem would now be freely accessible to members of all faiths without
discrimination. The Mufti of the Arab Muslim community of Jerusalem
entreated Prime Minister Levi Eshkol to grant the Muslims some favors; that
they should have access to the Al Aksa Mosque all week and at all hours.
He said that when a Muslim dies, he must be brought to a Mosque for
prayers. The Mufti also asked that only police be permitted at Mosque
courtyards, and not Israeli soldiers. And, of course, Prime Minister
Eshkol granted all of the Mufti's requests.
Finally the Prime Minister spoke. He said, that out of the horrors of war,
declared to destroy Israel, had emerged hope and almost unlimited
possibilities for the development of the peoples of the region. Mr. Eshkol
spoke of the spirit of harmony and brotherhood "so necessary for a peaceful
settlement of Israel-Arab differences".
How naive these Jewish conquerors were! Did they not even have an inkling
of the depths of the Arab-Muslim hatred toward all infidels? The irony is
that when Eshkol promised the religious leaders free access to Holy Places,
he could not have envisioned that in the year 2002--only 35 years
later--neither Jews nor Christians are allowed to set foot on the Temple Mount.
The situation has worsened year by year. The Muslims, in order to achieve
their goals, either threatened to riot, or actually engaged in violence,
such as throwing stones on the Jews praying below at the Western Wall. The
situation deteriorated even more when Ehud Barak became Prime Minister. He
permitted the Muslims to build an additional Mosque in the so-called
Solomon's Stables. (By the way, I want to point out that Solomon's Stables
is a misnomer. This was actually a prayer hall at the time of the Second
Temple.)
Ehud Barak completely ignored that the Muslims illegally brought in
bulldozers and heavy equipment on the Temple Mount. In the past, I have
interviewed prominent archeologists in this regard. A number of
archeologists tried to alert the public to Barak's complete
irresponsibility in ignoring the desecration and destruction by the Arabs
of all evidence of Jewish history.
As these archeologists predicted, we are now experiencing the consequences
of faulty political decisions. Many of us believe that these are the
consequences, as well, of our allowing the desecration of G-d's Holy
Mountain.
After years of completely ignoring the Muslim Wakf's illegal and
unsupervised construction on the Jewish People's holiest site, the Israeli
government now finds itself in a quandary. A ten-meter-wide bulge in the
southern wall has emerged, and archeologists are warning that it could
disintegrate into a heap of rubble at any moment. Archeologist Dr. Eilat
Mazar says that the question now is not if the wall will cave in, but
"whether the wall will collapse on thousands of Arab worshippers, or if it
will happen in a controlled manner."
Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert said: "There are serious grounds for the
concern that it could collapse."
To quote the Jerusalem Post editorial of August 28, 2002, entitled
"Mounting Irresponsibility":
"It is therefore nothing less than scandalous that Sharon and Internal
Security Minister Uzi Landau, who oversees the police, would allow the
Wakf to continue to thumb its nose at the law in open defiance of the state
and its institutions. Though this studied indifference has typified successive
Israeli governments of both the Left and the Right, that is hardly a
convincing excuse to permit such lawlessness to continue.
The Wakf needs to be held accountable for its actions on the Temple Mount,
and it is time for Israel to finally assert its full sovereignty over the
area. It can start doing so by putting an immediate end to all Wakf
construction on the site. Teams of engineers and archeologists should be
dispatched immediately to determine how best to prevent a catastrophic
total collapse of the southern wall of the Mount, and all measures
necessary to repair and refurbish it should be undertaken forthwith.
Failure to do so will not only send a message of Israeli weakness to the
Palestinian Authority, which controls the Muslim Wakf, but could very well
imperil the structural integrity of the site itself. Israel has thus far
refrained from taking action for fear of how the Muslim world would
react. But should the southern wall indeed collapse, it is not too
difficult to imagine just who the Arab states would decide to blame. The
time to act, therefore, is now, before it is too late."
Our guest tonight is journalist and commentator, Evelyn Gordon. She also
writes articles for the Jerusalem Post. (The complete interview with
Evelyn Gordon can be accessed at:
http://israelnationalnews.com/metafiles/asx/wig.asx )
Today's news is that an Arab in the Israeli town of Uhm el Faham blew
himself up prematurely while trying to board an Egged bus. Unfortunately,
an Israeli policeman was killed and three people were wounded.
Also, in today's paper we learn that the Quartet agreed on the formation of
a Palestinian state within our homeland by the year 2003. The Quartet is
made up of US Secretary of State Colin Powell, UN Secretary-General Kofi
Anan, European Union Representative Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig
Moller, and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.
The word "quartet" sounds like some kind of song and dance routine, but we,
the Israeli People, are not going to dance to their music.
As it is written in the Proverbs of King Solomon, chapter 19, verse 21:
"Many designs are in man's heart, but the council of G-d, only it will
prevail."
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*******************************************************
Jerusalem, September 26, 2002
The Land of Israel Belongs to the People of Israel
To Our Dear Friends and Supporters,
We have begun a new and exciting campaign in which we are sure you will want
to participate. The Oslo-ites in the past 10 years have done terrible
damage to the nation of Israel. The Israeli Left and Media have brainwashed
our youth and poisoned their minds. They told them that Israel has no right
to the Land of Israel, and that peace was only possible if the Jews first
gave large portions of their Promised Land to the Arabs.
Unfortunately, there are even many in the present Government who are
impressed by the Oslo mindset. There are few voices recognizing that we
must completely destroy the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Palestine
Liberation Organization (PLO) and all other supporters of terror, and instill
Jewish sovereignty over all of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. A large part of the
Jewish People love their Biblical homeland and Heritage. However, our
youth, because of the Leftist Media, have problems with such beliefs!
Women In Green are starting off our campaign to re-educate our youth with
the printing of banners in Hebrew which read:
Eretz Yisrael L'Am Yisrael
(The Land of Israel Belongs to the Jewish People)
We aim to have these banners placed on the balconies of private apartments
and homes throughout Israel. This was done successfully with regard to
Israel retaining the
Golan Heights some years ago, when signs on balconies all over Israel read:
The People of Israel are with the Golan. Now we are fighting to retain
possession of our Biblical Homeland.
The banners are 120 cm by 80 cm. They are made of strong plastic (winter is
coming!) and have a reinforced hole at each corner. They are in blue and
white, as were the car stickers we widely distributed heretofore. We are
selling the banners at less than cost at 10 NIS shekels, and the nominal
cost of mailing them. The banners are simply beautiful. They convey a
message of optimism and faith in God, and our ancestral right to our
homeland. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO SPREAD THESE BANNERS THROUGHOUT ISRAEL.
Convince your friends, relatives and neighbors to place this banner on their
balcony as well!.
We are in need of volunteers to distribute these banners. For instance, if
you live in Rechovot, or Ashkelon, etc., we will deliver as many banners as
you can handle, and you can have your young people, or yourself along with
them, sell them from door to door.
To our Women In Green friends and supporters abroad, you can help as well.
We need your donations so that we can order the huge quantity of banners we
need, and to advertise our program in newspapers, and over radio and
television. Go to our Website (www.womeningreen.org) and safely send us
your credit card donation, or mail your check to us at P.O.B. 7352,
Jerusalem, 91072, Israel. Demonstrate concretely your faith in God's
Promise that the Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel.
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, September 30, 2002
Memorial for Gandhi
On Tuesday morning, October 8, 2002, Women In Green will
plant trees in memory of our dear friend the former Minister of Tourism,
Rehavam Zeevi (Gandhi) who was brutally murdered by Arab terrorists. (May
his blood be avenged!)
The ceremony will take place on Maaleh Har Hazetim (Ras
El Amud). After the planting, we will have a guided tour of the area,
starting with a visit at the overlook on Har Hazetim, which has been
dedicated in his memory.
A bus will be leaving the Inbal (formerly the LaRomme)Hotel
at 9:15 A.M. The approximate return to that hotel will be at 1 P.M. The
cost of the round trip by bus will be 30 NIS. Reservations are necessary as
there are limited seats on the bus. Call the Women In Green office
02-624-9887.
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