Friday, November 24, 1995

Earthquakes



THE JEWISH PEOPLE ARE BEING STRICKEN BY EARTHQUAKES.

It may seem to some that this is a fallacious
statement. After all, only the coast city of Eilat has
been badly hit, and there the damage has been mostly
material. One man died of a heart attack following the
first quake on Wednesday morning. The fact there their
wasn't greater loss of life is itself is a miracle.
However, in my humble opinion the earthquakes that
we have experienced this week did not actually commence
now. They began along time ago. Unfortunately, it seems
that we have been totally oblivious to the ground moving
under us.
You'll excuse me if I sound like I'm lecturing, but
what can you do? The truth is so apparent, and it has to
be said, loud and clear.
Let's go back a few years. In 1945 the Jewish
People left the gas chambers and crematoriums erected to
exterminate us. The remnants of Israel had almost no
where to go. Back to Europe was unthinkable. How could
people return to the same lands that had vomited them
into Hitler's death trap? And the only real home was off-
limits. The British, the landlords of Eretz Yisrael
declared the Holy Land our of bounds to Jews. But Jews
are a stubborn breed - they never give up, despite the
odds. Some chose North America or Western Europe, but
others forced themselves into Israel, the age-old home of
the Jewish People.
People who live through earth-shattering events
sometimes miss the historical perspective of what they
are actually doing. But looking back, we see the nations
of the world, the same peoples that participated in
attempts to wipe us off the face of the earth for 2,000
years, voting to allow us to return to Israel. The
ability of a people, two thousand years exiled from their
homeland, on the brink of physical annihilation, to not
only persevere and return to Israel, but also to wage a
war, not of independence, but of existence, is almost
beyond human belief. But we did it. The earth shook.
In 1956 we fought against Egyptian forces in the
Sinai and were victorious. In 1967, when it seemed that
the end had come, in six days were overcame enemy forces
on three fronts, simultaneously, liberated our eternal
capital and the heart of Israel, Judea and Samaria. In
six days! In 1973, being caught by a surprise attack
that could potentially have destroyed the Jewish State,
we blasted back and defeated the enemy, in a more
miraculous victory than that of 1967. In the Lebanon War
we felled over 100 enemy airplanes, losing only one, and
that was because of technical problems, not in a dog-
fight. Statistically this was an impossible feat. Yet
we did it. And the earth shook.
This morning I toured Hebron with some visitors from
New York. One of the women, as she heard the stories of
Hebron and saw with her own eyes the Jewish Community in
Hebron kept saying, "but I don't understand - WHY?" When
I speak of how Moshe Dayan gave the keys to Ma'arat
HaMachpela back to the Muslim Religious Trust, the Waqf,
when he lowered the Israeli flag on Temple Mount, when
Jews were forbidden to perform a Brit Mila in the Ma'ara
because of Muslim religious practices forbidding them to
drink alcohol, when today parts of the ancient Jewish
cemetery are slated to be given to Arafat, when we are
not allowed to visit the tomb of King David's chief of
staff, Avner ben Ner, when we have no access to the tomb
of Otniel ben Knaz, the first Judge, when the tomb of
Yishay, David's father is cut off from Jewish visitor's
because of Arab lies, claiming the site is a mosque, when
Jews cannot visit Ohel Yitzhak, the Isaac Hall inside
Ma'arat HaMachpela, when Jews aren't allowed to continue
development of the first Jewish city in Israel for no
logical reason, for no reason that makes any sense - WHY?
People ask me - WHY- and I have no answer. And the earth
shakes.
The Prime Minister of Israel, the leader and
representative of the entire Jewish People is shot down
in cold blood - by a fellow Jew. The entire country
mourns. But who remembers, when speaking of murder, of
Jew killing Jew, that this very Prime Minister was
probably the first Jew in 2,000 years who ordered, - yes
ordered - Jews to open fire on fellow Jews. That too was
murder -but the name Altelena is forgotten.
The present Prime Minister, quoted on Israeli radio,
spoke coldly and clinically of how Arabs will massacre
Jews in Judea and Samaria, thereby forcing them to
evacuate their homes . (The reporter who heard these
words from the mouth of Shimon Peres is not willing to
publicize his name for fear of being ostracized but he
stands behind the story.) And the earth shakes.
Last week the Israeli Supreme Court decided that
conversion to Judaism, even if not performed according to
Jewish Law, is valid. The same week the Israeli
government decided to bar Jews from entering Israel under
the Law of Return because of their political and
religious ideology. This week, on the day that the same
Shimon Peres who has forsaken Jewish blood stood before
Knesset Yisrael, to present his new government, the
people on whose shoulders the responsibility for the
Jewish People and the Land of Israel is deposited - on
that day - the Earth Quaked.
It's about time people opened their eyes and used
their minds, and started to act like Jews - real Jews.
Because I have a feeling that if that doesn't happen
soon, not only will the earth quake. The earth will quake
and quake and quake and open its mouth and start to
swallow people up. It happened once, to Korach. I hope


it doesn't happen again.

Wednesday, November 1, 1995

Eviction of the Forefathers from Hebron

Hebron-Past, Present and Forever
by David Wilder
Eviction of the Forefathers from Hebron
November 1, 1995


Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, after making a special
whirlwind trip to Hebron, ordered General Ilan Biran,
Commander of the Central Region, to immediately evict the
Patriarchs and Matriarchs from Hebron. His orders come
on the heels of Arafat's latest ultimatum.
Here is what happened: One week ago, Arafat called
Rabin on the emergency Red Line and demanded an emergency
meeting. Rabin agreed on the spot. The next morning
they met on the Israel- Azza border. Arafat, pale and
shaking, revealed the results of a secret poll,
predicting that in the scheduled election, he, Arafat,
would receive less than one-third of the Palestinian
vote. According to the poll, almost fifty percent of the
Palestinians asked said that they were going to vote for
Shimon Peres for President of Palestine. According to
secret intelligence information, Peres, realizing that he
will never again be elected Prime Minister of Israel, has
agreed to accept the job of Palestinian President. An
overwhelming clandestine write-in campaign, (including
special classes in "how to write") has been conducted
over the past month, and the polls revealed the extent of
Peres' popularity.
Arafat, pounding his gun on the table, foaming at
the mouth, accused Rabin of an Israel-US plot to remove
him from power. Rabin, who has grown increasing fond of
Arafat since the beginning of the peace negotiations, was
sincerely shocked, and, according to very inside sources,
actually got down on his knees and begged Arafat's
forgiveness. He disavowed all knowledge of the Peres
takeover plan, and promised to do all in his power to
thwart it.
But Arafat wasn't satisfied with this response.
"Action" he demanded, "immediate action!"
Rabin: "Yassi, What do you want me to do?"
Arafat: "You must do something breathtaking - something
that will make me shine before my people."
Rabin: "For instance?"
Arafat sat silently, frowning. Then, suddenly his face
brightened. "I've got it!, " and he proceeded to outline
his plan. Rabin, stonefaced, expressed his doubts.
Arafat, pointing his gun at Rabin, screamed: "Do it, or
else you may find me running for the Knesset in a few
months time."
Shaking his gun at Rabin, he stalked from the room.
Rabin petrified at the thought of Peres becoming
President of Palestine, or of Arafat running for
Knessest, began to cry. "Yes", he thought finally, "he's
right. Hebron. It's time I got to the roots of the
matter.
Entering his car, Rabin ordered his driver: "Take me
to Hebron!" "Hebron" stuttered the chauffeur, "Hebron?"
And away they went. Neglecting to tell anyone where
he was going, Rabin found himself subjected to two
security checks as he entered the Caves of Machpela.
"But I'm Prime Minister," he growled to soldiers who
searched him bodily when the security buzzer beeped.
"Right, and you're going to visit Abraham. Tell us about
it," prompted a soldier. "How did you know - that's a
State secret," Rabin hissed.
Once inside, he was forced to use his special Prime
Minister's Pass to prove that he really is Prime Minister
of Israel. Ordering everyone out of the building,
including the Arabs (who refused to leave until Rabin
showed them the letter he brought from Yassir) Rabin
entered the Yitzhak hall, folded his arms, and called out
three times: "Avraham, Yitzhak, Ya'akov: APPEAR!"
And then it happened. Seemingly out of nowhere,
three old men appeared. One of them, speaking in a
condescending tone opened the dialogue: "How dare you
use my name - such a disgrace. I demand you change your
name immediately - perhaps to Nimrod." Another old man
yelled out: "And your wife, using my wife's name - such
an insult. She must change it too. Perhaps Delilah
would be fitting." The third man, the eldest of them
finally spoke: "Boys, boys, ssh ssh. Give him a chance
to speak his piece - ah, excuse me, peace, ah, nu, what
do you want?"
Rabin shrank back, but finding his voice, spoke
clearly. "The time has finally come to stop all this
nonsense. You don't know how much trouble you've caused.
All of these claims that Hebron is a Jewish city stems
from your claims to this place. Once you're no longer
here, there is no claim to Hebron. The Jews will stop
coming here in droves, and Hebron will no longer be
called the roots of the Jewish People - a `Jewish city'.
OUT! OUT!"
"But how can you do this to us? We've been here so
long? What right do you have?"
"Aha, you think I'm stupid. You think I don't know
anything? Well, greatgrandpa, you always claimed that
you wanted these caves because you found here the tomb of
the first man - Adam - right? Well, you remember what
happened to him - he got thrown out too. And if He could
throw them out, then why can't I throw you out too?"
The three old men looked at each other, embarrassed,
no answer on their lips. Rabin grinned a wicked grin.
"Tomorrow, you will leave, together with your wives. And
if there is anyone else here we don't know about, them
too. You will be presented with an official order,
handed to you in person by General Biran himself,
expelling you from the Caves of Machpela. You will not
be allowed within the city limits of Hebron, so you'd
better find yourselves an alternative site to stay
comfortable for a while." And with that, Rabin walked
out.
The next day, at exactly 9:00 AM, General Biran
entered the 2,000 year-old structure, order in hand. He
found the Patriarchs and Matriarchs ready, baggage and
all. Handing them the order he said to them, "after me"
and they all marched together outside. General Biran
motioned to a driver, who brought over a jeep. "Where is
your destination," he asked them poetically? "Thanks,"
they answered, "but no thanks. We haven't been out for
quite some time. We'll just stroll around Eretz Yisrael
for a while, if you don't mind."
And with that, packages in hand, the three couples
went walking off.