The Morning After or The Day Before

Welcome to the New Era of Peace! Today only one Jew (a

Yeshiva student from Yeshivat Ateret Cohanim) was

seriously injured in the Old City in Jerusalem, stabbed

in the back by a peace-loving Arab who couldn't control

himself and only two firebombs were thrown into the

Avraham Avinu Neighborhood in Hebron.

---------------------------------------------------------

Yesterday afternoon, and into the evening, thousands

marched from the Caves of the Patriarchs to the Avraham

Avinu neighborhood in the heart of Hebron, expressing

their love for Eretz Yisrael and continued support for

the Jewish Community of Hebron.

Those of you who have had a chance to read the

paragraphs in the agreement concerning Hebron,which I

sent out last night, will notice that the Jewish Quarter

is called "the Old City." It is considereded to be a

reminant of the past - an anachronism. So, it seems,

according to some, Eretz Yisrael is an anachronism.

Minister Benyamin ben Eliezer exclaimed in joy: "the

signing effectively ends the dream of a greater Israel -

Eretz Yisrael HaShlema " .

Not only that - it seems that the enemy is greatly

admired - Shula told Kol Yisrael this morning that those

imprisoned for murdering Jews aren't really murderers -

they are freedom fighters who were following the orders

of their commanders, ie, government. Therefore they may

be released from jail - they simply are not criminals (as

opposed to Jews who killed Arabs - they can't be released

- they are criminals).

That's the way it is - the enemy has turned into the

brother and the brother has been turned into the enemy.

Everything has been turned upside down.

Some clarafications concerning some of the sections

dealing with Hebron:

In my opinion paragraph No 11 is the most dangerous - it

effectively opens the door to any action the government

deems necessary to maintain stability and security - NOT

OF THE JEWS - BUT OF THE AREA AND THE PEACE AGREEMENT!

The `tnuva road' is the main street in Hebron leading

from Ma'arat HaMachpela to the Avraham Avinu neighborhood

and then on to Beit Hadassah- it has been closed to Arab

traffic for the last year and a half.

The wholesale market, being transformed into a retail

market, borders the entrance to the Avraham Avinu

neighborhood - anyone entering or leaving that area must

go thru the market area - there is no "bypass" - Needless

to say, if this area is filled with Arabs, it will

greatly increase risks to the Jews in Hebron.

I've spend much of today going through the agreement

- it is really unbelieveable - `plainclothed arab

policeman - armed with pistols and rifles - with the

authority to stop anyone and ask for identity papers -'

- next week I'll print some choice selections.

In any case, on Sunday Ma'arat HaMachpela will be

opened including Ohel Yitzhak, which is usually only open

to the Arabs - as it will be on Yom Kippur and on Tuesday

and Wednesday of Chol HaMoed Succot - This morning there

were over 40 buses of people at the Ma'ara -

At the demonstration-rally in Hebron yesterday a

number of people spoke - but more than the words said -

the atmosphere was so very impressive - upbeat, in spite

of everything - We realize that it's not going to be easy

- but as much as Rabin, Peres and Arafat think it's all

over - we know that it's just beginning - and are

preparing accordingly.

There are those who woke up this morning thinking-

this is the morning after the "great event" - but there

are others who see today as the day before - not the end,

rather the beginning...

Tomorrow we read from the book of Hosea - "Return

Israel to the L-rd your G-d" - When we do look back, it is

not to the events of yesterday, rather it is

to our roots - to the source of our strength, to the source

of our rights, privileges and obligations in Israel.

The Shabbat between RoshHaShana and Yom Kippur

is Shabbat Shuva - the Shabbat of

Return - We have returned and we are staying - Pray with

us that all Israel should return - return in body and in

spirit. Then look forward.

Shabbat Shalom.

Signing

Hebron - 3:30 PM Israel time

I am sitting in the Hebron settlers gift shop -

underneath Ma'arat HaMachpela. In an hour a major

demonstration is scheduled to begin here in Hebron. In

another two and a half hours Rabin and Arafat are

supposed to be affixing their signatures to a document

betraying Eretz Yisrael and the Jewish People.

People continually ask how we feel, and how they can

help. We, of course, aren't happy with what's happening.

Things could be better. But, we have not, in any way

shape or form, given up. Far from it. Thankfully,

thousands of people from all over the world are behind

us, supporting the continued Jewish Community of Hebron,

supporting Jewish prayer and presence at Ma'arat

HaMachpela - The Caves of the Patriarchs. People arrive

in Hebron daily, visiting, praying, showing support.

This morning I spent a few hours touring with a couple

from NYC who wanted to see the city of the Patriarchs

before returning to the US.

But, if you really want to know how to help - to

tell the truth, I've debated with myself whether to write

this or not - and if I want to be honest with myself, I

have no choice. I expect that it's not necessarily

popular to say what I say, but I'm not running a

popularity contest. For Hebron doesn't belong to me, or

to any of the people or families that live here, or in

Kiryat Arba - or in the entire Hebron region. Hebron

belongs to the entire Jewish people, throughout all the

generations - people who dreamed of Hebron as they

dreamed of Jerusalem - but for them it was only a dream -

because the reality was so far from Eretz Yisrael that

even dreaming seem far-fetched. Hebron belongs to you,

and to your children, and to your grandchildren, and

great-grandchildren - Jews who deserve the privilege to

pray at the tombs of the Patriarchs no less than myself

or yourselves. And what are we going to say to them if,

G-d forbid, they won't be able to, because it is held in

foreign hands, - and not because they conquered it in a

war, but because a Jewish government GAVE IT AWAY?! What

will we say to children and grandchildren who ask us:

"But why did it happen? Why did they do it? WHAT DID YOU

DO TO TRY AND PREVENT IT?"

WHAT WILL YOU SAY? In my opinion, anyone who

today really wants to save Eretz Yisrael MUST BE HERE -

IN ERETZ YISRAEL, NOW. Israel, not just Hebron belongs

to you too. The only way to do anything is to be here -

now. It's not a case of "pikuach nefesh" - the

"watching of a soul", rather it is a case of "hatzalat

nefesh" - "the saving of a soul" - saving the soul of

the Jewish People - the saving of Eretz Yisrael. When, G-

d forbid, one receives notification that a dear relative

is critically ill, one drops everything that he is doing

and rushes to the hospital. Why? There are doctors and

nurses, and there really isn't too much we can do - but

we feel it's the least we can do, so we go. If that is

the case with an individual, what about the nation, the

soul of the Jewish People? For 2,000 years we prayed and

died just saying "next year in Jerusalem" and now what

of Jerusalem? Don't be fooled - Hebron and Jerusalem are

one. One cannot exist without the other. If we lose

Hebron, Jerusalem is next - and what is Eretz Yisrael

without the heart - especially if we hand it over to our

enemies on a silver platter?

So, I say to you, from Hebron, from the home of

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rivka and Lea- home of

David HaMelech - if you really care - not just

emotionally, not as a feeling, but REALLY CARE, you have

to be here - now! If you are here you can influence, you

can fill up all the empty apartments in all of Judea and

Samaria - you can volunteer to patrol in Hebron or in

other cities in Yesha - you can voice your opinion - you

can vote. YOU CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

So, I say it again - if you really care about Eretz

Yisrael, come here now. That is the eternal answer to

Rabin, Peres and Arafat. They are trying to throw us out

- we have to to the opposite.

For sure, we will stay here in any case, and in the

end will be victorious - but the victory should be a joint one,

of all the people of Israel - you and us together.

IF NOT NOW - WHEN?

The New Year

Several minutes ago the “Israeli delegation” led by Shimon Peres, initialed an

agreement with the terrorist Arafat, that, in their opinion, effectively

transfers the heart of Eretz Yisrael to a foreign terrorist power. On the

face of it, the Israeli govenment has defeated us. They have managed to sign

an agreement that transfers almost all civilian and military responsiblity to

the PLO. The agreement concerning Hebron is “valid” for six months, at which

time it will be re-negotiated - possibly giving Arafat total control over

Hebron, with total removal of Israeli forces from the city, including Ma’arat

HaMachpela.

However, this victory is illusory. It is as real as the Emporer’s New

Clothing. Why?

I would like to give you a living example:

Several days ago an elderly man came into my office in the Avraham Avinu

Neighborhood in Hebron. It was after 5:00 in the afternoon, and I was trying

to finish up the days work. He told me that he’d come to visit in Hebron and

needed a place to sleep. I called a friend who is charge of the hostile and

asked him if he had a vacancy. He answered that he’d be back in the city

within the hour, then he would fix things up. I told our guest and

accompanied him to a vacant chair, where he could sit and rest for the next

hour. After bringing him a cup of tea, we started talking and he told me that

he was born in Hebron some 83 years ago. He told me that he was an orphan -

his father had been killed fighting for the Turks during World War One and his

mother died not long after that. He spent most of his childhood in Hebron and

Jerusalem. On the fateful Sabbath of August 1929, when 67 Jews were massacred

he was in Jerusalem.

We spoke for over an hour, Mr. Ya’akov DeSoto and myself. He is a

Sfaradi Jew, with ancestors who were thrown out of Spain in 1492, moved to

Turkey, and from there to Israel. His story was very interesting - but the

most interesting part was as follows:

Mr. DeSoto told me that after the destruction of the Hebron Jewish Community

he became very influenced by leftist politics - so much so that he joined the

Communist Party. As a result of this he had to leave Jerusalem for Tel Aviv,

and eventually he moved to Haifa. He spent most of his life as a communist

activist - until very recently.

He told me that he wrote a letter to the Labor Party, resigning his

membership. He said, “There policies are beyond understanding.” “I can’t

understand how they could want to depart with Hebron.”

When I asked him about his present politics, he said, “I think that the real

pioneers are like the people here in Hebron - religious Zionists.” I asked

why and he answerer, “First of all, most of them have at least five or six

children. Also, the learn Torah. Maybe, as a result of their learning Torah,

we will merit the right to stay in Eretz Yisrael.”

I might add that Mr. DeSoto did not have a head-covering on his head

ie, he is not a religiously observant Jew.

But, he is aware, in spite of the last 65 years or so, of his Jewish

Heritage - his Jewish roots. He is aware of the importance of continuing and

enlarging the Jewish population in Israel, and he is aware that Jewish

heritage is based on the word of G-d - on the Bible, on the rights of the

Jewish People to the Land of Israel.

He told me that, in spite of his age, he spent the entire day touring

Jerusalem and Hebron. He even remembers where he lived in old Hebron - in the

Kasba, behind the Tombs of the Patriarchs. He came back to Hebron, to visit

and to show his solidarity with the present Jewish Community of Hebron.

He didn’t spend the evening in the hostile. A family with 10 children

hosted him for the night, giving him dinner and a place to sleep, and

listening to his stories.

This is the reason that Peres and Co. haven’t succeed - people like

Ya’akov DeSoto, who so long age went another way, in another direction,

eventually return - they come back to their roots. It may take some time -

perhaps a year, perhaps a generation - but the Jewish People, as a people,

will never relinquish their homeland - their roots. That is what the New Year

is all about - Returning - coming back. Returning has many implications,

there are many forms of repentence - but perhaps the most important is the

return to Eretz Yisrael - to the Heritage of Israel. Ya’akov DeSoto did so,

and so will others.

A new family has come to live with us in Hebron. It is now less than

2 hours before the advent of the New Year - I don’t have much time - but

enough to tell you that they have come straight from New York, - with two

children, to live in the heart of Hebron. People like themselves and people

like Ya’akov DeSoto are living proof - of the past and the present - that we

still have a future. We haven’t given up and we never will. That is the crux

of the New Year - Faith and action that have maintained the Jews through 2,000

years of exile and have brought us back to Eretz Yisrael. Israel is

synonymous with eternity.

Past - Present - Forever

Hebron - Jerusalem - Israel

Happy New Year from the City of the Patriarchs.

This Land is Our Land

I can remember back some 21 years ago, when I first came to Israel. At that

time I didn't know anything about anything: Israel was still, more or less, a

foreign country. At that time I had no intentions of making Aliyah; my mind

was set on studying law in the US. But I can distinctly remember during the

many conversations about the pros and cons of living in Israel, that the major

arguement against was: "I don't like the Israeli way of life, Israeli

politics, etc." My response was, at that time, in spite of my inclinations to

stay in the US, "If you don't like it, come here and change it."

Most people, of course, didn't buy it. Most of them went back to the

US and stayed there. But there are a few, perhaps only a handful, of people,

both Israeli ‘sabras' as well as those born abroad, who realize the secret of

living in Israel: The secret of DOING. People who realize and understand that

things can be changed, if you try hard enough.

Some of those people belong to an organization unheard of three years

ago. It was unheard of for the simple reason that it didn't yet exist.

However, with the rise to power of the Rabin-Peres-Arafat regime, the leaders

of ‘Zu Artzenu' - ‘This is Our Land', began to take action. They began to do.

The first major project undertaken by ‘Zu Artzenu' took place over a

year ago. Called ‘Mivtza Machpeel' or ‘Operation: Double', this nation-wide

operation had existing settlements "double" themselves, by occupying land

areas adjacent to the already populated settlements. This protest was

intended to stress a fact welknown by us, but ignored by many others: Eretz

Yisrael belongs to Am Yisrael - all of it! What is classified as "government

property" ie, Jewish land that has not yet been settled, (and which the

present Israeli regime plans on giving to the Arabs), is just as much a part

of Israel as are all settled areas.

Mivzta Machpeel made a lot of headlines, and made a point. Lately,

the organizers of Zu Artzenu have returned to the forefront. About a month

ago they organized a national protest by tying up traffic all over the

country. This scared the daylights out of Rabin and Co. The idea that a

small group of people could initiate a program that would effedctively close

up the county, even if only for a short period of time, was totally

unacceptable. So it was decided to treat Zu Artzenu activists as ‘rebels'.

The idea behind the Zu Artzenu programs is based on massive civil

disobedience. They do not operate in the underground. All meeting are held

in public buildings and are open to everyone. So there are no surprises.

Except perhaps, the mass support and participation that the people of Israel

have shown towards the organization.

This morning the Israeli police broke into the houses of Zu Artzenu

activists throughout the country. At 5:00AM a number of people found their

houses being bombarded by police, complete with Court Orders allowing them to

make full searches of their homes. Two of my friends, Rabbi Shalom Sar-el and

Kiryat Arba Councilman and school principal, Yehoshua Shani were abruptly

awoken by police who had come to search their homes. Not only were papers

taken, but computers were "searched" too. Five people were remanded for

further questioning and later arrested, because of the data banks that were

found on their computers. Among those arrested were the leader of Zu Artzenu

Moshe Feiglan and Kiryat Arba's Yehoshua Shani. They could have been released

had they signed statements agreeing to appear for further questioning, should

it be required. However, on principal they refused to cooperate. Therefore,

they were arrested and are being held in jail until a court hearing is

conducteded.

Why did the police (government) decide to hit Zu Artzenu this morning?

Ver simply because they are scared. Tonight, at exactly 7:10, all Israeli's

who are against the ‘piece plan' and are in favor of Eretz Yisrael, are

requested to turn on all the electrical appliances in their homes and leave

then on for ten minutes. At exactly 7:20, they are requested to turn off all

the electricity in their homes via their master circuit breaker switch. ("The

government policies are leaving us in the dark.") The electricity is to be

left off for ten minutes. At exactly 7:30, all the electricity is to be

switched on for an additional ten minutes. Then we will hear from the

electric company how many people participated in the evening's event.

Needless to say, we expect massive support from all over the country.

As I began this article, I finish it. Small groups of people CAN do

something. They can organize national events, and make the government

flip-flop, not knowing what to expect next. These people are doing their

utmost to help save Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael and for that they deserve a

lot of credit

Because THIS IS OUR LAND!

Oh Say Can You See

Hebron-Past, Present and Forever
Oh Say Can You See

September 16, 1995

Flag-mania has hit Hebron. International news crews are aiming their cameras

at the Kordova Girls School, located directly across the street from Beit

Hadassah and Beit Schneerson in the center of Hebron. The reason for the

attention: a "palestinian flag" raised on the roof of the building by its

present occupants.

For the last week or so flag ping-pong has bounced the colored cloth

up and down the flagpole. First, a few facts. At the end of last week it was

reported that ‘settlers' had attacked and beat Palestinian school girls. This

"unprovoked attack" was denounced by the American government. What really

happened? Very simply - the girls from the school decided to hold a special

"parade" down the main street of Hebron, through the Beit Hadassah

neighborhood. One of our good neighbors from Kiryat Arba, present at the

time, saw a big palestinian flag waving in the air, and removed it. He also

made a little bit of noise in the process, speaking his mind to the girls

carrying the flag. The girls, stripped of their flag, and it seems, also of

their bravery, panicked and began running every which way, including into each

other. The resulting news reports were that settlers had beat the girls. So

much for objective reporting.

Several days before this, on the same day that 13 Likud Knesset

members visited Hebron, Abraham Avinu neighborhood residents found a

palestinian flag adorning the skyline several meters away from their

buildings. The flag was atop a Waqf office building, adjacent to the

neighborhood. (The Waqf is the religious-political arm of Islam - they

control, among other places, Temple Mount in Jerusalem and to a great degree,

Ma'arat HaMachpela in Hebron.) The flag flew over the building all day. Only

that evening was it "mysteriously" removed and burned. So far it hasn't

reappeared.

On Tuesday of this week following the reappearance of the flag over

the Kordova school, and its abrupt removal by "unidentified" perpetrators, MK

David Zucker from the Meretz Party, visited the area. He told reporters that

the "settlers are the ugly side of Israel" and encouraged the principal of the

school. He told her to keep flying the flag.

What is official Israeli policy concerning palestinian flags? Private

citizens are "allowed" to fly flags, but they may not be flown over public

buildings. Major General Ilan Biran (who, in the past has not been known as a

"good friend" of Hebron, but has as of late, began changing his tune) has

specifically issued an order forbidding that the flag be flown from the school

building.

On Wednesday the flag made its grand appearance, once again, in the

morning. This time, MK Shaul Guttman, formerly of Moledet, assisted in

removing it. Havoc broke loose. Soldiers, police, Arabs and Jews appeared on

the scene. Two young policewomen attempted to arrest one of the Jewish women

who had participated in removing the flag. She resisted, and ran away. When

they finally caught up with her and handcuffed her, MK Guttman snapped the

second handcuff on himself. When they both disappeared, the police had to

arrest someone else in her place, so they found another victim. She was

arrested and charged with beating police and clawing them. (I can attest -

she has almost no finger nails and is about 5 feet tall, maybe. - Extremely

dangerous!)

I also spent the day in the police station. Why? In the middle of the

ruckus, an Arab appeared, carrying what looked like an eleven or twelve-year

old girl in his arms. She had been "attacked and injured" during the

struggle. She was so "seriously" injured that an ambulance was requested.

After she had been prepared for the journey to the hospital (less than five

minutes away) another young "victim" appeared on the site. She also needed

"immediate, emergency" medical attention. When the ambulance driver finally

finished preparing the two "victims of the peace process" he found that the

keys to the ambulance were missing. Not wanting to admit his negligence, he

pointed his finger at someone in the crowd - "There he is - he stole the

keys." And the thief was, none other than, yours truly. Several police

surrounded me and demanded the keys. I told them that I didn't know what they

were talking about, but of course, the word of an Arab against a Jew is the

epitome of truth. So, I was searched, (twice if I recall correctly). After

not finding the missing keys, I was ordered remanded for further investigation

and taken to the Hebron Police Station. There I was held, with three other

men, from 11:45 until about 5:30 that evening. I spent the day talking to

several policemen whose feelings for Rabin, Peres and Co. are harsher (if that

can be imagined) than mine. At 5:30PM a policeman asked for my name, id card

number and address, and sent me home. I wasn't questioned, warned, or

released on bail. Very simply sent home. I have the impression that they

didn't know why I was being held. I was never accused of anything nor was I

told specifically why I was being held. So rather than working that day, I

spent the day in the company of the men in blue.

Of course on Thursday it happened again. This time the police and

soldiers took things into their own hands and removed the flag before anyone

else had the opportunity. The results of that were demonstrations by about 60

Arabs on the street in front of Beit Hadassah and by Beit Romano, the home of

Yeshivat Shavei Hebron. Both demonstrations were broken up by security

forces.

Why do we make such a big deal over the flag? Is it really worth all

the trouble? The palestinian flag represents two major fronts which we will

not compromise with. First, it represents foreign sovereignty in Hebron.

Hebron is a Jewish city, the first Jewish City, and it is an integral part of

the State of Israel. We totally reject any display of foreign sovereignty in

our city.

The flag also represents terrorism, blood and murder. The flag

represents an institution which comprises terrorists who have, in the past,

proclaimed that the Jews must be "thrown into the sea." They have murdered

and continue to murder. They wipe their hands of Jewish blood on their flag.

While it is true that it is almost impossible for us to remove all of

the palestinian flags in the city or throughout Yesha, we see no reason to

allow them to be flown in front of our noses in the middle of our

neighborhoods. Any acceptance on our part of the palestinian flag in

neighborhoods where we live is tantamount to acceptance of palestinian

sovereignty in Hebron. This will never happen.

The Ways of the Righteous

Hebron-Past, Present and Forever
The Ways of the Righteous

September 6, 1995

If yesterday I wrote about Satan dressed up as humans, today I am obligated to speak about the other side. And there is another side.

A half hour ago I came home from an unbelievably joyous occasion -

happy for several reasons: 1. A wedding in Hebron is always a festive event;

2. This wedding took place in the courtyard directly outside the Caves of the

Patriarchs, attended by about 1,000 guests; 3. The wedding was that of Kfir

Katzover and his new bride Orit. Kfir is the son of Kiryat Arba Mayor Zvi

Katzover. 4.The special guest of honor was none other than Ariel Sharon, who

made a special trip to Hebron for the wedding.

Zvi Katzover has been mayor of Kiryat Arba for the past five plus

years. He has had to deal with some of the most complicated issues one can

possibly imagine. From the ‘intifada' to murderous terrorist attacks, from

the government's policy of ‘let's dry them up' and ‘give them back to the

Arabs' to the Baruch Goldstein affair, Zvi has had to function. And he has

done so with overwhelming success. That success can be measured by the

results of the local elections held in Kiryat Arba several months ago. Zvi

received 80% of the popular vote for Mayor, and his list for the town council

won six of nine seats. And if one takes into account the political

divergences among the Kiryat Arba population, made up of about 6,000 citizen,

consisting of Jews of every background possible, this is truly amazing.

Before entering politics Zvi spent most of his waking hours in Hebron.

One of the first people to reenter Hebron, Zvi opened up the popular ‘Jewish

Settlers' Restaurant and Gift Shop', outside Ma'arat HaMachpela. Before the

beginning of the ‘intifada' Zvi employed seven employees on a regular basis,

selling not only souvenirs, but also dealing with fine jewelry and precious

stones. One of his veteran workers told me that even during the dry spells,

Zvi refused to fire employees. They would sit in the store, drinking coffee

or tea, playing backgammon. The dry spells always ended, and the visitors

arrived, that is, until the intifada drastically cut back tourist visits to

the area.

Today, Zvi's building has been taken over by the Jewish Community of

Hebron and is being transformed into a guest house. And Zvi is Mayor of

Kiryat Arab. Tonight Zvi and his wife Yehudit married their first son, under

the stars, by Ma'arat HaMachpela. Over 100 tables, colored lights, a band,

and hundreds of people, singing and dancing, filled the courtyard outside the

Caves of the Patriarchs. Such an unbelievable sight, just overwhelming. Zvi

and Yehudit Katzover brought people from all over the country to celebrate in

Hebron, the city of the Patriarchs. In Hebrew we call this a ‘Kiddush HaShem'

or a Sanctification of the Divine Name. There is no stronger way to express

our connection to a location than by celebrating there - exhibiting our

happiness publicly, for all to see. And believe me, it was well seen.

Something like this is very hard to ignore. The Arabs, the police, the

soldiers, everyone, they all saw and heard Jews singing and dancing and

celebrating the birth of a new couple, the beginnings of a new family, in the

middle of Hebron.

The Guest of Honor was, as I mentioned earlier, Ariel Sharon. This man is

truly amazing. He was in Hebron last Friday morning with MK Moshe Peled, to

show support for the Jewish Community in the city. He arrives in Hebron time

after time, bringing with him visitors from all over the world. Some of them,

like Australian Chabad Rabbi Joseph Gutnick, have become major supporters of

the Hebron Jewish Community. Rabbi Gutnick has contributed to both the guest

house and also to the reconstruction efforts of Yeshivat Shavei Hebron, housed

in Beit Romano. The Yeshiva presently claims a student body of 200 pupils.

When the construction is finished, the building will be able to house five

hundred Torah Scholars. And Arik Sharon is largely responsible for this.

Sharon is one of the few people around today who is willing to speak

the truth. Tonite, for instance, he said: "If the Arabs want to live with us

together, they can. It isn't easy, but it can be done. But only if they

realize that the Jews are here to stay. If they want to live with us, fine,

but if they think they can push us into a corner, there is a limit as to how

far they'll be able to go. If they push too hard they must realize that it

won't be the Jews that will no longer be in Hebron - it will be them that will

be forced to leave."

Referring to comments made that too many soldiers have to protect such

a ‘small' number of Jews in Hebron, Sharon replied: "First of all, Hebron

isn't just four or five hundred Jews. Kiryat Arba is Hebron too. Kiryat Arba

and Hebron are one. But aside from that, the army isn't here just to protect

the Jews in Hebron. They are here because of the Jewish Cemetery, containing

graves of Jews that lived here hundreds of years ago. The army is here

because this is the city where King David ruled for seven years before

settling Jerusalem. This land, today called Tel Rumeida, should always be in

Jewish hands. The army must be here because of Beit Hadassah and Beit Kastel

and Beit Hasson, the army must be here because of the Jewish Quarter and the

Avraham Avinu Synagogue. And of course, because of the Caves of the

Patriarchs. Who can imaging that the Caves of the Patriarchs will not be in

Jewish hands?!"

Mentioning government plans to redeploy, Arik Sharon declared: "I hope

that the government will not remove the army from Hebron. But if they do,

they should know that hundreds of volunteers will come here to help protect

the Jews that live in the City of the Patriarchs".

Ariel Sharon has made mistakes in the past, but I don't know of too

many people that haven't. Today, he is, in my book, a true hero. He isn't

afraid of the truth and he isn't afraid to speak the truth. Most politicians

act like they are walking on eggs - Arik doesn't. He says what has to be said,

and more importantly, he acts - he does. He is a doer. In the Israeli

vernacular, he is a bulldozer. And credit should be given, where credit is

due.

In the past I have advertised fax numbers, with requests that you

demonstrate solidarity with Hebron via fax protests. Today I request the

opposite. Please fax Zvi Katzover, Mayor of Kiryat Arba, with a letter of

Mazal Tov - good wishes on the marriage of his son Kfir. Tell him how happy

you are the wedding was conducted by the walls of Ma'arat HaMachpela in the

center of Hebron. And fax Arik Sharon, wishing him well, and expressing your

support of his many activities for Hebron. Even people like Ariel Sharon like

to know that they are appreciated. And Arik deserves our whole-hearted

appreciation. As does Zvi Katzover.

Fax Ariel Sharon at: 972-2-753896

Fax Zvi Katzover at: 972-2-9964277