Police State

Hebron-Past, Present and Forever
Police State

December 29, 1995

David Shirel, resident of Tel Rumeida in Hebron is serving a three month administrative restraint order, issued by the Israeli Defense Forces. The order forbids him to leave his home without written permission from the army. The last time he left his home for Jerusalem with permission, he was detained for over an hour when returning to Hebron, charged with defying the order in spite of the written approval allowing him to leave his home. The restraining order specifically allows him to leave his premises in order to visit a doctor. This week he requested a permit to leave Tel Rumeida to go to his doctor. He was refused. When asked why, he was told that he may not leave his home under any circumstances. When he asked the officer ‘what will happen if I die?’ (G-d forbid) he was told, ‘that’s your problem.’

Shmuel Cytrin has turned into a household name among thousands who are assisting him in his efforts to be released from administrative detention. He was jailed over three weeks ago for no apparent reason and placed in solitary confinement. He has not been indicted, nor has he ever been convicted of a crime. This week he began a hunger strike to protest his being denied glott kosher food, (in spite of the fact that such food is provided to other convicted prisoners). He is also being denied the right to pray with others in the jail. A military appeals court, which reduced the administrative order from three months to two months, ordered prison authorities to provide him with the kosher food and to allow him to pray with a minion (10 other Jews) but this order has been totally ignored.

Shmuel’s lawyer filed an appeal with the Israeli Supreme Court. Next Sunday, December 31, a march from the American Consulate to the Presidents residence in Jerusalem, will protest Cytrin’s continued imprisonment. It is being organized and led by the Women in Green and former Soviet prisoners of Zion.

Rav Yitzhak Ginzberg, Torah-scholar consummate, was issued with a restraining order forbidding him from entering Yehuda and Shomron for six months. Rav Ginzberg is: the dean of the Od Yosef Chai Yeshiva at Kever Yosef in Schechem, the dean of the Menucha Rachel Kollel (Torah-study program) in Hebron, and the dean of a children’s Talmud Torah in Hebron. He gives classes to hundreds of people in communities throughout Judea and Samaria. An Israeli army order, signed by the infamous General Ilan Biran, now prevents him from teaching Torah to his students. Two thousand years ago the Romans forbade Torah studies in Israel. Now, the Israeli government, under the guise of ‘secret security-related issues’, is effectively prohibiting a Rav to teach his students.

Rav Yizhak Shapira, the teacher at Yeshivat Yosef Chai in Shechem may not enter Shechem, because of an administrative restraining order. Rav Dudi Dudokevitz, the Rav of Yitzhar and dean of the Kever Yosef Yeshiva is under house arrest, as are nine of his students. The administrative director of the Yeshiva, Eli Rosenfeld may not enter Shechem.

Uri Amsalem, a Kiryat Arba resident, may not leave his home. He supposedly had some connection with the revelation that Avishai Raviv is a Security Agent. Noam Federman from Hebron is sitting in jail for having defied a restraining order. He is being remanded until after his trial. The judge who remanded him was having an affair with his typist, who is known to have close connections to the Israeli far left. According to newspaper reports, she was extremely influential concerning punishments meted out by her judge-friend. When Federman appealed, the president of the Jerusalem Court accused Federman of ‘bothering the court.’ The judge claimed that Federman is "dangerous to the society’ and must remain in jail until after his trial.

Rav Moshe Levinger and his wife Miriam have been sentenced for supposed crimes committed four and five years ago. Baruch Marzel was sentenced to imprisonment for ‘attempting to disturb the peace.’

Itamar ben Gvir from Mevaseret Tzion, outside of Jerusalem, may not leave his home for six months. Itamar is 19 years old and has never been convicted of a crime.

The Department of the Interior has issued orders refusing entrance to Israel to at least seven Jews, including Shelly Benvenisti from Miami Beach, Rabbi Avraham Hecht from New York, Hal and Mark Blenstein from Philadelphia, Benjamin Cohen from Los Angeles, Howard Friedman from Philadelphia, and George Mastenger from New York.

What else can I say? Israel is turning into a police state.

region. We gathered today to pay respect to Nahum Hoss and Yehuda Partush who

were killed on the 18th of Adar - three days after Purim - last year.

I have visited the ancient Jewish cemetery in Hebron dozens of times, usually

showing tourists the different plots, some of which are over 500 years old. I

always stop near the graves of these five men and briefly tell their individual

stories. But today, and not just today, but anytime we gather in the cemetery

for a memorial service, the feeling, the sense of loss, is different.

And as I stood, looking at the graves of my friends, asking myself what they

had died for, why did we have to be standing here, ....... suddenly by beeper

started vibrating. I pulled it out, and read the message:

"A few minutes ago Rav Yitzhak Ginsburgh received an administrative detention

order, arresting him for 60 days in the Sharon prison. The order was signed by

the minister of defense Shimon Peres. Rav Ginsburgh, dean of students at the Od

Yosef Chai Yeshiva in Shechem, and of the Menucha Rachel Kollel in Hebron, has

been under administrative order forbidding him from entering Yehuda and

Shomron for six months."

And I ask myself, after such horrific events as those that have plagued us for

the last few weeks, doesn't anyone pay any attention? In Judaism we are

required to perform a 'heshbon nefesh' - that is, an in-depth introspective contemplation, searching for ways to improve ourselves, looking back at what we did - how could it have been different - how could we have improved our actions, our deeds. We do a ‘heshbon nefesh’ especially during times of crisis, both personal and national. How, in the name of the L-rd, can a national leader, following the deaths of so many people by Arab terrorists, after having released so many convicted terrorists from Israeli prisons, possibly arrest a Torah scholar of the caliber of Rav Yitzhak Ginsburgh on an administrative detention order?

Won’t they ever learn?

This morning an appeals court in Tel-Aviv ordered that Rav Ido Elba, be immediately released from prison. Rav Elba, convicted for having supposedly authored a theoretic halachic (Jewish legal) treatise concerning the killing of non-Jewish enemies, was denied parole after serving two-thirds of his two year sentence. The Israeli intelligence services opposed his release on the grounds that he is ‘spiritually dangerous.’ Last week, Rav Elba’s father passed away after a long bout with cancer. Rav Elba had originally been allowed to visit his ailing father once every two weeks for two hours. The ruling authorities loosen their grip after being approached by several notable public servants, and allowed him to visit his father once every ten days. After his father’s death, we wasn’t granted a ‘vacation’ as are most prisoners under similar circumstances, rather he was accompanied by prison guards, in handcuffs, to the cemetery. Only after an hour and a half delay, during which time a second permit had to be obtained, was he allowed to attend the service at the funeral home in Jerusalem. The next day, following pressure from over 20 MK’s, was he allowed to go to his parent’s home to sit shiva. This morning the appeals court ordered his immediate release from prison. The State attorneys immediately announced that they were appealing the decision.

One of those mourning the murder of Nahum Hoss was Rav Moshe Levinger, serving a seven month prison sentence for ‘pushing a soldier’ five years ago on Yom Kippur, when Arabs almost started a riot during prayers. Rav Levinger, after intervention by various officials, was allowed to attend today’s memorial service at the cemetery. Nahum Hoss was his right-hand man. They worked together for years. Today Nahum Hoss lies dead in Hebron’s cemetery - Rav Levinger is in jail.

Can their be any greater absurdity? Shimon Peres, Prime Minister of Israel, is involved in releasing hundreds of Arab terrorists from jail, giving the Arabs Eretz Yisrael, arresting Rabbis, and preparing ‘major international conferences on combating terrorism.’ And we stand in front of the graves of the ‘sacrifices for piece.’ And I keep asking myself , what do we have to do to make these people understand. And the truth is, I don’t have an answer.

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

"...I remember very well our last telephone conversation. You called home and told me that you were going to Jerusalem to buy a door knob for our front door. As was your wont, you asked me,
‘Avigail, is their anything else you need from Jerusalem?’ And you added, ‘Don’t worry, by eight I’ll be home.’

Yes Nahum, you arrived to your true home, your reached the eternal home, and perhaps with the door-handle, you opened the door to the Garden of Eden here in Hebron, in the place where you said, "they’ll never get me out of Hebron, only in a casket!’ And you were right Nahum, no one will ever take you from here, here, under the layers of dust, under the sacred earth of Hebron, you are buried, side-by-side with the others holy ones, and with those murdered in 1929.

You left us in shock, mute, in pain, and the heart refuses to believe, to be comforted, for the enormous loss, for I miss you so, we all do...

During your life you sanctified the name of G-d, and with your death you made the supreme sacrifice to sanctify the name of G-d, in the place you so loved ...."

Writing with tears in my eyes,

Your wife, Avigail

(From ‘Nachamu Ami - Nahum Hoss Hy"d, Ish Hevron’

Edited by Rav Mordechai Artzi

Available [in Hebrew] for $25. from:

The Jewish Community of Hebron

POB 105 Kiryat Arba, Israel 90010)

Rachel weeps again

3rd candle of Hanukkah

The time is 12:00 - midnight in Israel. I am sitting here with tears in my eyes.
Rachel is weeping again.

For the last 14 years, everytime I've travelled to Jerusalem, I've passed by Kever Rachel, the tomb
of our Matriarch, beloved wife of Ya'akov - Rachel. No more. Beit Lechem is off-limits. Kever
Rachel, Beit Lechem, are being turned over to foreigners by the Israeli government, by and of their own free
will.

Jeremiah 31:14-17
Thus says the L-rd: A voice was heard in Rama, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for
her children; she refused to be comforted for her children, because they are not. Thus says the
L-rd: Keep the voice from weeping, and thy eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded says the
L-rd; and they shall come back again from the land of the enemy. And there is hope for thy future
says the L-rd, and thy children shall come back again to their own border.

V'shavu banim l'gvulum.

When we came back to Beit Lechem in 1967 soldiers fighting in the area reported hearing sounds of a
woman wailing. The sounds were investigated - nothing was ever found. Rachel, wailing for her children.
Why should she have cried then - for we were returning, as the Biblical prophecy so clearly states.
Perhaps she knew then what we know only today - we returned, only to leave again.
If that be the case, however, then the prophecy is yet to be fulfilled, and it will be fulfilled
...And there is hope for the future...thy children shall come back again to their own border...

Yet tonight, with the city of Beit Lechem cut off from the State of Israel, ... Beit Lechem, birthplace
of David, King of Israel, with Rachel's tomb in the hands of foreign terrorists, with our busses
having to use roundabout roads, so as to bypass one of the most important cities in the Land of
Israel, because it is off-limits

tonight, the People of Israel weep, the Land of Israel weeps, the Torah weeps,

and

Rachel weeps

again

Hebron Today

In May 1967-less than a month before the `Six-day War,

our beloved teacher, Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook, of blessed
memory, on the 19th anniversary of Israeli Independence,
said,
"In those first hours (after the UN vote in Nov. 1947-
Ed. note) I couldn't accept what had been done, with that
awful message, that the prophecy was fulfilled - `My Land
has been divided'! Where is our Hebron - Will we forget
her? And where is our Shechem - Are we forgetting her?
And where is our Jericho - Are we forgetting her? And
where is our Jordan Valley? Where is each speck of earth,
every piece of ground, every square meter of our G-d's
land? Is it in our hands to concede even one millimeter?
No! No!"

Then, one month later, our Hebron, our Shechem, our
Jericho, our Jordan Valley - return - back where they
belong, in the hands of the Jewish People, in the Land of
Israel- part of the State of Israel. Given to us by
HaShem, crowned by the glory of Temple Mount - Jerusalem
- under Jewish rule, for the first time in two thousand
years.

And now, today, almost thirty years later, we are
relinquishing our G-d-given rights, our G-d-given land,
the government of Israel is handing Yehuda, Shomron and
Azza to Arab terrorists, to murderers of men, women and
children. Last week Shechem - the city of Yosef
HaTzadik. We saw, with our own eyes, how Israeli
soldiers, disgraced and despised, yelled at, spit it,
with the Israeli flag burning in the background, ran for
their lives, leaving the holy city of Shechem to the
terrorists. This is peace? Next week, the birthplace of
David HaMelech - home of Kever Rachel - our Matriarch who
lies for eternity five minutes from Jerusalem -
BeitLechem. Our buses and cars, traveling from Jerusalem
to Hebron and from Hebron to Jerusalem, pass Kever
Rachel, allowing us to murmur a brief prayer as we pass
by. And next week - no more - no longer will we see the
dome-covered tomb - no longer will we murmur a prayer as
we pass by Rachel's tomb - because the road will no
longer belong to us - it is being transferred to
murderers.

This week in Hebron we experienced a series of miracles,
each one bigger than the last. One night our home at
Beit Hadassah was shot at. The next day Arabs threw hand
grenades at soldiers. The grenades exploded but, thank G-
d, no one was injured. Then on Thursday a 23 year-old
terrorist jumped and stabbed two elderly men, Jews from
Kiryat Arba who come to learn each day in Ma'arat
HaMachpela. Fortunately the men weren't badly hurt,
thanks to the quick, alert reaction of a nearby border
policeman who shot and killed the terrorist while he was
still stabbing the victims. And I haven't mentioned the
fire bombs thrown at both military and civilian vehicles
numerous times daily.


Hebron is scheduled to be next on the list. Next week
the first `palestinian police will arrive in the city.
What are we to do? I can first tell you what we don't
do. This past week Mr. Uri Elitzor, a `leader' of the
Jewish right, a man of intelligence and stature,
presently the editor of `Nikuda,' the major publication
of Yesha, called for us to accept the Oslo Accords and to
open a dialogue with the Palestinian Authority. This, my
friends, is what we don't do. We do not, under any
circumstances, give legitimization to cold-blooded
killers of innocent people. These people, if they may be
termed as such, have one goal: to occupy all of
`Palestine, ' which is presently known as the State of
Israel. Arafat said it again in Shechem - "in blood and
fire we will occupy Jerusalem" - and for him Jerusalem
includes both the east and west sides of the city, but
that's not all. For those of you who still find it hard
to believe, see the `palestinian' home page on the World
Wide Web (http://192.203.180.62/mlas/palestin.html).
When you open up this page you will see, on the left, a
palestinian flag. On the right is a picture of Mr
Terrorist. In the middle, try and identify the sketch.
On the top is the `Dome of the Rock' occupying the Holy
of Holies on Temple Mount. Under that is a map - a map
of all of Eretz Yisrael - the State of Israel. Yes, this
is, in their eyes, Palestine - `their land - their State.

With these people we will begin a discussion? We
will accept their presence in the heart of Israel, in all
of Judea, Samaria, and Azza? We will legitimize their
pursuit for continued conquest, using murder as an
effective means to gain their goals? Absolutely not. I
call on Mr. Elitzur to recognize his error and retract
his statement. All of us, living through these difficult
times sometimes face periods of weakness. I have no
doubt that Uri Elitzur will recover the strength that
has, in the past, been a pillar of hope and fortitude to
us all. We must remember that our goal is not to kill,
not to maim, not to transfer anybody outside of Israel.
Our goal is to live in Israel, all of Israel, peacefully.
Anyone and everyone accepting Jewish presence and Jewish
sovereignty in all of the Land of Israel, is welcome to
live with us. Those objecting may leave and live
elsewhere. Those who attack us must know that we will
not only defend ourselves, but that we too, not as
individuals but as a nation, under the leadership of a
legitimate government, will initiate, will strike back
and will scatter our mortal enemies to the edges of the
earth. We will not let terrorist killers determine how
we live and where we live.

If now, we seem to be fighting an uphill battle, or
perhaps, as some see it, a losing battle, as perhaps does
Mr. Uri Elitzor, we must remember: the Jewish People have
always fought uphill battles, from the days of Avraham
Avinu, to the days of the Maccabees, to the days David
Ben Gurion. And we have been victorious. We need only
faith - faith in our G-d in heaven who gives us our
strength, and faith in what we are doing, knowing that
what we are doing is right. If we look where we have
come from and where we are going to, we will reach the
peak, we will reach our goal, we will be victorious.
Happy Hanukkah.

The Other Side of History: An Ancient- Modern Hanukka Story Erev Hanukka

The house was surrounded by special law enforcement agents. Nobody would escape. Using the newly invented bullhorn, a voice blasted into the tense stillness of the early morning. "OUT OF THE HOUSE, ALL OF YOU! - Mattitayhu, you and all your trouble-making boys - out - NOW. The whole area is surrounded - don’t make us come in after you."
Inside, father Mattitayhu sat in council with his son Judah. "What do you say? Is there anything we can do," Mattitayhu asked his son. Judah shook his head. "We can’t just surrender - that would be the end of all our plans, even before we start. Today, our cousin, that assimilated Hellinist is going to speak in the town square. We must not let them succeed - at any cost."
"You’re one hundred percent correct, but what are we to do? They have us surrounded."
"Let’s call the lawyer and have him go to court. I’m sure they don’t have a warrant, and we haven’t been indicted."
Suddenly, without further warning, the doors crashed to the floor. Tens of uniformed police burst into the room and scattered throughout the house. Within seconds Mattetayhu and all his sons were manacled, hands and feet. "That’s it - it’s all over," frowned the police chief. "You’re out of action."
Judah cried out, "Why - what have we done? We only care about Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael. What have we done wrong? What charges have been filed against us?"
"Shut up before we fix you up. Here, here are the orders, signed and sealed. We throw you into the cell and throw away the key. And we don’t need any fancy judges, court orders, nothing. The administrative detention orders give us all the authority we need. You start with six months in the slammer. And I have news for you - that’s just the beginning. You’re all finished."
With that, the family, Mattitayhu and his sons were marched out of their home, into the police wagon and taken to the local prison. Once locked inside the jail cell, the men looked at each other and asked, "what’s next?" Judah piped up, "maybe we’ll be able to stir up public support for us. Everyone knows us - they won’t take this sitting down."
"You’re right," replied father Mattitayhu, "but that won’t help. We are the extremists of the neighborhood. The trouble-makers. Our youth movement, the ‘Macabees’ has been outlawed. And don’t forget, everyone is afraid. Anyone who opens his mouth is next in line to wind up like us. Don’t count on outside help. HaShem have mercy."
"But what about Jerusalem, what about Beit HaMikdash, what will become of them", cried out Shimon. "Do we just hand all of our holy cities to the enemy, without a fight?"
"Shimon, what do you suggest - what can we do from here?" The sons silently lowered their heads and remained silent. And so it was. The outlawed Macabbees imprisoned, without leadership, without hope.
The assimilationists, the Hellinists, signed the peace treaty with the invading Greeks. The Temple was reopened and turned over to an international religious force. Cohenim were forbidden to come within 3 miles of the Temple, - it was declared ‘closed religious territory’. Only specially-permitted individuals were allowed to enter the Temple, and only to visit, not to pray. For all knew that it was really a Greek monument, without any Jewish tradition. The Greeks sacrificed to their gods and, once a day, let others watch. The Macabeean claims to religious rights were disregarded - for their demands were political and extremist in nature - an obstacle to peace, an instigation, inciting against official government policy. Here and there pockets of ‘faithfuls’ held illegal, secret meetings, but most of these were discovered by the security forces who had spies everywhere. Some were arrested, some simply disappeared.
Mattitayhu and his sons, forgotten by almost all, rotted in jail. But they didn’t forget. Everyday they prayed to G-d in heaven, repeated Psalms, and recited the Torah they knew by heart. They didn’t know when it would happen, but eventually they would leave the prison compound which held them as prisoners, all these years.
Finally, one day, it happened. The cell door opened and the prison director led them to the gates of the jail. "You are free. The governor has decided to pardon you, in celebration of the festival."
"Which festival," they asked. "What is the date?" The prison director looked at them in amazement. "You don’t know? Today is the 25th of Kislev - today we celebrate the festival of Hanukka." "And just what is this festival of Hanukka?"
"You are really behind the times. Hanukka is the festival of darkness. On this day, we witnessed a miracle at the place you once called the Temple. Of course, it is now a Greek site of worship. And I must warn you, you may not go within three miles of the spot."
Yes, but what is the miracle? What are you celebrating?"
"Oh yes, that. On this day, the Greeks, using a vial of oil found in the building, attempted to light the Menora, once utilized by the Cohanim in the Temple. And lo and behold, the oil wouldn’t ignite. They tried everything. When they lit the same oil outside the building, it caught. But inside, inside the Temple, it wouldn’t work. The oil, good, pure olive oil, refused to be lit. And this went on for eight days. For eight days no oil was lit in the Temple premises. The building remained dark. Finally, after eight days, the Greeks managed to light an oil lamp. Then the new Temple was sanctified. To commemorate this unnatural event, a celebration of darkness was declared. For eight days all people in Jerusalem are forbidden to light oil lamps. It is in honor of this festival that you are being released. You must give special thanks to the kind charitable governor who has pardoned you. But remember, do not light oil lamps for eight days, and do not enter within three miles of the Temple."
The freed Macabees looked at the director and then at each other. They then turned around and walked back into the prison.
THAT IS THE WAY IT COULD HAVE BEEN. BARUCH HASHEM, IT HAPPENED DIFFERENTLY. HOW DO WE WANT TODAY’S STORY TO BE WRITTEN - IS THIS HOW WE WILL BE REMEMBERED? OR WILL IT BE OTHERWISE?
THE ANSWER, MY DEAR FRIENDS, LIES WITH US.
HAPPY HANUKKA.

Hanukkah - Hebron Today

Hebron-Past,Present and Forever
by David Wilder
Hanukkah - Hebron Today

December 15, 1995

In May 1967-less than a month before the `Six-day War,
our beloved teacher, Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook, of blessed
memory, on the 19th anniversary of Israeli Independence,
said,
"In those first hours (after the UN vote in Nov. 1947-
Ed. note) I couldn't accept what had been done, with that
awful message, that the prophecy was fulfilled - `My Land
has been divided'! Where is our Hebron - Will we forget
her? And where is our Shechem - Are we forgetting her?
And where is our Jericho - Are we forgetting her? And
where is our Jordan Valley? Where is each speck of earth,
every piece of ground, every square meter of our G-d's
land? Is it in our hands to concede even one millimeter?
No! No!"

Then, one month later, our Hebron, our Shechem, our
Jericho, our Jordan Valley - return - back where they
belong, in the hands of the Jewish People, in the Land of
Israel- part of the State of Israel. Given to us by
HaShem, crowned by the glory of Temple Mount - Jerusalem
- under Jewish rule, for the first time in two thousand
years.

And now, today, almost thirty years later, we are
relinquishing our G-d-given rights, our G-d-given land,
the government of Israel is handing Yehuda, Shomron and
Azza to Arab terrorists, to murderers of men, women and
children. Last week Shechem - the city of Yosef
HaTzadik. We saw, with our own eyes, how Israeli
soldiers, disgraced and despised, yelled at, spit it,
with the Israeli flag burning in the background, ran for
their lives, leaving the holy city of Shechem to the
terrorists. This is peace? Next week, the birthplace of
David HaMelech - home of Kever Rachel - our Matriarch who
lies for eternity five minutes from Jerusalem -
BeitLechem. Our buses and cars, traveling from Jerusalem
to Hebron and from Hebron to Jerusalem, pass Kever
Rachel, allowing us to murmur a brief prayer as we pass
by. And next week - no more - no longer will we see the
dome-covered tomb - no longer will we murmur a prayer as
we pass by Rachel's tomb - because the road will no
longer belong to us - it is being transferred to
murderers.

This week in Hebron we experienced a series of miracles,
each one bigger than the last. One night our home at
Beit Hadassah was shot at. The next day Arabs threw hand
grenades at soldiers. The grenades exploded but, thank G-
d, no one was injured. Then on Thursday a 23 year-old
terrorist jumped and stabbed two elderly men, Jews from
Kiryat Arba who come to learn each day in Ma'arat
HaMachpela. Fortunately the men weren't badly hurt,
thanks to the quick, alert reaction of a nearby border
policeman who shot and killed the terrorist while he was
still stabbing the victims. And I haven't mentioned the
fire bombs thrown at both military and civilian vehicles
numerous times daily.


Hebron is scheduled to be next on the list. Next week
the first `palestinian police will arrive in the city.
What are we to do? I can first tell you what we don't
do. This past week Mr. Uri Elitzor, a `leader' of the
Jewish right, a man of intelligence and stature,
presently the editor of `Nikuda,' the major publication
of Yesha, called for us to accept the Oslo Accords and to
open a dialogue with the Palestinian Authority. This, my
friends, is what we don't do. We do not, under any
circumstances, give legitimization to cold-blooded
killers of innocent people. These people, if they may be
termed as such, have one goal: to occupy all of
`Palestine, ' which is presently known as the State of
Israel. Arafat said it again in Shechem - "in blood and
fire we will occupy Jerusalem" - and for him Jerusalem
includes both the east and west sides of the city, but
that's not all. For those of you who still find it hard
to believe, see the `palestinian' home page on the World
Wide Web (http://192.203.180.62/mlas/palestin.html).
When you open up this page you will see, on the left, a
palestinian flag. On the right is a picture of Mr
Terrorist. In the middle, try and identify the sketch.
On the top is the `Dome of the Rock' occupying the Holy
of Holies on Temple Mount. Under that is a map - a map
of all of Eretz Yisrael - the State of Israel. Yes, this
is, in their eyes, Palestine - `their land - their State.

With these people we will begin a discussion? We
will accept their presence in the heart of Israel, in all
of Judea, Samaria, and Azza? We will legitimize their
pursuit for continued conquest, using murder as an
effective means to gain their goals? Absolutely not. I
call on Mr. Elitzur to recognize his error and retract
his statement. All of us, living through these difficult
times sometimes face periods of weakness. I have no
doubt that Uri Elitzur will recover the strength that
has, in the past, been a pillar of hope and fortitude to
us all. We must remember that our goal is not to kill,
not to maim, not to transfer anybody outside of Israel.
Our goal is to live in Israel, all of Israel, peacefully.
Anyone and everyone accepting Jewish presence and Jewish
sovereignty in all of the Land of Israel, is welcome to
live with us. Those objecting may leave and live
elsewhere. Those who attack us must know that we will
not only defend ourselves, but that we too, not as
individuals but as a nation, under the leadership of a
legitimate government, will initiate, will strike back
and will scatter our mortal enemies to the edges of the
earth. We will not let terrorist killers determine how
we live and where we live.

If now, we seem to be fighting an uphill battle, or
perhaps, as some see it, a losing battle, as perhaps does
Mr. Uri Elitzor, we must remember: the Jewish People have
always fought uphill battles, from the days of Avraham
Avinu, to the days of the Maccabees, to the days David
Ben Gurion. And we have been victorious. We need only
faith - faith in our G-d in heaven who gives us our
strength, and faith in what we are doing, knowing that
what we are doing is right. If we look where we have
come from and where we are going to, we will reach the
peak, we will reach our goal, we will be victorious.
Happy Hanukkah.

Democracy and Majority

Hebron-Past, Present and Forever
by David Wilder
The Jewish Community of Hebron

Democracy and Majority
December 1, 1995

The magic words - democracy and majority. Democracy - rule of the
people. Majority - fifty percent plus one.
I worked for two years at the School of Medicine of Hebrew
University in Jerusalem. One of the doctoral students, very left
wing, used to speak of democracy as if it was a deity. And that is
exactly the problem. Democracy, as I understand it, is supposed to
serve the people. It is a tool to be utilized for the good of the
people. It is a means to an end - the end being public welfare,
public well-being. Unfortunately democracy has been converted,
and in my opinion convoluted. It is no longer a means to an end. It
is rather, the end itself. It is the goal - and it has been
transformed into a deity - it is supreme. It makes no difference if
the resulting consequences are positive or negative for the people -
what is important is preservation of democracy, at all costs. And of
course we have seen the results of democracy in action - in pre-World
War Two Germany, when Adolph Hitler used democracy as a tool to reach
his aims.
Majority is the mechanism used to implement democracy. If
anything over fifty percent of the population decides, the decision
is binding - unless the society decides otherwise - i.e., a `two-
thirds majority'.
So then, if Israeli society decides, by majority decision, in
the Knesset or in election for the Knesset, all is decided. Or is it?
In the last elections, who received the most votes? Israeli's vote
for `lists', not people. (In the upcoming elections we will
incorporate, for the first time, direct election of the Prime
Minister.) A `list', in order to enter the Knesset, needs to receive
a minimum amount of votes. The votes or a `list' that doesn't reach
the minimum are discarded. In the last elections `right-wing'
parties received over 50% of the vote - to be exact, right-wing and
religious parties (remember, Rav Ovadya Yosef's Shas party campaigned
on a `Likud-government platform') received 1,273,557 votes. The left
received 1,157,177 Jewish votes. That is a difference of 116,080.
But parties such as Techiya, which received 31,957 votes but didn't
reach the minimum threshold of 39,227, weren't included in the final
results. The Labor, Meretz and the Arab parties (103,334 votes)
received 1,260,511. The right, without Techiya and two other smaller
parties received 1,225,041 votes. In other words, majority of the
country, (and certainly not by Jewish votes) did not vote for the
polices and platforms of the late Yitzhak Rabin or present Prime
Minister Shimon Peres. So, where is democracy and majority rule -
pure democracy? (See our gopher site next week for the exact figures
of the last election.)
What role do Arab votes play in Israeli democracy? This may be
highly debated, but in my view the answer is clear. The words of the
Israeli national anthem say: To be a free nation, in our homeland.
We, the Jewish People, in our Homeland - Israel. Only Jews can be
responsible for the Jewish people in the land of Israel - that is our
right, privilege and obligation. Anyone else who wants to live here,
freely, without discrimination, in a JEWISH country, accepting JEWISH
sovereignty and rule is welcome. But the decision-making process
must be in Jewish hands. This is the only country we have, the only
land we have. If democracy and majority rule mean that we cannot
rule ourselves then why should we be here? Israel is a JEWISH STATE.
On a final note, we are still undergoing a witch-hunt.
Enforcement of the will of the `majority' is today being
personified by Rabbi-hunts and right-wing ideologist hunts.
Scholars are being questioned like common criminals and suspects are
inflicted with interrogation methods used against terrorists. On the
other hand, more and more questions are being raised concerning what
exactly happened before-during and after the Rabin assassination.
There are many questions and very few answers, so far. How much will
be covered up and how much will see the light of day is an unknown.
But one thing is for sure: Israel is undergoing a terrific time of
crisis, a time during which the future of the country will be
decided. If the rules by which we are governed are perverted, it
will take quite a while to recover. We will, in the long run,
recover. Of that I have no doubt. But if democracy and majority
rule remain an end, and not a means to an end, it will only lead to
further deterioration. And if the age-long enemies of the Jewish
People are allowed to continue to be a part of this decision-making
process, our suffering can only be described as self-inflicted.