Roots, Trees and Branches

Roots, Trees and Branches
January 28, 2002

Today was Tu b?Shvat, the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, popularly known as the New Year for trees. This holiday has various implications in Jewish law, but also has tremendous symbolic value in our every day life. A tree, as plain as it may appear, is actually quite important. Put simplistically, the body of the tree can exemplify a nation or people, with the roots of the tree representing the people?s origin and the branches of the tree symbolizing the younger generation, the future.

Tu b?Shvat is celebrated with 2 customs. First of all, we eat of the fruit of the land: figs, dates, olives, apples, oranges and the like. Last night, in Hebron, the entire community, men, women and children, gathered at the Gutnick Center and participated in a special Tu b?Shvat seder, a ceremony during which we read poetry and prose about our land, the fruits of our land, sang and danced, exalting in the goodness of Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel).

Of course this ceremony is doubly significant here in Hebron, because looking out the windows of the Gutnick Center we see Ma?arat HaMachpela, the true roots of the Jewish people. Here, while eating the literal fruit of the land, we also witness the fruits of our history, beginning with Abraham and Sarah, here at this very spot, almost four thousand years ago. Watching our children recite the special blessings over their fruit before placing it in their mouths, we know that the roots established by our Patriarchs and Matriarchs are still nourishing the twigs and branches, providing them with the heritage to perpetuate the growth of our common tree.

The second Tu b?Shvat custom is, as one might guess, to plant trees. In Hebron there aren?t too many places for us to plant new seedlings. In the past, trees planted on Tu b?Shvat have been quickly uprooted by our unappreciative neighbors. This year it seemed that the weather might damped our planting ceremonies. However, due to the past years of draught, this year?s massive rainfall is considered to be a blessing, and that blessing should not interfere with another blessing, that of additional trees planted in the land. So, at four o?clock this afternoon Hebron?s children gathered around trees and bushes, planted them in plastic planters, and then filled them with earth. The attractive trees and planters now decorate the Avraham Avinu neighborhood, safe from destructive hands, beautifying the area.

Despite our roots, roots which extend deep into our past and deep into our land, there are many who really do wish to uproot us, the Jewish people, from our homeland. Terrorist attack after terrorist attack, a horrific war of attrition, is geared around removing us from Eretz Yisrael. This afternoon an eight year old boy was stabbed by Arabs in the Shomron community of Elon Moreh. Fortunately, he was not badly hurt. Why in the world would anyone want to stab an eight year old? Only for one reason ? because he is a Jew, living in Eretz Yisrael. Yesterday?s bomb blast in Jerusalem killed an eighty one year old man, a seventh generation Jerusalemite, a man who still bicycled through the Jerusalem forest and conducted tours in the tunnels near the Western Wall. What could better represent Tu b?Shvat, the holiday of trees and roots, than the Jerusalem forest and the Wall? Yet Pinchas Tokatli was denied the right to celebrate this year. Why should anyone want to kill an eighty one year old man ? only because he was a Jew, living in Eretz Yisrael.

Last week seventy nine year old Sarah Hamburger lost her life when a suicide bomber exploded in downtown Jerusalem. Sarah was born in Hebron and miraculously survived the 1929 riots and massacre at five years of age, only to be struck down seventy three years later. Ironically, as a little girl, Sarah?s life was saved by Arabs who hid her and her family while the marauding killers slaughtered other defenseless Jews in the city. Why, in the year 2002, should anyone want to kill a seventy nine year old woman? Again, only because she was a Jew living in Eretz Yisrael.

There may be those who have reached such anguish, who feel that ?life just can?t go on,? who believe that the only answer is to amputate parts of our homeland, believing that ?losing a leg is bad, but preferable to lose a leg than to lose a life.? These people believe that by relinquishing parts of Eretz Yisrael to our enemies, we will satisfy their appetite and they will let us be, in quiet, comfort and peace. How wrong they are! If we chop up Eretz Yisrael we are chopping up our roots. We all know what happens if you chop off the roots of a tree ? the tree inevitably withers and dies. Our roots, which have proved to be a lifeline for our people since the days of Abraham, providing sustenance to generation after generation, lie deep in our land. Both in our physical land and in our spiritual land. As Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, wrote almost one hundred years ago, Eretz Yisrael is not something superficial, rather it is an intrinsic element in our being as a people, as a nation. Eretz Yisrael is a gift from heaven and we must do our utmost to protect it, at all costs.

So today?s festivity of Tu b?Shvat, despite the weather and despite the national mood, was just what the doctor ordered. Watching our children planting trees in Hebron, adding roots to roots, watching the twigs become branches, watching the branches become a real part of the tree, watching the tree climb higher and higher, while the roots burrow deeper and deeper, knowing that come what may, no one will be able to uproot our tree, the tree of the Jewish people in the land of Israel. The Jewish new year for trees is celebrated now, because we are standing at the gates of spring. True, the weather is still cold and rain is still falling, but when you look ahead, you can see, not too far in the future, the blossoms budding and the flowers growing. That is the secret of Tu b?Shvat and the secret of the Jewish people ? always looking ahead, looking forward, knowing that even in the stormiest of weather, the sun is just behind the clouds. 

Tu b'Shvat

Tu b'Shvat
January 28, 2002

Today was Tu b’Shvat, the 15^th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, popularly known as the New Year for trees. This holiday has various implications in Jewish law, but also has tremendous symbolic value in our every day life.

A tree, as plain as it may appear, is actually quite important. Put simplistically, the body of the tree can exemplify a nation or people, with the roots of the tree representing the people’s origin, and the branches of the tree symbolizing the younger generation, or the future.

Tu b’Shvat is celebrated with 2 customs. First of all, we eat of the fruit of the land: figs, dates, olives, apples, oranges and the like. Last night, here in Hebron, the entire community, men, women and children, gathered at the Gutnick Center and participated in a special Tu b’Shvat seder, a ceremony whereby we read poetry and prose about our land, and the fruits of our land, sing and dance, exalting in the goodness of Eretz Yisrael.

Of course this ceremony is doubly significant here in Hebron, because looking out the windows of the Gutnick Center, we see Ma’arat HaMachpela, the true roots of the Jewish people. Here, while eating the literal fruit of the land, we also witness the fruits of our history, beginning with Abraham and Sarah, here at this very spot, almost four thousand years ago. Watching our children recite the special blessings over their fruit before placing it in their mouths, we know that the roots established by our Patriarchs and Matriarchs are still nourishing the twigs and branches, providing them with the heritage by which they will perpetuate the growth of our common tree.

The second Tu b’Shvat custom is, you might have guessed, to plant trees. In Hebron there aren’t too many places for us to plant new seedlings. In the past, trees planted on Tu b”Shavat have been quickly uprooted by our unappreciative neighbors. This year it seemed that the weather might damped our planting ceremonies. However, due to the past years of draught, this year’s massive rainfall is considered to be a blessing, and that blessing should not interfere with another blessing, that of additional trees planted in the land. So at four o’clock this afternoon Hebron’s children gathered around trees and bushes, planted them in plastic planters, and then filled them with earth. The attractive trees and planters now decorate the Avraham Avinu neighborhood, safe from destructive hands, and  beautifying the neighborhood.

Despite our roots, roots which extend deep into our past and deep into our land, there are many who really do wish to uproot us, the Jewish people, from our homeland. Terrorist attack after terrorist attack, a horrific war of attrition, is geared around removing us from Eretz Yisrael.

This afternoon an eight year old boy was stabbed by Arabs in the Shomron community of Elon Moreh. Fortunately he was not badly hurt. Why in the world would anyone want to stab an eight year old? Only for one reason – because he is a Jew, living in Eretz Yisrael.

Yesterday’s bomb blast in Jerusalem killed an eighty one year old man, a seventh generation Yerushalmi, a man who still bicycled through the Jerusalem forest and conducted tours at the Kotel, in the tunnels at the Western Wall. What could better represent Tu b’Shvat, the holiday of trees and roots than the Jerusalem forest and the Wall? Yet Pinchas Tokatli was denied the right to celebrate this year. Why should anyone want to kill an eighty one year old man – only because he was a Jew, living in Eretz Yisrael.

Last week seventy nine year old Sarah Hamburger lost her life when a suicide bomber terrorist exploded in downtown Jerusalem. Sarah was born in Hebron and miraculously survived the 1929 riots and massacre at five years of age, only to be struck down seventy three years later. Ironically, as a little girl, Sarah’s life was saved by Arabs who hid her and her family while the marauding killers slaughtered other defenseless Jews in the city. Why, in the year 2002, should anyone want to kill a seventy nine year old woman? Again, only because she was a Jew living in Eretz Yisrael.

There may be those who have reached such anguish, who feel that “life just can’t go on,” who believe that the only answer is to amputate parts of our homeland, believing that “losing a leg is bad, but preferable to lose a leg than to lose a life.” These people believe that by relinquishing parts of Eretz Yisrael to our enemies, we will satisfy their appetite and they will let us be, in quiet, comfort and peace.

How wrong they are! If we chop up Eretz Yisrael we are chopping up our roots. We all know what happens if you chop off the roots of a tree – the tree inevitably withers and dies. Our roots, which have proved to be a lifeline for our people since the days of Abraham, providing sustenance to generation after generation, lie deep in our land. Both in our physical land and in our spiritual land. As Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaCohen Kook, the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, wrote almost one hundred years ago, Eretz Yisrael is not something superficial, rather it is an intrinsic element in our being as a people, as a nation. Eretz Yisrael is a gift from heaven and we must do our utmost to protect it, at all costs.

So today’s festivity of Tu b’Shvat, despite the weather and despite the national mood, was just what the doctor ordered. Watching our children planting trees in Hebron, adding roots to roots, watching the twigs become branches, watching the branches become a real part of the tree, watching the tree climb higher and higher, while the roots burrow deeper and deeper, knowing that come what may, no one will be able to uproot our tree, the tree of the Jewish people in the land of Israel.

The Jewish new year for trees is celebrated now, because we are standing at the gates of spring. True, the weather is still cold and rain is still falling, but when you look ahead, you can see, not too far in the future, the blossoms budding and the flowers growing. That is the secret of Tu b’Shvat and the secret of the Jewish people – always looking ahead, looking forward, knowing that even in the stormiest of weather, the sun is just behind the clouds.

With blessings from Hebron,

This is David Wilder

Final solutions

Final solutions

January 21, 2001

Shalom.

Yesterday was the sixtieth anniversary of the Wannsee Protocol, issued in Berlin on January 20, 1942. The protocol begins:

“At the beginning of the discussion Chief of the Security Police and of the SD, SS-Obergruppenführer Heydrich, reported that the Reich Marshal had appointed him delegate for the preparations for the final solution of the Jewish question in Europe and pointed out that this discussion had been called for the purpose of clarifying fundamental questions.”

It ends: “State Secretary Dr. Bühler stated further that the solution to the Jewish question in the General Government is the responsibility of the Chief of the Security Police and the SD and that his efforts would be supported by the officials of the General Government. He had only one request, to solve the Jewish question in this area as quickly as possible.

In conclusion the different types of possible solutions were discussed, during which discussion both Gauleiter Dr. Meyer and State Secretary Dr. Bühler took the position that certain preparatory activities for the final solution should be carried out immediately in the territories in question, in which process alarming the populace must be avoided.

The meeting was closed with the request of the Chief of the Security Police and the SD to the participants that they afford him appropriate support during the carrying out of the tasks involved in the solution.”

The protocol includes a list of 32 countries containing over 11 million Jews. The countries include: Greece, the Netherlands, Ireland, England, Portugal, and Spain, among others.

Of those eleven million, the cursed Nazis succeed in exterminating between six to seven million Jews.

In case you didn’t notice, the other name for the Wannsee conference was the “final solution conference,” or how to rid the world of the Jews.

Despite attempts by a few warped minds, trying to deny the events of the holocaust, the world recognizes the results of the Wannsee Final Solution Conference as one of the, if not the most, catastrophic event in world history. As defined by the Germans, “Jews must be removed from the territory of the General Government as quickly as possible, since it is especially here that the Jew as an epidemic carrier represents an extreme danger and on the other hand he is causing permanent chaos in the economic structure of the country through continued black market dealings” led to supreme ethnic cleansing, an effort to eradicate an entire people.

One of the results of the attempt to decimate European Jewry was the creation of the State of Israel. A Jewish state, the undeniable antithesis of Wannsee, was the proverbial “slap in the face,” proving not only to the cursed Germans, but to the entire world who cooperated directly or indirectly in the holocaust, that the Jews are undeletable. Do what they will, we are here to stay.

Yet it seems that the lesson is yet to be learned.

Last night Tel Aviv University, led by former Ambassador to the US Itamar Rabinovich, a Peres-Rabin appointee, granted former US president Bill Clinton an honorary doctorate.

In truth it is unnecessary to waste too many words on Bill Clinton’s relationship with Israel – a president who publicly interfered in internal Israeli politics, was responsible for knocking Yitzhak Shamir out of office, who later unsuccessfully tried to prevent Netanyanu’s election, who promised Bibi Pollard for Wye and then backed down, and who, at Camp David, almost cost Israel Jerusalem.

This is our buddy Bill Clinton, called by Rabinovitch a “Chaver” and a “Yedid” both words in Hebrew, meaning friend.

What did Clinton have to say for himself? A few choice thoughts:

“It cannot be ignored that two people have rights to one land.”

“Don’t give up the hope for peace.”

And finally, “Arafat missed a golden opportunity at Camp David.”

That’s it, hitting the nail on the head – Arafat missed a golden opportunity at Camp David. In other words, Yassir could have had 95 percent of Yesha, virtually all of East Jerusalem and a palestinian state, and all this before again declaring war on the State of Israel. Had Yassir opted to accept the US-Ehud Barak offers, look at how much more effective his war would have been.

Firstly, a sovereign state would have allowed him protection from Israel illegally seizing palestinian war vessels, or ships containing 50 tons of ammunition. After all, a sovereign state can import whatever it likes, especially weapons for reasons of “self-defense.”

And of course, military control over 95% of Judea, Samaria and Gazza would make it so much easier to eliminate those pesty stubborn settlers who refuse to acknowledge the palestinian homeland.

And last, but surely not least, 95% of Yesha in Arafat’s hands would make liberation of ALL of Palestine much much easier. For example, ground to air missiles from Kalkilia would make air travel in and out of Ben Gurion airport almost impossible.

In short, western participation in the “final solution” has not yet disappeared from the stage of history. Just as their silence ensured that Aushwitz would continue to function during World War Two, so too today, continued support for Hitler number two, Yassir Arafat and the fourth reich, now renamed the palestinian authority, backs nothing less than the destruction of the Jewish homeland, the state of Israel. Arafat wants one thing and one thing alone – the end of Israel and the beginning of the state of Palestine. Clinton’s choice words, namely “Arafat’s missing a golden opportunity” reveal tacit support for Arafat’s goal, which is virtually identical to Hitler’s goal, as documented in the Wannsee protocol sixty years ago.

The major difference is that today there is a State of Israel, and in spite of those Jews who are too blind to recognize the face of the enemy, most Jews have now woken up to the fact that Arafat is not a partner in peace, rather he is a continuance of the plans for a final solution. However, just as Hitler did not succeed, despite his massive murder machine, so too, Hitler number two will not succeed, despite his massive murder machine. The destiny of the third and fourth Reich’s will be identical. And the Jewish people will live on forever in their homeland, our beloved, G-d-given, Israel.

With blessings from Hebron,

This is David Wilder

The Splendor of the Shomron

The Splendor of the Shomron
January 1, 2002

A few days ago I participated in a unique tour of Samaria (the Shomron), north of Jerusalem, with some friends visiting from New York. We spent the day with Shilo resident, Eira Rappaport, a wonderful tour guide and an amazing personality. I?d like to try and convey some of what we experienced while touring this beautiful part of Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel). 

We began our day in Psagot, which is actually in Binyamin, just south of the Shomron. Psagot, overlooking Arafat ?controlled Ramallah, is one of the communities hardest hit by the Oslo war. Under fire, day and night, for weeks and months at a time, Psagot?s brave families held fast, successfully weathering the murderous attacks.

Not too far from Psagot is one of the most important communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza (Yesha), Beit El. Founded in the late 1970s, Beit El is home to two of Yesha?s most prominent leaders: Rabbi Shlomo Aviner and Rabbi Zalman Melamed. Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, dean of the Ateret Cohanim yeshiva, is responsible for the redemption of much of the land returned to Jewish hands in the Old City of Jerusalem. An extremely prolific writer and an influential educator, Rabbi Aviner was one of the leaders of our return to Yesha. His counterpart, Rabbi Zalman Melamed is also a brilliant Torah scholar and the dean of the yeshiva in Beit El. However, Rabbi Melamed?s crowning glory is none other than Arutz Sheva ? Israel National Radio - which he founded and directs. Arutz Sheva is a popular radio station, the third-largest station in Israel, and it also broadcasts live in foreign languages, such as English, French and Russian. It also commands a very large internet audience, of which you, dear reader, are already a part. We visited the Arutz Sheva studio and heard from both Yedidya Atlas and Baruch Gordon, both of whom participate in managing the station.

After a visit to Shilo, we continued further north to Har Grizim, the Grizim mount, which overlooks Shechem. Despite the breathtaking view, overlooking a vast area of the Shomron, I had very mixed emotions while standing there. Below us, in clear view, was one of Israel?s most sacred sites, Kever Yosef, Joseph?s tomb. Seeing that site at that time was particularly moving, because only a few days later, on Shabbat, we read in the weekly Torah portion about Joseph?s death at 110 years of age in Egypt, some three thousand five hundred years ago. Hundreds of years after his death, Joseph?s bones were taken from Egypt and later buried in Shechem, at the place now known as Kever Yosef.

My first inclination was to focus on how sad it is, knowing that this holy site has been captured and occupied by our enemies, knowing that Jews may not visit or pray at this site. However, sad is not the right word to express the true emotions we felt. Perhaps it was anger, perhaps frustration, perhaps a gnawing realization that many Israelis, many Jews, do not understand the importance and significance of such a site religiously, historically and culturally. At the same time, I realized that if we in Hebron did not live where we do today, keeping Hebron Jewish for the Jewish people, Ma?arat HaMachpela, the Cave of the Patriarchs, would probably look just like Kever Yosef does today ? a declared mosque, with access forbidden to anyone not Moslem.

One of the anomalies of the last few months is Israel?s position concerning Kever Yosef. According to the Oslo Accords, Joseph?s tomb was to have remained under Israeli security control, freely accessible to Jews. The site was abandoned to the terrorists over a year ago, with an Israeli soldier bleeding to death inside the compound during the final battle. Not too long ago, following the brutal murder of Minister Rehavam Ze?evi, Israel returned to Shechem and other cities in Yesha. Why didn?t we then liberate Kever Yosef? Why didn?t Ariel Sharon, recognizing Israel?s entitlement to this extraordinary site, assert Israel?s right to again control Kever Yosef? What could have been a more appropriate reaction to the killing of an Israeli minister by Arab terrorists whose goal is the destruction of the State of Israel? Yet it didn?t happen. Despite Israel?s extended stay in Shechem, Yosef remained deserted, left in the hands of Israel?s terrorist adversaries. It?s very difficult to comprehend.

Leaving Har Grizim, we traveled East, reaching the peaks of the Shomron mountains and the community of Itamar. We didn?t stop in Itamar proper, rather we continued up the steep roads, feeling like we could easily fall off the side of the mountain, until, about three-quarters of the way up, we stopped. There, we found a real log cabin, built by one of the genuine pioneers of our day, a man named Avri, who settled this land with his own two hands. After a few families joined him, also building homes, Avri continued up the mountain, reaching the very top. There, he continued building, literally settling the land. Today a number of families, with their children and a group of volunteers work the land and raise cows, sheep and chickens.

As the sun set we prayed in a small wooden synagogue, with an unbelievably incredible view surrounding us on all sides, something of a paradise. Such is the bliss of pioneering fortitude, a feeling of really being on top of the world. With day blending into night, it was a perfect climax to our tour - a wondrous harmony of the Land and People of Israel, bonded with the pure spirit of our sacred Torah, which guides us in our quest for true peace, tranquility and unity.

My hope and prayer is that each and every one of you, dear readers, will be privileged to enjoy the same kind of day that we did with Eira Rappaport, in the heart of Eretz Yisrael, in heights of the Shomron.