tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40457331298620779682024-03-14T08:34:28.082+02:00Articles by David WilderArticles written by David Wilder from Hebron, beginning in 1995 through the present. Other articles can be viewed at: www.thewilderway.info and www.blessingsfromhebron.com
Блог Хеврона: Статьи Дэвид Уайлдером - www.DavidWilder-Russian.blogspot.com
El blog de Hebrón: Artículos por David Wilder - www.DavidWilder-Spanish.blogspot.com
Le Blog Hébron: Les articles de David Wilder - www.DavidWilder-French.blogspot.com
David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.comBlogger666125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-31191923519873414862017-01-16T14:36:00.000+02:002017-01-16T14:36:09.037+02:00Twenty Years Later - We Overcame, We Persevered by David Wilder<div class="MsoNormal" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17.6px;">Twenty Years Later - We Overcame, We Persevered by David Wilder</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This week marks an auspicious date, as it leads to the inauguration
of the incoming President of the United States. <br /><br /><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However, my view of the week of January 20th is of a completely
different perspective. This year, this
week marks the 20th anniversary of the signing, Knesset vote and implementation
of the so-called "Hebron Accords," which, as a continuation of Oslo,
split the city of Hebron. On March 15, the Israeli cabinet voted in favor of
the Hebron Protocol. The next day the Knesset voted to implement the accords.
The next day, Friday, the city was officially split. The IDF vacated/abandoned
the Hebron military headquarters, with Col. Gadi Shamni, the commander of the
Hebron region, being the last to leave. On Sunday, January 19, Arafat,
celebrating the 'liberation' of the city, visited the former Israeli military
compound, high on the hills in Hebron, to the cheers of tens of thousands. Some
80% of the city was transferred/abandoned to Arafat and the palestinian
authority. In reality, the agreement
left Jews with access to 3% of Hebron, while the Arabs had access to 97% of the
city.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />After over 35 years in Hebron and nearby Kiryat Arba, I've
witnessed many and various events, some quite joyous, and others, almost
unbearably sad. But this day, which will undoubtedly be recalled as one of the most
awful episodes in the annuls of Jewish history, has left me stunned, even after
two decades.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />The Arab celebrations were totally out of hand. Israeli security
forces didn't even try to prevent disturbances in the center of Hebron. Living then in Kiryat Arba, I remember walking
down to Friday night Shabbat prayers at Ma'arat HaMachpela, and then continuing
on to the Avraham Avinu neighborhood, basically too numb to really feel
anything. Over the next weeks and months, when driving around the community, I
could not bring myself to believe that the Israeli government, led by Binyamin
Netanyahu had actually signed and implemented this suicidal agreement. Why suicidal?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />A strategically vital land area was all but totally turned over to
the Arabs. The hills surrounding the Jewish community officially belonged to
Arafat. But as a symbolic gesture, an
Israeli military jeep was stationed along side a PA jeep overlooking the Jewish
neighborhoods. On the eve of Rosh
HaShana in the year 2000, the Oslo War, aka the 2nd Intifada began. The Israeli vehicle disappeared. For the next
two years Arab terrorists utilized the land we gave them as a base from which
to shoot at us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />It was clearly evident, prior to the signing and implementation of
the accords that the result would be catastrophic. We went so far as to produce
a movie, called "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOGceCTICyM">Hebron
in Danger</a>" in English and Hebrew, predicting in graphic detail the
consequences of the agreement. We were laughed at and ridiculed. After all, the
era of peace was at hand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />Not too long prior to the government's approval, Hebron leaders met
with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Future MK Orit Struk said,
"Bibi, look me in the eye and tell me the Arabs won't shoot at us from the
hills." His response: "Orit, if one shot is fired, I'll send in the
tanks." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />On the morning of the cabinet vote, then minister Natan Sharansky
came into Hebron. We took him to the peak of the Abu Sneneh hills, to the south
of the community, to show him once again, the dangers incurred by the accords.
Upon his return to Jerusalem, Sharansky met with Netanyahu and exclaimed, <i>"Bibi,
this agreement is endangering the Jews in Hebron."</i> Netanyahu put his
arm around Sharansky's shoulders and retorted, <i>"Natan, do you think
that I would do anything to endanger the Jews in Hebron?"<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />No danger, no danger at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />But statistics published by the <a href="http://en.hebron.org.il/history/527">ministry of foreign affairs</a> show
partial results of 'no danger at all.' Between
1969 and 1996, a period of 27 years, 29 Jews were killed in the Hebron area.
From 1997 to 2016, that is 19 years,
some 60 Jews were murdered in the same area. These numbers do not include the thousands
wounded, and the tens of thousands of attacks, stabbings, shootings,
fire-bombings, and rock attacks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />Ironically the agreement between Israel and the PA, granted
Hebron's Jewish community a degree of legitimacy. In other words, they
recognized our existence. Except in reality they didn't. Arafat himself,
speaking in Hebron, said, <i><span style="background: white; color: #281e1e;"><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/thousands-welcome-arafat-in-hebron-1284160.html">"Hebron
is a springboard ... so that we can establish our independent Palestinian
state."</a></span></i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />And his appointed head of the Hebron region, Jibril Rajoub,
speaking about the Jewish community said<i>, <span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #281e1e;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #281e1e;"><a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/thousands-welcome-arafat-in-hebron-1284160.html">"They
are big stones on our chest and we have to take them off,"<span style="font-style: normal;"> </span></a></span></i><span dir="RTL" lang="HE"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />On
January 16, 1997 <a href="http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFA-Archive/1997/Pages/PM%20Netanyahu%20Statement%20to%20Knesset%20on%20Hebron%20Protoc.aspx">Netanyahu,
speaking in the Knesset, said</a> <i>"... I
would like to appeal to the residents of Hebron. I know that you are fearful
today, and I would like to say to you, brothers and sisters, that we are
concerned for you, that we do not see you as an insignificant appendage. We see
you are dear brothers. We are concerned for each and every one of you. We do
not see you as 400 insignificant Jews, but as our representatives.</i><i>.. in the last analysis, every agreement is dependent upon
the goodwill of the signatories. I call from this podium upon the Palestinians
and our Arab neighbors to support the agreement, to fulfill all its provisions,
in order that security should be preserved...Until now, Hebron has been a
symbol of division and conflict because of the hostility between Palestinians
and Israelis. Now we have an opportunity to prove that Hebron can also serve an
opposite example - one of cooperation, of co-existence, a paradigm of peace."<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<br />My only explanation of these words is that he must have been
hallucinating when he wrote the speech. Sure, we were representatives, teaching
Israelis how to 'die with dignity.'<o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />The day before, with the cabinet agreement
approving the Hebron Accords <a href="http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFA-Archive/1997/Pages/Cabinet%20Approves%20Hebron%20Protocol%20-%20January%2016-%20199.aspx">the
following statement</a> was tacked on to the decision<i>: "</i><i>The Government will
act to maintain all the conditions and requirements necessary for the
existence, security and consolidation of the Jewish community in Hebron."<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />The problem was that these words were written with invisible ink.
They disappeared almost immediately upon the accord's implementation. And as
all know, Bibi has a very selective memory. It seems he forgot this clause
shortly thereafter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />Where are we, 20 years down the road? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />Past: On September 7, 1995 Binyamin Netanyahu,
candidate for Prime Minister, while visiting Hebron, issued the following
statement:<br />
<i>The Jewish settlement will remain in Hebron permanently. If someone tries to
take it away, my friends and I will be here, and they will have to take us away
as well. It will be a fatal mistake to bring hundreds of armed Palestinian
policemen here, and there will be a small area where the Jews can pass and
where the police and IDF can operate. If there will be a conflict, the IDF will
not be able to function and will quickly collide with the Palestinian forces.
This is a prescription for tragedy. There is one body responsible, and that has
to be the IDF".</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Present:
On December 11, 2016 Netanyahu <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/221659">told 60
Minutes that</a> he remained committed to the two-state solution, and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/221567" style="cursor: pointer;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #046eb9;">hoped the Trump
administration would assist in achieving it</span></b></a>.<o:p></o:p><br />
<i>“I’m willing to negotiate with [the Palestinian Authority] at any
moment,” said Netanyahu. “I haven’t reversed my position. I’ve said, ‘Look, we
will solve this because we want two nation states at peace and with the proper
security arrangements.’ Two states for two peoples…. that’s where I’m focused.”<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<i>“I’d like to have President Trump, when he gets into the White
House, help me work on that. I’d like to see if the Arab states can help me
achieve that. It’s a new reality. A new possibility.”<o:p></o:p></i><br />
<br />In other words, Netanyahu has learned nothing, but absolutely
nothing from the decisions and their consequences over the past two decades. He
is willing to continue down a path of pain, terror, and Jewish blood. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />The most appropriate action he could take this week is to make a
special trip to Ma'arat HaMachpela in Hebron, stand on the steps leading up to
the edifice, and apologize, to first and foremost our Patriarchs and
Matriarchs, who have witness to this continued desecration of the sanctify of
G-d. He must apologize to the family of Rabbi Shlomo Ra'anan, murdered in his
bedroom in August, 1998. <br /><br />He must apologize to the family of Shalhevet Pass, 10
months old, shot in the head by an Arab sniper. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />He should stand and recite the names of all of those killed in and
around Hebron from January 1997 through the present, just as victims of the Holocaust's
names are read from the podium in the Knesset. <o:p></o:p><br />
And then he must state, unequivocally, that the Accords were a
mistake and a failure, that Oslo was a mistake and a failure, and then, with one
hand on his heart and the other on a Bible, swear to put a total end to any
talk of further concessions, leading to a Palestinian State. Perhaps one
symbolic act could conclude the event: A palestinian authority flag be placed
within a coffin, and then buried in the local Arab cemetery. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />An idea, dead and buried. Only then, and really only then, can we
start to look forward to the future, to rectify the enormous errors, costing so
many lives, and begin to live as Jews, as Israelis, on our land.<span dir="RTL" lang="HE"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<pre><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
The concluding words <a href="http://davidwilder.blogspot.co.il/1997/01/hebron-rip_17.html">of my essay, written on January 14, 1997</a>: </span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>"The immediate future will be very difficult - of that I have no doubts </i></span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>or illusions. If the Jewish People were able to overcome the results </i></span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>of a Holocaust that left one third of our people murdered, and in spite </i></span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>of that were able to create a viable state only three years after the furnaces </i></span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>were extinguished, we can overcome anything. It will not be easy, but we will persevere." <o:p></o:p></i></span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Little did I know then how difficult it actually would be. But I was correct. </span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">We overcame, we persevered. And we will continue to do so. Forever and ever and ever. </span></pre>
<pre><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let no one think otherwise.<o:p></o:p></span></pre>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-48716055609514245682016-06-30T19:08:00.000+03:002017-01-01T19:09:17.178+02:00An End to Chaos<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">King David wrote in the Book of Psalms, "Sur meRa v'ase tov" - which means, "Veer from evil and do good" (Psalms 34:15).</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This is an axiom whose purpose is to enable a framework of orderly life. That is, first prevent actions which are latently bad, and not only have no positive benefit to any and all, but are negative and harmful.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Only after the deletion of wickedness can good prevail.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If and when this maxim is ignored, chaos reigns.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This pandemonium can be easily witnessed throughout the world today, including here in Israel.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Months ago, following an attempted stabbing of soldiers in Hebron, a number of residents conducted a lengthy discussion with the commander, (a full colonel) of the Judean Brigade (who fortunately is concluding his term, and will soon be replaced.) The gist of the conversation can be summed up in a few words. In his opinion, if he allowed the Arab residents to continue their normal way of life, they would leave us alone.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We tried to explain/convince him that this approach was mistaken and would only lead to further terror attacks.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We were unsuccessful in our efforts. Only after the murder of Genadi Kaufman in Hebron, and the near killing of a soldier outside Beit Hadassah did he change his policies.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Our Colonel/Commander's outlook is not his alone. Other high-ranking officers, including some of his commanders are of the same opinion.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The results are chaos, such as the indescribable slaughter of a 13 year old girl in her bed in Kiryat Arba this morning.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This isn't the first time. The Litman father and son, Dafna Meir, the Fogel family, etc. etc.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This is chaos. Because it is the responsibility of the government, the Prime Minister, the Defense Minister, and all the relevant security forces to prevent such atrocities and maintain order. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The problem is that they are shirking their responsibilities and the results are slaughtered Jews. Cut to pieces, as was Hallel Yaffa Ariel, sleeping in her bed, this morning.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">What can the Israeli government do to actualize the above-quoted verse?</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">First, destroy the wicked. In one word, deterrence. Ensure that evil suffers.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">For instance, presently the Prime Minister glories in the aura of destroying a terrorist's home (when the Supreme Court allows it.) However, as the terror continues, it is obvious that this measure in not effective. If though, the entire neighborhood where the terrorist lived was razed to the ground, with it inhabitants being expelled to Lebanon, Gaza, (Iraq or Syria), perhaps this might enhance the deterrent effect. (This, as opposed to paying Turkey twenty million dollars in damages to terrorists attempting to kill Israeli soldiers.)</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If members of a community knew that immediately following a terror attack they would all suffer, it's possible that they would take steps to prevent such attacks.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">If this isn't enough, than destroy the entire village or town.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">One need not be a genius or expert military strategist to comprehend the logic. In my opinion, this would be somewhat more effective than today's decision to surround the village of Boni Nayim, where the terrorist lived, and revoke work permits from the killer's family.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Nu, big deal! So what!? Deterrence? No way. These measures will not prevent the next carving up of another Jew somewhere in Israel.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Real deterrence is the name of the game, the first step in fulfilling KIng David's instructions to his People, 3,000 years ago. If they're not afraid of you, they will continue down their murderous path of atrocity.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Stage two - 'do good.'</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This can also be accomplished relatively easily. Our enemies understand two basic languages. The first as now described. The second language they understand is land.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Many years ago, when previous governments were less fearful of the US, the UN and the EU, they implemented the 'true Zionist response' to terror. Wherever an attack occurred, there was built a new community.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">That policy has fizzled up and disappeared. It must be renewed.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The government must immediately announce and implement construction of thousands of new buildings throughout Judea and Samaria, including such 'hotspots' as Hebron. New communities must be initiated.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">This is 'doing good.' And our neighbors as well as the rest of world, still trying to push a suicide piece plan down our throats, will know we mean business. Maybe they'll even learn something from us about fighting terror.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">How then, will these acts stop the chaos cold, and bring back some kind of order.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">As King David teaches us, with the continuation of the verse, 'Bakesh Shalom v'Radfeihu' which means, 'search for peace and run after it.'</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We can only hope for peace, we can only seek out peace, we can only run after peace, after evil is vanished, vanquished, eliminated, and 'good' is an accepted and accomplished fact. The lack of either of these two elements prevents any chance of reaching peace.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We know. We've been living this chaos for many many years.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: Arial;">
<span style="font-size: large;">The time has come to put an end to chaos and then achieve an authentic peace, preventing a mother's tears, seeing her 13 year old daughter's body looking like a flour sifter. </span></div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-44731338664405721002016-06-20T22:42:00.001+03:002016-06-20T22:42:52.381+03:00Dr. Irving Moskowitz - Enveloped in a cloud of holiness<div class="article-top-wrap" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(216, 216, 216); border-bottom-style: solid; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 16px 14px; padding: 16px 0px 10px; position: relative; vertical-align: baseline; width: 768px;">
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Dr. Irving Moskowitz - Enveloped in a cloud of holiness</div>
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<br /><img alt="" height="225" src="http://www.jpost.com/sites/default/files/BloggersImages/335%5C/image/moskow022.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="300" /><a href="http://www.jpost.com/sites/default/files/BloggersImages/335%5C/image/moskow027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px;"><img alt="" border="0" height="225" src="http://www.jpost.com/sites/default/files/BloggersImages/335%5C/image/moskow027.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin-top: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="300" /></a><br /> <strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">At Ma'arat HaMachpela - with Hebron children (photos David Wilder)</strong><br /><br />Much has been written by many people about Dr. Irving Moskowitz zt"l since notification of his passing late last week. I too wrote a short piece on Facebook:</div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A Tzaddik has left this world for a better world, Dr. Irving Moskowitz, whose name and acts will be remembered in the annuls of Jewish history with Montefiore and Rothchild, whose generosity knew no boundaries, a man of modesty, a man of Torah, a man of the people. Together with his indefatigable Ashet Chayil Cherna, may she live and be well for many years to come, Irving changed the very face of Jewish presence in Eretz Yisrael. There aren't words to capture and define his legacy. Only that I have no doubt that what he was able to accomplish in this world is only a sliver of what he'll be able to do in the next world. May he and his memory be blessed for eternity</span>.</div>
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I don't know if I can add much to what has already been written, but on Shabbat I read a beautiful paragraph from the Zohar, appearing in parshat Chaya Sarah, which is the Torah portion describing Abraham's purchase of the Caves of Machpela, and immediately thought of Dr. Moskowitz:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-bottom: 10px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Rabbi Pinchas said, before a Tzaddik (righteous person) leaves this world, a voice from Heaven calls out, 'prepare a place for this person, the Tzaddik, who is coming.' And because this soul is so privileged as to enter the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem, the angel Michael, the great minister, goes forth to greet him with Shalom, and all the other ministering angels wait behind and ask, 'who is it coming up from the desert, from the world below?' Because it is a world of ruins, called desert, as opposed to the heavenly world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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And the angel Michael, the great minister, answers, 'one is my pure, innocent dove,' in other words, Michael does not praise the private mitzvot and traits of the Tzaddik and his righteousness, rather he recites the innocent loftiness which includes all the traits and positive, kosher characteristics, and just as this soul includes all of these pure, innocent, kosher and honest deeds, so the elevated holiness surrounds him always, and when he deals with Torah and Mitzvot, all the area around him is with total holiness and his reward is very great indeed. <br /><br /><img alt="" height="225" src="http://www.jpost.com/sites/default/files/BloggersImages/335%5C/image/moskow029.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="300" /><img alt="" height="225" src="http://www.jpost.com/sites/default/files/BloggersImages/335%5C/image/moskow045.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px 10px 0px 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" width="300" /><br /><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">With Hebron children - with the author </strong><strong style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(photos David Wilder)</strong></div>
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This, perhaps, describes the transcendental process by which Dr. Irving Moskowitz left this world, on his way to the next world. For his deeds were all for the good of 'Klal Yisrael,' the greater Israel, not for his own private reward, but for all of Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael.</div>
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It was an honor and privilege to have known him, to have walked with him and talked with him, because he was always, as is described above, enveloped in a cloud of holiness.</div>
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Without any doubt, he will continue his righteous efforts in the world of total good and happiness, on behalf of his family and on behalf of all Yisrael.</div>
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<span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">יהי זכרו ברוך</span></div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-58099222244174849842016-06-03T18:03:00.001+03:002016-06-03T18:04:21.599+03:00An archeological timeline of eternity<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; direction: ltr; font-size: large;">
<b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;">An archeological timeline of eternity</span><br style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.4px;" /><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">by David Wilder, Eretz.Org</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;"><b>Erev Yom Hebron 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;">Archeologists Immanuel Eisenberg and David Ben-Shlomo had just about wrapped up the excavations. Their finds were admirable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />This wasn't Eisenberg's first Hebron dig. Back in 1999, working on the northern edge of Tel Hebron, his finds could not be described as anything less than astonishing. They ranged from 4,500 hundred years ago, that being the early bronze age, to about 1,700 years ago, that being the Byzantine era.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />On the western-most area excavated, he discovered two walls, one dated back to the days of Noah and the flood. Adjacent to this 4,500 year old find were stone stairs, in perfect condition, from the same era, most probably, leading to the 'gate of the city.' Next to the stairs is another wall, this one being 3,700 years old, that being the middle bronze era, that being the time of Abraham and Sarah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">On the eastern most side of the excavation are </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">Byzantine</span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"> wine cisterns.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />Just to the east of them is a 'four-room' house, 2,700 years old, that being the First-Templ e era, built during the days of King Hezekiah. During this age, the kingdom utilized Hebron as a place to store food for the army, then fighting a war with Assyrian King Sinharib. The grains were kept in clay jars. Near the bottom of the jar's handle was a small seal, identifying the jar and its contents as property of the Kingdom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />The seal itself looked something like a cross between a bird and a beetle, some with two wings, and others with four. Above the seal was inscribed the word<i>, L'Melech</i>, 'belonging to the King.' Beneath the seal was another word, identifying the area where the food jar was being stored.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />During these excavations, Eisenberg and his team discovered five of these such seals, all marked with the words 'L'Melech, and underneath, in ancient Hebrew, the word 'Hebron.' Eisenberg, speaking to then defense minister Moshe Arens, at the site, exclaimed, "if anyone had any doubts as to whether this is the original, Biblical Hebron, those doubts have all been erased. We have proof that Jews have lived here since the days of Abraham."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><img alt="Inline image 4" class="CToWUd" height="472" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=89c78e38c8&view=fimg&th=15516c17fbd59904&attid=0.1&disp=emb&realattid=ii_15516c0a2c8b1865&attbid=ANGjdJ_2WrmkDAG3Fid12KpK3GYwYygAy4Q47UBQKWBt6FZ0bMgAmMiBBoc4s5NWqsU18aX-uF2tOezDJ9roCeR3vjPHluUZTxNDNqhDjS4TWm5POZptU4_hyC3migg&sz=w920-h944&ats=1464966085195&rm=15516c17fbd59904&zw&atsh=1" width="460" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />Eisenberg and Ben Shlomo's excavations southern side of the Tel were no less impressive. They uncovered a 2,000 year old industrial area, complete with ponds and aqueducts for water flow. A house, or more likely, pottery factory, burned down during the wars with the Romans, containing remnants of jars was found. Inside the house, two amazing discoveries: a large iron key to the building's door, and also a jar containing olive pits, 2,000 years old. Additionally they found both olive oil and wine presses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />Parts of the south-eastern region of the Tel had been previously excavated by Philip Hammond, from the United States, in the middle 1960s. Hammond uncovered parts of a 3,700 year old wall, whose stones were so large he described them as Cycloptic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;">Eisenberg and Ben-Shlomo continued to dig out this wall, revealing a large section of it. However, a most astounding revelation was determined, that being that the wall had served Hebron for over a thousand years. That is from the time of Abraham, probably until the destruction at the hands of Sinharib, 2,700 years ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />In other words, when Abraham entered Hebron from the south, this he saw this wall. When Calev ben Yefuheh came into Hebron, being a member of the spies Moses sent to Israel from the desert, this is the wall he viewed. And when David began the Kingdom of Israel in Hebron, some 3,000 years ago, this wall surrounded the original 'City of David.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">The dig was just about completed. A bulldozer started pushing out dirt that had been piled up during the dig. As it finished its work, the </span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;">archaeologists</span><span style="line-height: 18.4px;"> requested that it continue digging down, where the dirt had covered the earth. Just to make sure…</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><img alt="Inline image 3" class="CToWUd" height="300" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=89c78e38c8&view=fimg&th=15516c17fbd59904&attid=0.2&disp=emb&realattid=ii_15516baba24dcb7b&attbid=ANGjdJ8ohaHnNHBMJK0F8pxdxxvNB6xBo6MQP4a1fjDOnBAp7QnDLoqKlv4mxlSGKU6no2B56BpyVnX2A6LqV9v7iTN1svyoiAWbyy8JtkZrNc-lBqe0sZ5uHnfHSYo&sz=w944-h600&ats=1464966085196&rm=15516c17fbd59904&zw&atsh=1" width="472" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />To their surprise and amazement, the bulldozer uncovered a large pit. Continued work led to another remarkable discovery. Two very large Mikvahs, that is ritual pools, in beautiful condition were found at that site. They were dated to the Second Temple period, that is, some 2,000 years old. They were astounded.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />There was no doubt as to the authenticity of these artifacts or the time of their origin. And here again, solid proof of, not only a Jewish presence, but of a solid presence. Only such a population could allow for this type of industrial area and such large mikvahs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;">And of course, the foremost site in Hebron is the huge monumental structure built by Herod atop the caves of Machpela, again, 2,000 years ago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />The Jewish population in Hebron, as most of the Jewish inhabitants of Judea, where expelled by the Romans following the destruction of the 2<sup>nd</sup> Temple and the defeat of the Jewish revolts. However, there are recorded accounts of Jews praying at Ma'arat HaMachpela in the middle of the 6<sup>th</sup> century. And in 614 it is written by the Muslim historian Ibn Huldan 'that the Jews in Hebron assisted the Persians to conquer the city, thereby ending the persecution at the hands of the Byzantines.' When exactly the Jews returned to Hebron is not entirely clear, but from this account it is clear that they had come back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />It seems that there were no Jews in Hebron was between 1100 until the middle 1200s. In 1100, following the Crusader conquest, Jews were expelled from the city. After the Mamluk conquest in 1260, Jews again returned to Hebron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />The Avraham Avinu Synagogue was built in 1540 by Jews who had been expelled from Spain in 1492. And so the community continued until the 1929 riots and expulsion. For the first time in almost 1000 years, Hebron was emptied of its age-old Jewish community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />Until 1967.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />So there we have it: 3,700-, 3,000-, 2700-, 2,000-, 1,400-, 900-, 500- years of archeological evidence of a Jewish community in Hebron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large; line-height: 18.4px;"><br />In other words, on June 8, 1967, that being the 29<sup>th</sup> day of Iyar in 5727, the Jewish people did not conquer and occupy a foreign city. Rather they returned home, home to Hebron, the roots of the Jewish people, the roots of humanity.</span></div>
David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-2556930483302624542016-05-10T17:07:00.004+03:002016-05-10T17:14:07.811+03:00A Giant He Will Be!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">According to stats released by the Israeli Defense Department:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Since 1860:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">23,447 have been killed in war and battles,</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">68 have been killed during the last year</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">59 wounded in past years died of their wounds</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">At present there are 16,307 bereaved families</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Of them 9,442 are bereaved parents</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">4,917 are widows</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">1,948 are orphans (to age 30)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">2,756 have been killed in terror attacks</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">31 have been killed during the last year</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">379 have been wounded during the last year</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Resulting in 3,011 orphans</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Of them 107 orphaned of both parents</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">975 bereaved widows and widowers</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">972 bereaved parents</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The days and weeks after Passover aren't easy. First, Holocaust memorial day, and then Israel's memorial day, leading into Independence day.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">None of them are easy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">OK. The first two are understandably difficult. Six or seven million are numbers incomprehensible. The personal stories that inevitably appear are too, impossible to fathom. Tales of heroes, of all ages, of both sexes, and of all religions, who risked and sometimes paid with their lives, to try and save others. Each story is a world unto itself, piercing rays of light in a world of darkness.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">And then, a week later, Israeli Memorial Day. There isn't anyone who doesn't know someone – be it family, friends, neighbors, from childhood, work…. Everyone knows someone – and so the day, with the sirens blasting twice, at night and in the morning, the ceremonies at military cemeteries, the eulogies, the remembrances, are usually accompanied by tears and sadness.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">But there's also pride in those who were willing to give their lives, allowing the creation and continuation of the State of Israel. But it's certainly not easy.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Memorial day blends into Independence day. The border between the two somewhat blurry; From melancholy to rejoice. From ashes to rebirth.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yet this day, unfortunately, is also not easy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">One would expect that a state, 68 years old, existing amongst conditions unbelievable and indescribable in a science fiction story, would be proud of itself, of its achievements, of its very existence.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Yet we are witness to statements such as those of the deputy chief of staff, the former chief of staff, with the support of the defense minister and the current chief of staff, and others, daring to voice concern about the shadows of Nazi Germany hanging over the state of Israel. Officers and soldiers are berated for fulfilling their duty, labeled as unethical and immoral.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Israelis partake in organizations funded by Israel's enemies, whose primary goal is the eradication of the state of Israel. Yet they are allowed to run free and continue their traitorous behavior.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">We find ourselves living by the rules of those appointed, dressed in black, whose visions are the very antithesis of Judaism, who rather than adjudicate, legislate, without authority. But, their word is law.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And the list goes on and on and on.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Is this the state we prayed for?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Yesterday, speaking with a friend, I said, 'when you have an infection, it is filled with pus, and cannot heal until that pus is drained from the body. I guess that's what's happening to us today. It's all seeping out.'</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Anyone who has ever been a child knows that we go through periods of time when we drive our parents crazy – mad. It can begin at a few weeks old and continue for decades. But usually, in the end, it works out ok. It may take some time, but the final product is a gem.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So it is today. We are 68 going on 16. Going through that well-known 'identity crisis,' which tends to lead to wacky behavior. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">As is said, Jews can be taken out of exile, but it is more difficult to take the exile out of the Jews. But in the end, all the exile will drain, leaving only the pure Jew-Israeli.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">How do I know? First of all, it would be impossible for us to be here today without Divine Providence. Our very existence as a people, our being in our homeland, our development and prosperity, both spiritual and material, could not begin without the hand of our Creator. And He didn't bring us back to again to watch us fail. He too knows what children are like.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I know because, despite the issues, there is much much more that is good. Unfortunately the bad tends to get the headlines, causing depression and despair. But when we take a good look around us, we can see that the light very much outshines the darkness. You just have to really open your eyes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I see the wonderful people, in Israel and throughout the world, Jew and non-Jew, who don't only appreciate Israel, rather love it, with all their lives and all their souls.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And I see our youth, despite it all, continuing to serve, continuing to risk their lives, for all of us.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">And in the end, that says it than all the others combined.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">So, as hard as it may seem to celebrate, celebrate we will, knowing that when the kid grows up, he'll transform into what we've all been watching and waiting for. A giant he will be!</span>David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-11763540732341480372016-04-22T15:23:00.005+03:002016-04-22T15:23:43.905+03:00Passion, Vision, Hebron and Eretz Yisrael<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">
<span style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: black; line-height: 16px;">Passion, Vision, Hebron and Eretz Yisrael</span>David Wilder</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Eretz.Org<br />13 Nisan 5776 - April 22, 2016</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 28px;">Erev Pesach – Passover Eve. In a few hours we will begin the first holiday ever celebrated by Am Yisrael, the Jewish people. As it is known, freedom from the Exile in Egypt. Actually it only began 3328 years ago, and still hasn't concluded.<br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many reasons may be given: One - There's a superficial exile and an inner exile – in reality both are still existent. For the main reason for freedom was to receive the Torah and then live that Torah in Eretz Yisrael. At present not all Jews are in Israel and not all fulfill various parts of Torah.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, according to recent surveys, well over 90% of Jews living in Israel do celebrate the first night of Pesach, conducting some sort of Seder, that is, the reciting of the story of our exile and exodus. Different people may have different versions, but in the end, the nucleolus begins with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah and Rachel. And later, Moses, Aharon and Miriyam. Beginning as a family and continuing as a People. With Eretz Y<span style="color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif;">i</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">srael as the center – where it began and where it leads to.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, it can reasonably be said that the Jewish people are quite passionate about their existence, so much so, that many many people change their whole lifestyle for a week, eating no bread or bread products, changing all our dishes, turning our lives upside down, in order to recall what was then and how it still affects us today. Only a passionate people can fulfill such 'extreme' commandments and living conditions.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I use the word passionate intentionally.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A little while ago I spoke by phone with Mrs. Ruth Pechman. Her husband, and my friend, Rabbi Yitzhak Pechman passed away just over a week ago. Rabbi Pechman was one of the founders and first president of the Hebron Fund, founded decades ago. Rabbi Pechman worked tirelessly on behalf of the Fund and the Hebron Jewish community for years and years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mrs. Pechman told me that when asked to describe her husband in one word, she said 'Hebron.' However the Rabbi was active for many important causes, so much so that another one word description of him, in her words, was passionate. Everything he did, he was passionate about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Actually, after he died, thinking about him, my one word description was visionary. When he initiated the Hebron Fund there were few Jews living in the city and the future was still very much a question mark. It takes much vision to see forward, and work to enable a goal, as of then, still a dream.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But that's what he did, and successful he was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Later in life, with all of his family living in Israel, he and Ruth also made Aliyah, living his dream in Jerusalem, until his passing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rabbi Yizhak Pechman was a very humble man, but very great. His passion and vision lives on with his wife, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. And also with us, living in Hebron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Only a few days after Rabbi Pechman's passing, another great Jew also left us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Honestly I didn't see Joe Mermelstein for at least a decade. And my friend Dr. Joe Frager wrote a beautiful article depicting this wonderful man.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But I have to add a few words, as, along with all his other activities, Joe was also very close to Hebron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Some stories:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Many years ago the Hebron Fund sponsored a concert in NYC. I recall spending a month there, working with then Hebron Fund executive director Judy Grossman, in the freezing November cold, trying to sell tickets to the event.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">About a week or so before the concert almost no tickets had been sold. We were, to say the least, in panic mode. Joe Mermelstein, hearing about our plight, took out a full page advertisement in the Jewish Press, asking Jews how they could ignore Hebron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The concert, as a result, was a sellout.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A few years later we conducted an evening for Hebron in the Five-Towns area of New York, After all the speeches and movies and songs (Mordechai ben David appeared for us), the time came to try and fund-raise. See little enthusiasm, Joe stood on the stage and declared, "I had a whole speech prepared, but everything I had to say boils down to a few words. So rather than read the speech, I'm going to tear it up, and in its place give this check to Hebron." Which he did, quite generously.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another time, before the Hebron dinner, we attended an event with Ariel Sharon. I really wanted to video him saying a few good words about Hebron. But he refused. Until Joe promised him a generous donation to whatever Sharon wanted. Then he agreed to speak in front of the camera.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And last, as Joe's business was with watches, he manufactured a Hebron watch. I may still have one here at home.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We called him Papa Joe. He was a 'Papa' to many organizations, and his presence will too be missed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Both of these men were passionate visionaries and Papas to Hebron and Eretz Yisrael. Their help and enthusiasm, vision and passion are among the reasons we are able to continue celebrating Pesach in Israel's first Jewish city, Hebron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 28px;">Chag sameach! </span></span></div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-15038568106864041152016-04-01T16:43:00.003+03:002016-04-01T16:43:49.418+03:00Bushy beards and Bleeding Hearts<h3 style="background-color: white; color: #12417a; font-weight: normal; line-height: 24px; margin: 5px 0px 20px; padding: 0px;">
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">There are subjects which are difficult to think about. And also to talk about, or write about. Sometimes the issues are so complex that you're not even 100% sure that you know what your opinion is, or whether you're right or wrong.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But then, such topics can reach a boiling point when you cannot avoid them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The headlines about 'the soldier who shot in Hebron' continue to dominate Israeli news. Their seem to be differing and contradicting accounts of what actually happened, or why it happened. There are a few versions of youtube videos floating around, in attempts by different sides to prove their point of view, that the soldier is guilty of murder/manslaughter/??? or what they'll charge him with next, or innocent/a hero/victim.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I'd like to enumerate some of what bothers me. I hope I'll remember everything, or at least the most significant points.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Yesterday, Netanyahu spoke with the soldier's father, telling him that he 'understands' the parents' feelings, and urging them to 'trust' the IDF examination and conclusions about the incident.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This is the same Netanyahu who condemned the soldier's actions almost before he was arrested. And the same Netanyahu, who a few days later, stated that conclusions shouldn't be reached before the IDF examination is finished.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon began, and continues to walk in the shadow of evil, declaring time and time again that the soldier is not a 'hero,' rather 'he stinks.' Yaalon has nothing but criticism for anyone and everyone, private citizen, MK or Minister, who shows any support for the soldier.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Israeli C-I-C Eizenkott from the outset, exclaimed that the soldier's act was immoral, contradicting the ethics of the IDF.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">He then wrote and distributed a letter to all soldiers, expressing support for 'any combatant who errs in the heat of battle' but will prosecute to the full extent of the law 'any combatant who disregards and acts in contradiction to IDF morals and ethics.'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">The IDF prosecutor continues to behave as other Israeli law enforcement officials we've become accustomed to over the years, with big teeth, similar to fangs, and claw-like finger nails, in order to nail the soldier any way possible. Yesterday a military court ordered him released to 'limited arrest in an army base, without a weapon.' The IDF prosecutor appealed, claims that he is 'dangerous' and must remain in the famous, or infamous, IDF prison 4. (The appeal was rejected and he will, it seems, be released to limited arrest in an army base.)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">And then today, an article published in the Israeli press, about a pamphlet issued by the IDF Educational Unit, praising and encouraging soldiers to practice 'self-sacrifice' (i.e. risk losing their lives) in defense of Palestinians. .</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">One simple fact, that in my opinion, has been totally overlooked. That is, that the soldier in question, as well as most of those in the field who today face imminent attacks by Arab terrorists, with knives, guns, or who knows what else, are between 18 to 21 years old. Their exposure to such attacks, as members of the military, in active service, ranges from 3 months to two or three years. In other words, for many of them, they must deal with life-threatening experiences for the first time, making virtually instant decisions, based upon – based upon what? What their eyes see (an attack on them or their comrades), what they feel, (a knife or bullet entering their body), what people around them shout out (TERRORIST), or, what they stop to think about?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">After the terror attack outside Beit Hadassah, when a terrorist attacked a soldier, and was shot dead by Hebron security officer Yoni Bleichbard, I asked him: "You were ten feet from the terrorist who was straddling over the soldier. There were other people there. How could you shoot, without thinking about hitting someone besides the terrorist?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">His answer was very simple. "If I didn't shoot, the soldier was dead. I didn't have time to run up closer to the terrorist. I took all the other possibilities into account. But I didn't have any other choice if I wanted to try to save the soldier. " In other words, his thoughts and actions came together as one, instantaneously.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Yoni has dealt with security issues for many years. He was involved in the terrorist attack which left 13 dead, between Hebron and Kiryat Arba over a decade ago. He has about as much experience as one can have, in his field.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But an 18 or 19 year old has none of that experience. So what must he rely on? Must he stop and think, that is, hesitate, and ask himself, is this the right or wrong thing to do? Will I wind up in jail? Am I being ethical or immoral?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">That second, or two or three seconds could very well cost him, or others, their lives. And what will the headlines then scream out: IDF Chief: This is not the kind of soldier we train! The Defense Minister: Soldiers are taught to fight, not to stand by and watch! The Prime Minister: Hero's act; Cowards cower.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">I have three sons, all of whom have served in battle units. I always thought that this is what Israel is all about. The preservation of the State, the ability to defend ourselves nationally, after a 2,000 year exile. This is what makes us a free people in our homeland. At any cost.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But in truth, I'm not sure, if my kids had to go into the army today, whether I'd encourage them or not. Because what we are seeing and experiencing is not a demand for self-sacrifice opposite our enemy. Rather it is wishy-washy expressions by bleeding hearts, who, rather than lead, hide behind symptoms of cowardice, unwilling to stand in the forefront, as Israeli warriors have been known to do from time immemorial and lead the charge forward.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">What do they concern themselves with? Presently, the IDF leadership is dealing with the issue of soldiers having beards. I have in my possession a copy of an IDF 'permit,' issued to a religious soldier, in which it is written that he may keep his beard, but only if it is 'bushy.'</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">This is Israel – facing Iran, Syria, ISIS, Hizbullah, Hamas, the PA, the EU, the UN, the US – 2016.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">But, no, don't shoot!!! And measure that beard!!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Heartbreaking. Heartbreaking.</span></div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-91156790390953448462016-03-01T22:46:00.002+02:002016-03-01T22:46:26.905+02:00Self-Zooism by David Wilder<div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: opensanshebrew, serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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<br /><span style="font-size: large;"><br />21 Adar 5776<br />March 1, 2016<br /><br />Last night Ora and I attended a 'sheva brachot' – a wedding party for a newly married couple. Being that the Purim holiday is just a month away, we sang Purim songs. Just as we were finishing one of them, its words dealing with how the Jews overcame their enemies and won, and as a result, many of their foes were killed, there was a sharp knock on the door of the apartment. Then, without warning, a large group of Israeli security forces burst in, screaming, 'everyone with hands up. Down on the floor!' Having little choice, but also little room, everyone obeyed, squished together, not having any idea what was happening.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then, one of the officers pulled out a recording machine and played back the song we'd just sung. In an accusing voice, he declared, 'this is incitement to kill. You are all arrested.' And with that, they started handcuffing, and legcuffing us all…<br />.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, it actually didn't happen that way, but I cannot say that the thought didn't run thru my head. Over the past few days, numerous military orders were renewed against Jewish youth, strictly restricting their movement for the next four to six months, without any recourse, any attempt to defend themselves. At the same time, inciters, such as Arab instigator-terrorist - Issa Amru here in Hebron, and Yehuda Shaul, head of Breaking the Silence, continue to walk around freely, totally unrestricted.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">OK – after that first paragraph, let's move on to more serious matters.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I'm sure everyone's aware of the fact that at present, major companies around the world are trying to invent new products. International conferences take place, with thousands attending, to get a first look at the 'latest thing.'<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I am aware of such a project, not yet announced publicly, but very much in the works. It really isn't a new invention, rather a renovation, with major changes, in an age-old idea.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For sure, all of you reading this have heard of such a place – that is, a zoo. Almost everyone has visited a zoo, at least once in their lifetimes. At zoos, people walk around, visiting caged animals of all kinds. Kids usually really have fun.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Well, an Israeli entrepreneur has decided to revamp this concept, and is reportedly investing a tremendous amount of money to ensure its success.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The idea behind his proposal is actually quite simple. Rather than have people walk around, tiring themselves hour after hour on their feet, going from cage to cage to see the animals, this businessman has a revolutionary idea. He is going to encage the people, and have the animals stroll around, visiting them. That way the people will see everything without any exertion on their part. Different kinds of enticement will be utilized to make sure that all the animals visit all the cages (divided by age, sex, nationality, etc).<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course, the caged people will be required to remain caged for a period of time. After all, it won't be possible to change them on a daily basis. As the animals continue to wander around, they will get used to seeing the same people and will undoubtedly get used to them and become friendlier as time goes on.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This major new project is on the verge of beginning, in the very near future, here in Israel. The Prime Minister is backing it 100%. He spoke about it not too long ago, reflecting on how the state of Israel will be totally surrounded by a wall. All Jewish communities and cities in Israel will also be encircled with fences, thereby preventing, in his words, the wild animals' from have access to Jews. We will all be inside the barred cages of the 'zoo,' while our neighbors, the 'wild animals' will be outside, looking in.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ok, so now, really seriously…<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Earlier this week I read a fascinating article on the first established ghetto in the world. To my embarrassment, I had no idea where the first ghetto was, and when it came into being. The CNN article dealt with the marking of five hundred years since the inception of the first ghetto, in Venice, Italy.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The word itself is an offshoot of the Italian word 'geti,' where, five centuries ago, Jews were forced to live. At night the area was locked down, but during the day Jews could leave, as long as they wore a badge, identifying them as Jews.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That's where it began, and continued throughout Europe, until Napoleon initiated breaking down of the ghetto walls.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">But the insignia continues, through the present, most recently with the EU, and US decisions, to mark Jewish products produced in Judea and Samaria (including major parts of Jerusalem) and the international BDS anti-Semitic (pre-Jihad) activities.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, what will be five hundred years from now? Will future media mark the establishment of the new, self-imposed Israeli-Jewish ghetto-zoo, with the Jews inside, and the 'wild animals' in the words of Netanyahu, on the outside, looking in?<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is absurd. But it's happening.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At this point, concluding, I am forced to reiterate what I've told people, so many many times, in the past. When we sing the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah – 'the Hope,' we recite the words, 'to be a free people, in our land.' Which land? The verse continues, Eretz Tzion, Yerushalayim – The land of Zion, Jerusalem.'<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So we've got to decide. Are these words only symbolic illustrations of an idealistic concept, or do we mean to live them, as a reality?<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As far as I know, from what I've studied over the years, we came to Israel to escape the ghetto, to make sure that Jews are never again zoo-like creatures, with our revolting enemies, seeking our annihilation, watching us from the outside. We cannot be a 'free nation in our land' enclosed, fearing the 'wild animals' just waiting to pounce.<br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our policy must not be self-Zooism, rather it must be – I repeat, must be, one whereby those creatures are enclosed within the cages, or perhaps, as sometimes happens with dangerous animals, driven out of striking distance, while we, the Jews returning to Eretz Tzion, Yerushalayim, are totally free, in our Homeland.</span></div>
David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-1865426915914155712016-02-05T14:30:00.000+02:002016-03-01T19:36:48.946+02:00Jews and Jihadists by David Wilder<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />26 Shvat 5776</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">February 5, 2016<br /><br />Earlier this week I discovered an interesting article in HaAretz newspaper, headlined: W<b>hat Do Settler Women and Female Suicide Attackers Have in Common?</b> <i>Israeli and Palestinian women will ‘transgress’ by suspending religious beliefs if it serves a political cause, discovers political scientist Lihi Ben Shitrit.</i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The book is called: <i>Righteous Transgressions: Women’s Activism on the Israeli and Palestinian Religious Right,” and is authored by Lihi Ben Shitrit</i>, <i>an assistant professor at the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia in Athens.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Looked interesting – a common denominator between some of my neighbors, maybe even my wife, and Hamas, Jihad females. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">After reading the article I skipped over to over to Princeton University Press site, to read their description of the book they published a short time ago and then flipped to Amazon to read their review and 'take a look inside' the book.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />If I understand correctly, Ben Shitrit tries to prove that religious women, who during their everyday lives self-impose religious-based restrictions upon themselves, (such as physical contact with males, excepting husbands, sons, and the like), find justifications to exempt themselves from these limitations during various types of struggles of 'political activisim.' </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Now for the good stuff: The study is based upon a comparison of four different categories of women: National Religious living in Judea and Samaria, Shas (the Hareidi-Sfaradi movement), Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Numerous women are mentioned, quoted, and/or interviewed. Among those I recall are Daniella Weiss, Nadia Matar and Hebron's own Orit Struk. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Not having read the book, I cannot delve into the heart and soul of the book's findings. It is true that women, and men, for that matter, can find themselves in extraordinary circumstances during such activities. Policemen and/or soldiers lifting and dragging women, or even women security forces coming in contact with men.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Is this wanted, desired or viewed as a goal? Of course not. Can it be, and in reality, is it a result of such behavior. Yes.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Are these actions justified a priori? I wouldn't classify or define the results of these events as 'justified.' Obviously it would be preferable if they didn't occur in the first place. And if they do, it's the problem of the 'attacker,' and not of the 'attacked,' so to speak.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Ben Shitrit also discusses, at some length, Orit Struk's venture into politics, a profession usually identified with men, in the religious world. Here too the author seeks to explore rationalization for a woman's role in such a vocation.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />But all of this really isn't the subject of my concern.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />What does matter is the comparison, equating Jewish women with Hamas – Jihad murderers, who happen to be female. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Yesterday, two thirteen year old schoolgirls decided to actualize their dream, in their words, 'to go out and kill Jews.' With that goal in mind, they set out to the Ramla Central Bus Station with knives. Not pocket-knives or pen knives, rather with blades long and sharp enough to penetrate a person's heart or lungs, or any other internal organ. And kill them, with ease. Schoolgirls? No. Terrorists. And they're not the first ones. They follow on a long list of bloodthirsty Arab jihadists, with their gender totally immaterial. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Jewish women do take a proactive role in self-preservation, for that is the proscribed aim of our protest movements in Israel. Perhaps a better word to use is civil disobedience. When women are physically assaulted by male Israeli security forces for living in houses they've built, or synagogues where they've prayed, or inhabiting parts of Eretz Yisrael in jeopardy, be they in Gush Katif, Hebron, Jerusalem or anywhere, they are participating in the most natural of activities, that is 'letting your feet, or in this case, let your body, do the talking. In other words, it is called establishing facts on the ground.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Is this illegitimate? A very short stroll through Jewish history, even recent history, can answer this question. Forget about the women 'settlers' in Judea and Samaria. What about the women who settled the Galil, about a hundred years ago, when it was nothing but swamp land, infecting all with malaria and other then deadly diseases. Or the women who settled Mazkeret Batya, or Rehovot, or Petach Tikva. Or the women who participated in Nili, the Haganah, Etzel, the Irgun, and many others. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Or, as a most recent example, Hadar Cohen hy"d. A border policewoman, serving in one of the most sensitive areas of Israel. And as tragic as her death is, she did exactly what she was supposed to do, and as such saved the life of her friend, another heroic woman, who was stabbed all over her body. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Would anyone like to compare Hadar Cohen to the terrorists who murdered her, or to the thirteen year old jihadists yesterday in Ramla?</b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Where does a 19 year old, just out of high school, find the motivation to serve, at all, and certainly as a border policewoman. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Her inspiration is identical to that of other women, be they religious, or not-so religious. It has nothing to do with 'justifying' what might be, in other circumstances, forbidden. Rather it is the most natural element a Jewish person can express: that being the welfare and well-being of the Jewish people, in their homeland, in Eretz Yisrael, in the state of Israel. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Without the bravery and heroism of such women, I don't know if the State of Israel would today exist.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />Any attempt to compare such righteous people, Jews, with jihadists, who think nothing of killing themselves, or others, women who throw parties when their children become Shahidim – so-called martyrs who have died while cold-bloodedly killing others, who pass out candy after Jews have been murdered, any comparison of this sort is sordid, unacceptable, and unbearable, be it by the author or by an Israeli newspaper, as expressed in the Ha'aretz headine. As such, it cannot be considered as a legitimate academic study. Rather it borders on similar attempts to undermine or perhaps better put, to totally delegitimize an important segment of Jewish-Israeli society. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br />If book-burning was considered to be a valid cultural experience, this book would certainly be a preferred candidate for the flames. </span><br />
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-7563429309206110052016-01-30T21:03:00.002+02:002016-01-30T21:03:30.303+02:00 Is the impossible possible?<div style="direction: ltr; font-family: Arial; line-height: 17px;">
Is the impossible possible?<br />David Wilder<br />21 Shvat 5776<br />January 30, 2016<br /> </div>
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A few days ago, while wading thru Facebook I saw an article headlined, "American Jewish Leader Urges Jews to Get Out of America - by Rivkah Lambert Adler"<br /></div>
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It caught my eye. Investigating, I discovered a woman named Lori Palatnik, who was recently recognized by the Hadassah organization as "Most Outstanding Jewish American Women of Our Time".</div>
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Checking her out on the web, I obviously found a very impressive personality. But my interest centered on her latest statements, declaring that the time had come for Jews to leave the United States for Israel.</div>
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<strong>She is quoted as saying,</strong><br /><br /><em>“I speak about this all the time in my community. I talk that way to the people around me. I say, ‘Don’t get fooled. This is coming down. This is happening.’”</em><br /> </div>
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<em>Palatnik is referring to the dangers of <a href="http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/59826/annual-report-on-anti-semitism-reveals-hatred-of-jews-on-the-rise-worldwide-jerusalem" style="color: #046eb9; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">increased anti-Semitism</a>. “There’s been a build up. Anti-Semitism is worse than before the Holocaust. In <a href="http://www.breakingisraelnews.com/59734/horrifying-new-isis-propaganda-video-shows-paris-killers-training-in-syria-before-attack-middle-east/" style="color: #046eb9; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Paris</a> you can’t wear a kippah on the street. Is that what we’re waiting for?” she asked.</em><br /> </div>
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<em>Millions of American Jews do not yet see the danger about which Palatnik is speaking. Even if they believe that ultimately they will end up in Israel, concerns about making the adjustment are common. Additionally, most American Jews think they still have plenty of time.</em><br /> </div>
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<em>I think it won’t be long,” she warned. “As the winds of anti-Semitism and politics change, your child having a hard time adjusting to an Israeli school will be very minor compared to the need to get out, get out now!”</em><br /> </div>
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<em>Acknowledging the difficulty some Jews will have adjusting to life in Israel, Palatnik quoted the rabbinic commentary on Proverbs 13:24 which teaches that, “God has given the Jewish people three gifts, but all of them must be acquired through suffering. These are: Torah, the Land of Israel and the World to Come.”</em><br /> </div>
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<em>The way she and her husband raised their own children is an echo of her deeply-held beliefs, she said. “My kids have been told since they were very young, ‘America is not your home. We’re here doing a job for the Jewish people. Israel your home.’ I hope and pray that we’ll all end up there.”</em><br /> </div>
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A little while ago I came across an article headlined: Denmark May Fine Girl for Pepper Spraying Rapist<br /> </div>
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<em>A 17-year-old girl may face criminal charges after she used pepper spray -- which is illegal in Denmark -- to successfully fight off her assailant.</em><br /> </div>
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We live in a world in which it is difficult to distinguish between sanity and insanity. And with the continued growth of social media and the information explosion, it's getting worse.<br /> </div>
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Earlier this week I found and article published in the Jewish Press. I've had numberous articles printed in this amazing publication. They printed a weekly column by Rabbi Meir Kahane HY"D. So I was not a little surprised to read a blog by one Harry Maryles called 'the Settlers of Chevron." He writes:</div>
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<br /><em>The settler claim is that Chevron is holy, it is ours, and has been ours since Matan Torah. It was the home of Avrohom, and it contains the holy burial grounds of our patriarchs and matriarchs. They therefore will do whatever it takes to keep Chevron in Jewish hands. The Jewish Press seems to agree with that. So they report the eviction of Jewish settlers there with an immoral and unjust spin.</em><br /> </div>
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<em>I don’t know if those settlers did or didn’t have a legal right to occupy those buildings. But in my view they endanger the welfare of their people. Their presence in or near that city is an incitement that is unnecessary and a source of anger to Palestinians. Which increases the chances of more Jews being harmed of killed…If it were up to me, I would evacuate all of Chevron’s Jews. And I would consider doing the same thing to Kiryat Arba, the Israel town right next to it. I see no value to having a town there – even though it has been there since shortly after the 6 day war of 1967.</em><br /> </div>
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I spent much of the last two decades replying to such dribble. Honestly, I'm tired of it. But this kind of opinion, espoused by a religious Jew, at the present, is more than disturbing. We are undergoing attacks in Israel and around the world. By 'we' I mean Jews around the world, Jews living in Israel, and in particular, Jews living in Judea and Samaria. The assailment is physical – with terrorist murders the name of the game, as well as rabid anti-Semitism, against Jews and against Israel. Be it BDS, be it the EU labeling of products produced in Yesha or now, the same American marking of such products. And of course, today the media reported US and British spying on the most sensitive Israeli intelligence information, which could literally be defined as existential. This is the same United States that help Jonathan Pollard in jail for 30 years, and now, released, is under virtual house arrest, with conditions that make one shiver. No, we can't spy on them, but they can spy on us.<br /> </div>
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Sane or insane?<br /> </div>
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And last, but not least, a few days ago, the impossible became reality. Labor party leader (Labor – Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, etc etc.) may have committed political suicide by saying, by speaking…..the truth! Yitzhak Herzog: <em>'the two-state solution is not a realistic option in the near future.</em></div>
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<em> “I don’t see a possibility at the moment of implementing the two-state solution,” he told Army Radio. “I want to yearn for it, I want to move toward it, I want negotiations, I sign on to it and I am obligated to it, but I don’t see the possibility of doing it right now"</em><br /> </div>
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Of course, his way of dealing with the situation is not what I would call ideal. And, of course, his colleagues ate him alive. But, he said it.<br /> </div>
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Sane or insane?</div>
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<br />It is clear that the world is undergoing dramatic and unforeseen changes. As is Israel and the Jewish people. But sane people, with their eyes open, should be able to discern what's going on, and act accordingly. Whether they live outside of Israel, or in Israel. And the former should change their status at the earliest possibility. In other words, tomorrow. Otherwise their sanity with quickly transfer into the opposite, with their vision being blurred or even blinded, leaving them, abandoned to the vacuum of their fate.<br /> </div>
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Our job is to recognize the truth and make the impossible possible. After 2,000 years in Galut, it is time to go home. Now!!!</div>
David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-31379351524277307372015-02-03T15:31:00.004+02:002015-02-03T15:31:49.496+02:00Welcome Mr. President<div class="article-box-title-wrap" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: url(http://www.jpost.com/images/article-bg-top.jpg); background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: no-repeat; background-size: initial; border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 814px;">
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THE WILDER WAY</div>
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By <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Blogger/David-Wilder" rel="Author" style="border: 0px; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">DAVID WILDER</a> \</div>
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02/03/2015 10:41</div>
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<span style="color: #424242; font-family: swis721_cn_btroman;"><span style="font-size: 25px; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 30px;">Welcome, Mr. President</span></span><br /><span style="color: #424242; font-family: swis721_cn_btroman;"><span style="line-height: 30px;">http://www.jpost.com/Blogs/The-Wilder-Way/Welcome-Mr-President-389822</span></span></div>
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Photos: <a href="http://bit.ly/RubiRivlinHebron" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: #3b5998; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/RubiRivlinHebron</a><br /><span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Short video (Hebrew):</span><a href="http://bit.ly/rivlinmovie" rel="nofollow" style="border: 0px; color: #3b5998; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 19.3199996948242px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://bit.ly/rivlinmovie</a></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Monday, Feb. 2, 2015 was a great day in Hebron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">The first element of this special day was the rededication of the Hebron Heritage Museum and the premiere screening of our new movie, called 'Embracing Eternity.'</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">The museum was actually founded by Hebron resident Shmuel Mushnik about 25 years ago. Working single-handedly, he arranged stunning exhibits, using photographs as well as his own artwork, to show visitors the glorious history of this holy city. Glorious, and also sad. For one of the rooms depicts the 1929 riots and massacre, which subsequently led to the expulsion of the surviving Jews, the first time in almost 1,000 years that Jews did not reside in Hebron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">At a minimum, tens of thousands of people, of all religions, visited and learned about Hebron at the museum, over the years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Recently it was decided to upgrade the exhibits, utilized modern technology to better bring Hebron to the masses. The work on this project is still continuing. It must also be mentioned that the museum is dedicated to the memory of Mr. Herschel Fink, a long-time Hebron supporter. The project is headed up by Hebron's own Rabbi Hillel Horowitz, a close friend of the Fink family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Yesterday the new film, Embracing Eternity, was screened for the first time. Here too, this production is professionalism at its best. The story itself takes the viewer through a virtual time-tunnel, allowing people to actually relive major events in Hebron's 4000 year old history. Presently in Hebrew, the film will soon be shown also in English, and eventually, in other languages too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">The other major happening yesterday in Hebron was the visit of Israeli President Reuvan Rubi Rivlin. Rivlin is no stranger to Hebron. In the past he has visited numerous times. And his connection to the city of the Patriarchs didn't begin 30 years ago. Rather, many decades ago, when his grandparents lived in the city. President Rivlin is a "Rivlin' from both his father's and mother's side of the family. His mother's family was 'Chabad' with associations as far back as students of the Ba'al Shem Tov. His father's side was associated with the Vilna Gaon. And many of his ancestors lived in Hebron. </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">So, when Rivlin yesterday said, 'today I ventured on a journey of roots, and that didn't encompass flying to eastern Europe, rather, by a much easier route, that being an hour's drive to Hebron,' he wasn't exaggerating.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">The president visited Kiryat Arba, Ma'arat HaMachpela, the newly dedicated museum, and then spoke beautifully at the outdoors ceremony. </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">It should be noted that he is the first 'president' to visit Hebron since Ezer Weitzmann's arrival in 1998, paying a condolence call to the Ra'anan family following the murder of Rabbi Shlomo Ra'anan HY'D.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Interestingly, Rivlin was among the first Israeli soldiers to reach Hebron when liberated in the 1967 Six Day War. I asked him how it felt to be back, now as president. On film, he spoke about his family's connection to the city, but didn't really answer. Later, with the camera off, he said, with genuine modesty, that this visit to Hebron was no different from any other of his visits here. </span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">In reply, I told him that perhaps for him, it wasn't any different. But for us, having the honor to host the President of the State of Israel, it was very different.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">And it really was an honor, and a pleasure. True, we don't necessarily agree with everything he says and does, but so it is with any public figure. What cannot be debated is that President Reuvan Rivlin is an authentic lover of Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael, and an overwhelming supporter of Hebron.</span></div>
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<span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit;">Welcome, Mr. President.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">David Wilder דוד וילדר</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; color: #45668e; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">p:</span><a href="tel:(+972)%2052-429-5554" style="border: 0px; color: #8d8d8d; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">(+972) 52-429-5554</a><span style="color: #8d8d8d;"> | </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #8d8d8d; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #45668e; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">m:</span><a href="tel:US:%20347-725-0325" style="border: 0px; color: #8d8d8d; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">US: 347-725-0325</a></span><span style="color: #8d8d8d;"> | </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #8d8d8d; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #45668e; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">e:</span><a href="mailto:dwilder@gmail.com" style="border: 0px; color: #8d8d8d; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">dwilder@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #8d8d8d;"> | </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #8d8d8d; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="border: 0px; color: #45668e; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">w:</span><a href="http://www.davidwilder.org/" style="border: 0px; color: #8d8d8d; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">www.davidwilder.org</a></span><span style="color: #8d8d8d;"> </span><span style="border: 0px; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: nowrap;"><span style="color: #8d8d8d;">| </span><span style="border: 0px; color: #45668e; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">a:</span><span style="color: #8d8d8d;"> Beit Hadassah, Hebron בית הדסה, חברון 90100</span><br /><a href="http://www.davidwilder.info/" style="border: 0px; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #444444;">Breaking the Lies</span></a><span style="color: black;"> - </span><a href="http://bit.ly/shovrimshkarim" style="border: 0px; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #444444;">שוברים שקרים</span></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/David.Wilder.Hebron.Hevron" style="border: 0px; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank"><img alt=" David Wilder on Facebook" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEiLgEKWZpbQ4bWmapHRwJTl4K5pCBtwfHFdiT7AxCHZ1EkUcDIS31fzxgWpK-Ux8aSA23zGl86UIhjmg9ytW3mS7vXEwzX26gsxip742wE5ggl1OmN8cEGaOdAF4H1_HfflJa-wbgw4_sFnaEd_0fAb0fA6x9YZpzIJEvMtJwfo80lCKg=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /><span class="imgcaption" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 128px;"> David Wilder on Facebook</span></a><a href="https://twitter.com/davidwilder" style="border: 0px; color: #1155cc; display: inline-block; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 8px 8px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" target="_blank"><img alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEj8Pu8_ad70jNRZHkkK5OsIhJrZP91f2FZzMdIwbIjNzTlfXFjRv3VgdR8kaqTuM_zFgeUHMKVXPvXkKwC6i9qA6YnPweNShsj6gma7MLhaVNlOjn083EkCpAUNvZ4PEO6Eqx7Ofsyp1F1Fm-95w2pOSde9jGtHwPpg7954PJiqjVOdKIq_OIvbtRza_fHVEl88GgvFX0STbA=s0-d-e1-ft" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></a></div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-33898952137224221822015-01-30T14:42:00.003+02:002015-01-30T14:42:28.009+02:00Touching Eternity<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: blue;">Touching Eternity:</span><span style="color: #0b5394;"> Monday, Feb. 2, in the presence of<br />the President of the State of Israel, Mr Reuven (Rubi) Rivlin,<br />and the Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel, Rabbi David Lau,<br />Dedication of the Hebron Heritage Museum and screening of the<br />new Hebron Movie: Touching Eternity.<br />At 4:00 PM, outside Beit Hadassah</span></span></b></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http://youtu.be/rljZmFHZYm4" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" wotsearchprocessed="true">Click here for short video presentation:</a><div style="cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; height: 16px; position: absolute; visibility: hidden; width: 16px;" wotsearchtarget="youtu.be">
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<span style="color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="http:" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" wotsearchprocessed="true"><img class="CToWUd" height="312" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=89c78e38c8&view=fimg&th=14b3ad1ad38d84ea&attid=0.2&disp=emb&realattid=ii_i5jjnvwu2_14b3ace4c14b8042&attbid=ANGjdJ9DxCwMHBMygzaPTvBH-u7Hz3MjDVAgw4jFGrK7yMhd0ml7POE0nYw7HsAiWeEA_bH64Qf9O1EYcso71tTmpEaZpBi3HvsSjGHTHilKc7O4oSHwy07qN8fqvGc&sz=w1116-h624&ats=1422621563051&rm=14b3ad1ad38d84ea&zw&atsh=1" width="558" /></a><br /></span></b></span></div>
David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-45831938027203630092015-01-30T14:41:00.000+02:002015-02-03T15:42:44.604+02:00David Wilder's Video Blog: With Sheikh Ja'abari<div class="gmail_default" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8000001907349px; text-align: center;">
<u><span style="font-size: x-large;">David Wilder's <span class="il">Video</span> <span class="il">Blog</span>: With <span class="il">Sheikh</span> Ja'abari</span></u></div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-54470421547821862972015-01-07T23:49:00.001+02:002015-01-07T23:49:08.929+02:00Video Blog: Joan Peters <div style="text-align: center;">
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-54848172018495838532014-09-09T11:51:00.001+03:002014-09-09T15:55:21.719+03:00What keeps Israel going?<div class="article-box-title-wrap" style="background: url(http://www.jpost.com/images/article-bg-top.jpg) no-repeat rgb(248, 248, 248); border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 814px;">
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<span style="color: #bb131a; font-family: swiss_721bold_condensed;"><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; text-transform: uppercase;">THE WILDER WAY</span></span><br />
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What keeps Israel going?</h1>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A while ago I received an email from a couple wanting to visit Hebron. For some reason they never made it. A few days ago I heard that they were leaving back to the US next week. I found their phone number, gave them a call, and yesterday they came in for a tour. I knew that they couldn't pay the full price for a private tour. But when people want to see Hebron, I try not to let them down.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">They were a pleasant young couple, seemingly similar to many others who visit here. In between explanations we chatted. It turns out that, despite their current residency in the US, both hold Israeli citizenship and that they'd been here for over three months.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"So," I asked, "what have you been doing all that time?" "Well," responded the thirty or so year old man, "I spent two months in Han Yunis."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">That's when my eyes really opened wide. "Huh?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Well I have Israeli citizenship. A few weeks after we arrived, the war started. I immediately received a 'Tzav 8" – that is, emergency IDF order, calling me up to active service. And to Gaza I went."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Han Yunis – you were in the thick of it – fighting?!"</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"Yup, doing what we had to do."</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">"What unit?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I won't specify here, but needless to say, one of the IDF's most elite sections. Knowing that, I could guess that he really was in the middle of 'the action.' And he showed no regrets, either.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I looked at his young wife, trying to understand what she was thinking. After all, they'd come to 'visit' in Israel, and here, her husband was swiftly drafted into the army, to fight against terrorists, down in Gaza. She sort of smiled shyly, saying that her mom had flown over to be with her. But she didn't imply, in any way shape or form, that she would have had it any other way.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I was very impressed. And I gave them as good a tour as I possibly could have. They deserved it.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The day before, on Shabbat, I spoke to a group here from a nearby Israeli city. They seemed all to be religious, mixed English and Hebrew speaking, After morning prayers they met me at the Avraham Avinu synagogue. After a brief introduction about Hebron today, and more specifically about that particular site, I opened up for questions. Many times I find it preferable to do 'question and answer' sessions, rather than lecture. This enables me to address what people are really interested in hearing about.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A woman asked a question I hear frequently: "Isn't it dangerous to live here in Hebron?"</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Honestly, it's difficult for me not to by cynical when addressing this. Sometimes, as I did on Shabbat, I joking answer, "sure it is, for the Arabs around us. When they see you they're afraid."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Actually, this isn't all joke. When our neighbors see tens and hundreds of thousands of people flocking into Hebron, they realize that this isn't a small, unsubstantial community. They realize, as we do too, that Hebron has huge significance to many more than the eighty or so families who live here today.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But then on to a more serious response. "Look, where isn't it dangerous? Rockets were fired at Sderot, Ashkelon, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. A few years ago northern Israeli was attacked by Hezbollah missiles. Syrian tanks are now shooting into the Golan. Unfortunately, buses have exploded all over Israel. So where should I choose to live, where it's not dangerous?"</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">But that's the secondary response. The primary answer: "Look, this is the first Jewish city in Israel. It's home to the second-holiest place in the world, Ma'arat HaMachpela, the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. That was off-limits to us for 700 years. Our neighbors tell us straight out, that if they ever control it again, they won't allow us entrance, claiming that it's a mosque and only Moslems may worship in a mosque.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This is our home. Either we are here, or we know who is here. If this is our home, than this is where we have to be. True, there may be a price, but isn't that the price we just paid, with over seventy soldiers, officers and civilians dying during the Gaza war? And if we don't fight, then….what?"</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">A man raised his hand and followed-up. "Is it more dangerous in Hebron than in Borough Park?"</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">For those unfamiliar, Borough Park is an ultra-orthodox Jewish neighborhood in Brookly, NY.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">I stifled a laugh. "Look, it says in the Gemara that 'Eretz Yisrael Machkim' – meaning that breathing the air of Israel provides wisdom. Here, in Israel, and certainly in Hebron, the air we breathe is holy. In Borough Park, all they breathe is the impure air of Galut (the Diaspora)."</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" dir="LTR" style="border: 0px; direction: ltr; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 28px; margin-bottom: 32px; padding: 0px; unicode-bidi: embed; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Later, I realized that he already knew the answer, but just wanted to hear what I would say. Because, in discussing the current events in Iraq and Syria, and the contagious continuation into Europe and the Americas, he told me, "I made Aliyah with my suitcases, with my possessions. When, at some point, the Jews won't have any choice to but to leave the States, they'll only be able to bring the clothing they're wearing."</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">How true. And how sad.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">These people, like the young man from the US who fought for Am Yisrael for two months, putting his life on the line, and the other man, who left the spoils of New York for the holiness of Israel. This is what keeps Israel going.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: large; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 32px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">This is what Israel is all about. </span></div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-57590123873185430392014-08-13T12:41:00.001+03:002014-08-13T16:03:53.986+03:00Lean on the Purity of Israel<div class="title-post" id="title-post" style="background-color: white; color: #3c6b8c; font-family: Arial; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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Today is, according to the Hebrew calendar, the 17th day of the month of Av. Exactly 85 years ago today, the 1929 (Tarpat-Hebrew year) riots and massacre began. Over 160 people were killed throughout pre-State Israel. Sixty seven were slaughtered in Hebron. This led to the expulsion of the Hebron survivors, and the first time in almost 1,000 years that Hebron was Judenrein.</div>
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A couple of weeks ago we were honored to hear a fascinating lecture by Mr. Ya'akov Frank. He is the grandson of the former Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Tzvi Pesach Frank, who was born in 1873 and died in 1961.</div>
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Most of the following is from Ya'akov Frank's lecture:</div>
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In 1920, Rabbi Frank wrote a letter to two important Rabbis, one of them, Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Epstein, the Dean of the Knesset Yisrael Yeshiva, in Slobodka in Lithuania. He invited the Rabbi to bring his Yeshiva to Israel. Rabbi Epstein replied that his Yeshiva included 100 men, that he would try to come to Israel, but not yet.</div>
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In 1925, they did leave for Israel. After much discussion it was decided to bring the Yeshiva to Hebron, as Jerusalem was already saturated with important Rabbis and Torah organizations. Hebron was quiet; they didn’t expect any problems. They arrived with 100 students; the number quickly blossomed to 180 pupils.</div>
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We jump to the end of 1928. Arabs were making claims to the Western Wall in Jerusalem and trying to prevent Jews from praying there. Trouble was brewing.</div>
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1929. Rabbi Tzvi Pesach's niece, Hannah Slonim, and her husband Eliezer Dan, lived in Hebron. They invited him to participate in a family wedding celebration at their home on Shabbat, the 18th of Av. Rabbi Frank agreed, and planned on arriving in the holy city on Friday, before Shabbat.</div>
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But at the last minute, there was a change in plans. Rabbi Frank's son and daughter in law, who lived in Jerusalem, were blessed by the birth of a baby son. Being born on Saturday, the 11th of Av, the newborn's Brit, circumcision, eight days later, would be on Saturday, the 18th of Av. The baby's grandfather, Rabbi Frank, was invited to be the 'Sandak,' who is honored to hold the baby during the procedure. As such, Rabbi Frank had to cancel his planned visit to Hebron, that next week.</div>
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As such, he wasn't in Hebron, at the home of Eliezer Dan Slonim, where some 25 people were murdered, that infamous Shabbat day.</div>
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And by the way, the little baby who most probably saved Rabbi Frank's life, is the same Ya'akov Frank, who is relating to us these events.</div>
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Ya'akov Frank continued: I (the baby) was at a hospital in Jerusalem, six kilometers away. My father, and grandfather would have to walk there for the Brit. But on Saturday morning Arabs in Jerusalem started shooting at Jews. An Arab taxi would pass by Jews on the street, stop, gunfire would erupt, and the taxi would continue, looking for other victims.</div>
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Ya'akov's father decided that it was much too dangerous to allow his father, Rabbi Frank, to walk with him, and forced him to remain at home. His father, accompanied by two brothers, started walking. It took them hours to arrive, being shot at every few minutes.</div>
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When they finally made it to the hospital, the place was almost empty. They didn't even have ten men for a Minyan (prayer quorum) for the ceremony. However, one person did arrive. The famous holy Rabbi, Rabbi Aryeh Levin. Realizing the problem, and despite the shooting attacks , he went outside and rounded up a few more men, in order to have ten men for the Brit.</div>
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Ya'akov Frank related many other stories. Anyone who understands Hebrew is invited to hear the entire lecture here. It would be very worth your while.</div>
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The annual memorial will take place tomorrow afternoon at the ancient Hebron cemetery. However, today, a memorial will take place for Hebron resident Elazar Lebovitch, who was killed by terrorists 12 years ago, today, on the eve of his 21st birthday.</div>
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Elazar's father, Rabbi Yosef Lebovitch, was interviewed for last week's Chabad publication, "Sichat HaShavuah." The family had, during the Gaza war, five sons in the army, with two of them in combat units in Gaza. Asked about concern for his sons, he answered, "Worry, what will that help? I get up in the morning, pray, say Psalms and later more Psalms, and then some more. Psalms, and faith in G-d, knowing that everything will be OK."</div>
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What did he say to his sons as they left for combat? "The same thing that I was told, during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, before we crossed the Suez Canal. Maimonides writes: When a person becomes engaged in war activities, he should lean on the purity of Israel, which will save him during such a difficult time, that he should know that he is sanctifying the holy Name of G-d, that he should put aside all thoughts of himself, and his life, and shouldn't fear or be afraid, and shouldn't think of this wife and children."</div>
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What message does he want to leave to Am Yisrael? "To put our trust in G-d and to strengthen our faith. Whoever does so will not break and will know that G-d is with him."</div>
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This is the message of a bereaved father, with two sons fighting terrorists in Gaza.</div>
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Amazing.</div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-26044614319847711112014-08-06T12:37:00.001+03:002014-08-06T12:37:14.423+03:00Bring Back Sherman<div class="title-post" id="title-post" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #3c6b8c; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b><img alt="The Jerusalem Post" src="http://www.jpost.com/images/jpost_logo1.png" /></b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #3c6b8c; font-family: Arial; font-size: xx-small;"><b><a href="http://blogs.jpost.com/content/bring-back-sherman">http://blogs.jpost.com/content/bring-back-sherman</a></b></span></div>
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Bring Back Sherman<br />August 6, 2014</div>
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During the war I only attended two military funerals. The first, lone solider Max Steinberg, and the second, Kiryat Arba resident Benaya Sarel, HY"D. He was supposed to be married on Aug. 21. Thousands were present, in the middle of the night, for the procession which began at his home in Kiryat Arba, to Ma'arat HaMachpela, to the small military plot at the ancient Jewish cemetery, here in Hebron.</div>
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I've known Benaya's father, Rabbi Shalom, for somewhere in the vicinity of thirty years. Many years ago we studied at the same Torah study center in Kiryat Arba. At that time he was already teaching some of the most difficult Torah subjects at very prestigious yeshivas in Jerusalem. In short, he is a genius. Very tall, very smart.</div>
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At some point, when the Sarels decided to make their home permanently in Kiryat Arba, Rabbi Shalom designed the house. When he finished and the home was built, he decided he could contribute more building Jewish homes than sitting day in and day out in a study hall. So now he is an engineer, designing and constructing buildings for Jews in Judea and Samaria</div>
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Benaya's mother is a teacher of literature at the Kiryat Arba women's high school. I think she taught all of my daughters.</div>
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One of my sons studied with Benaya for a year, in the same class, when they were in high school.</div>
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So, it touches home.</div>
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At the funeral many people spoke. We call it a eulogy. Military eulogies are called, 'parting words.' Just about all of what was said was touching, heart-breaking, gut-wrenching. The problem is that words about a young man, an IDF officer, just beginning his life, about to be married, an authentic hero, are not enough. But that's what's left.</div>
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Benaya was injured a few days before he was killed. When at the hospital, having shrapnel removed from his chest, he refused to allow his mother to visit him. He told her, 'I don't allow my soldiers to see their parents. So you can't come see me either.' His father added, 'you're right, 100%. That's how you should behave. Don't let your mother mix you up.'</div>
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After the shrapnel was removed, he returned to the battle field.</div>
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Rabbi Shalom told two stories about him. The first: during his division's swearing-in ceremony at the Kotel, the Western Wall, Benaya saw a great deal of army food about to be thrown away. So he took all that food and gave to homeless, hungry people standing around there. The second: Benaya had been a candidate to receive a medal for heroism during a previous operation in Gaza. However, in the end, it wasn't awarded to him. When his father called him, to offer words of encouragement, Benaya told him he was happy. 'Why?'</div>
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'When I heard, first I was angry, then I was sad, and then, happy. Why? Because now I know that all I'm doing for our people isn't for my personal gain, for my ego, rather only, and totally for the good of the people.'</div>
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This sheds a little light on the kind of person Benaya Sarel was.</div>
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Yesterday was Tisha b'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av. It is one of two annual fast days that begins in the evening and finishes 25 hours later. Primarily it commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples in Jerusalem, thousands of years ago. It is also the day, according to Jewish tradition, that ten of the twelve spies sent by Moses in the desert to check out the Land of Israel, returned and told the people that they were better off staying in the desert. 'It is a land of giants…We cannot conquer it.' The punishment included forty years of suffering in the desert and later calamities, on the same date, including the burning of the Temples.</div>
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Every year observant Jews observe three weeks of 'official mourning,' culminating with yesterday's fast. (If you are interested in reading a fascinating, albeit very sad account of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans, leading to the Temple's destruction, click<a href="http://bit.ly/templeinflames" style="color: #557fa0; outline: none !important; text-decoration: none;">here</a>. This book was authored by Hebron resident, Dr. Gershon Bar Kochva, a known historian and lecturer. The book is worth reading.) But it is very difficult to mourn, to really sense grief, for something you've never really known. We can read, study, and attempt to experience as much as possible. But perhaps it is like trying to describe to a blind person, what is sight, or to a deaf person, sound. It doesn’t work. Until it is experienced, it is really hard to be missed. Because when you really don't know what it is, you don't know what you're missing.</div>
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So, how can we learn to mourn the destruction of the Temple? Perhaps only by paralleling that to what we can be aware of. We mourn Benaya, Max, and the other 62 men who fell fighting for Israel, crying for the loss of such courageous people, and then multiply that sensation by about a million, and the tears too, by multiples higher than we know how to count. Then, maybe, we can start to fathom the loss we endured when the Temples were destroyed.</div>
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Of course, it is preferable that we should no longer need to mourn, not for the men and not for the Temples. But that will only happen when we fully comprehend who we are, what we are, and where we are. Then, and only then, will we make and implement the decisions that will lead to an end to our weeping.</div>
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Of course, some of you will ask, what kind of decisions am I talking about? There are a few. But the first, today: Bring back Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman, and let him loose down in Gaza for a few days. He had some experience marching to the sea. That would be a really good start.</div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-43926566861789329232014-07-23T18:08:00.005+03:002014-07-23T18:08:40.582+03:00Tears of Rage, Tears of Conscience<div class="title-post" id="title-post" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #3c6b8c; font-family: Arial;"><b><img alt="The Jerusalem Post" src="http://www.jpost.com/images/jpost_logo1.png" /></b></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="http://blogs.jpost.com/content/tears-rage-tears-conscience">http://blogs.jpost.com/content/tears-rage-tears-conscience</a></b></span></div>
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Tears of Rage, Tears of Conscience<br />July 23, 2014</div>
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A couple of days ago I drove with my son-in-law towards Jerusalem to pick up my daughter – his wife, and their new daughter – our granddaughter.<br /><br />During the trip in, and on our way back, my thoughts wandered – back and forth.<br /><br />A new grandchild. Baruch HaShem. Thank G-d. People ask 'how many?' So now I can say, from Alef to Taf. Those who understand, understand.<br /><br />It was exactly forty years ago that I came to Israel. The first time was for an entire year. I was a junior at Case Western Reserve University, studying history, planning on going to law school. I'd had the idea of coming to Israeli in my head since my Bar Mitzvah, at age 13. It was my parents doing. They suggested a summer trip. I liked the idea, but for various reasons never made it.<br /><br />But, while in university, the possibility of participating in a 'one-year program' struck a nerve. Sounded like a really good idea. CWRU was OK, but nothing special. Cleveland didn't do anything to me. So, being able to finally go to Israel, being far far away from anything I knew, and getting full credit for the year, it seemed like a golden opportunity.<br /><br />That year in Jerusalem, at Hebrew University, changed my life. As is said, 'the rest is history.'<br /><br />I came to Israel by myself. The only family I knew of here was my mom's second cousin. Presently, after forty years, I can count at least one family member in Israel for every year here. That includes my wife, her family, our great kids and their spouses, and our wonderfully cute grandchildren.<br /><br />It should definitely be a time to celebrate. But it's difficult to celebrate these days.<br /><br />For a minute, let's fast forward, forty years into the future. Max and Sean have been best friends for years. So much so, that they live next to each other in a city, in the heart of Israel. Years ago they served together, fighting against Hamas Arab terrorists in Gaza. And today is an especially special day. Max's youngest daughter is tonight being engaged to Sean's youngest son. Now they will bond, not just as friends, but as family.<br /><br />Forty years into the future that might have been, but never will be. Actually, these two young heroes will be together, for eternity. Sean was buried in Haifa Sunday night. Max was buried in Jerusalem, at Har Hertzel, a couple of hours ago. They fought together and they died together. For the love of Israel.<br /><br /><img alt="" height="80" src="http://blogs.jpost.com/sites/default/files/max%20banner%202.jpg" style="border: 0px none; display: inline-block; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" width="706" /><br /><br />I was one of about 30,000 people who crowded into the military cemetery in Jerusalem for, probably, one of the largest funerals that site has ever witnessed. Keeping in mind that the soldier being buried was not a general, or even an officer. But his contribution was certainly no less than that of any officer or general there.</div>
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<img alt="" height="377" src="http://blogs.jpost.com/sites/default/files/max%20birthright.jpg" style="border: 0px none; display: inline-block; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" width="500" /><br /><br />Max, as well as Sean, were 'chayalim bodedim,' that is, 'lone soldiers' who came to Israel specifically to serve in the IDF, to help Israel, to be part of Israel, defending our country, our land, our people. Max was from Los Angeles, and as many of those eulogizing him expressed, he could have chosen to live an 'easy life,' near his family and friends in the US. But he decided, after participating in a Birthright mission, that Israel was for him. He literally fought his way into an elite Golani Division, after first being rejected for lack of Hebrew. He not only shined as a soldier; he received a certificate of excellence as a sharpshooter.<br /><br />Much was said about his smile, his personality and his dedication. But in truth, after hearing his parent's parting words, I wasn't surprised by anything else expressed about Max. As is said, the apple never falls far from the tree.<br /><br />Max's father, Stuart Steinberg: <strong>"On behalf of our entire family, we want to answer a question in the minds of many people: do we have any regrets that Max served in the IDF as a lone soldier. The answer is an unequivocal no."</strong> And after speaking for a few minutes, Stuart Steinberg ended his eulogy at the fresh grave of his oldest son with the words, <strong>"Am Yisrael Chai."</strong><br /><br />I think that says it all.<br /><br />I too, with many others, shed tears for a man I never knew, but deep down inside did know, a person who decided to dedicate his life to Israel, and did so, literally. But my tears are not only of sadness. They are of rage. Because it didn't have to be. How many times will we warn, and warn, and warn, only to be ignored. How many times will we say, 'but this is exactly what we were talking about,' only to be ignored with the same trite, 'but you have to give peace a chance.'<br /><br />For years I have been telling journalists and visitors about the dangers of missiles being aimed at planes flying in and out of Ben Gurion airport, shot from the Samarian Hills in a future 'palestinian state.' I've been laughed at. Except that yesterday the FAA and its European counterpart stopped all air traffic in and out of Israel because a rocket landed a kilometer from the airport, shot from Gaza.<br /><br />Dozens of tunnels have been discovered, leading from Gaza into Israeli communities. Four soldiers lost their lives as a result of one such infiltration. From an anonymous message posted on whatsapp: <em>'Dozens of tunnels ending in the southern cities are not tunnels of terror, rather they are infrastructures for land conquest. If we had not surprised ourselves at the backlash of the boys' kidnapping, Hamas would have chosen the appropriate timing to pump thousands of soldiers through the tunnels to conquer cities and military posts. Thousands of terrorists dressed as IDF soldiers, kill, conquer and kidnap, while the IDF has no time to organize. At the same time firing barrages of hundreds and thousands of missiles into Israel's center, paralyzing organizational ability against invasion. Why did they wait? Maybe for a rainy day, and probably to coordinate with Hezbollah for an integrated missile attack in the north ... and possibly tunnels into our northern cities too ...' </em><br /><br />And as I write this, we have just discovered a tunnel in Hebron, next to Beit Hadassah, under an Arab house, in the direction of our children's playground.<br /><br /><img alt="" height="333" src="http://blogs.jpost.com/sites/default/files/tunnel1.jpg" style="border: 0px none; display: inline-block; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" width="500" /><br /><br />My tears are also tears of conscience, for had we only done more, maybe, just maybe, the above-written scenario describing Max and Sean in forty years might not have been an impossible dream, rather reality.<br />We just have to do more.<br /><br />May these young, brave heroes be an example, may they look down from above, and assist to guide us, may they rest in eternal peace, and may their memories be a blessing on us, on their friends and families, on all Am Yisrael. Amen.</div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-88444613821454813512014-07-15T15:08:00.003+03:002014-07-15T15:12:24.373+03:00Forward or Backward? A Good Day to Fast<div class="title-post" id="title-post" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #3c6b8c; font-family: Arial;"><b><img alt="The Jerusalem Post" src="http://www.jpost.com/images/jpost_logo1.png" /></b></span><br /><span style="color: #3c6b8c; font-family: Arial;"><b>http://blogs.jpost.com/content/forward-or-backward-good-day-fast</b></span><br />
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July 15, 2014</div>
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Early this afternoon an article appeared in the Jewish Daily Forward. Authored, in two parts, by the paper's editor, Missy Jane Eisner, t<a href="http://forward.com/articles/201867/settlers-want-israel-tied-to-past-but-what-abou/" style="color: #557fa0; outline: none !important; text-decoration: none;">oday's item features yours truly and Hebron.</a></div>
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A couple of weeks ago I received a phone call from NY, informing me that Missy Eisner would be arriving and asked if I could give her a tour. I agreed. That's my job.</div>
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I know that The Forward is not overtly pro Judea and Samaria. I've had more than one run-in with them in the past. But when Missy Eisner arrived, I had hopes that maybe this time it would 'be different.' She'd never been in Hebron before and seemed to be looking forward to seeing the city. I asked her how much time we had, and her response was 'unlimited.' However, in the middle of the tour she received a call from her organizer saying that she had to rush off to Jerusalem for a long-awaited interview with Mark Regev, a spokesman in Netanyahu's office. For that reason, we had almost no time at Ma'arat HaMachpela, the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs. We literally had time to 'jump in and jump out,' because Regev was waiting. For that reason I had no time to provide any of the captivating stories or explanations that are so-much a part of a visit to this special, unique place. And in any case, after about a minute there, she felt 'sufficated,' and 'couldn't wait to leave.'</div>
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I suggest you read her article before you finish reading mine, in order to understand what I'm referring to.</div>
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Within the time frame we had, I gave her a 'super tour.' To the best of my recollection we also sat in my apartment for a while, allowing me to answer her questions. Beforehand, we visited Tel Hebron – also known as Tel Rumeida. She mentions some of the archeological excavations, and how much it didn't seem to affect her. Honestly, that certainly was not her response when we toured together. I also seem to remember her using the word, 'fascinating,' to describe her emotions. Her face, personality and other outer reactions reflected the normal result of almost all people who visit the site for the first time, that being total amazement.</div>
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We climbed six flights to the roof of the building atop the excavations. That is where she photographed me, that picture appearing in the article.</div>
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A word about me: it is true that I carry a pistol. I'm licensed to carry a gun for reasons of self defense. (I've been told that 30% of Israelis are licensed to carry weapons. That includes many Jews living outside of Judea and Samaria.) My pants are baggy. I don't think my beard is unkempt. (Take a look at the photo – judge for yourselves.) Additionally, my shirt was not stained. I do not wear dirty shirts while publicly representing the Jewish community of Hebron, especially when speaking to 'important' journalists, like Missy Eisner.</div>
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But on to more essential issues. The photo was taken on the roof, but Missy Eisner refrains from discussing anything we spoke about while up there, overlooking the city of Hebron. From there we can see the few, small areas, which comprise the Jewish Community, and the overwhelmingly large area, comprising the Arab-PA controlled part of the city. She doesn't mention the 17,000 Arab factories in Hebron, three hospitals and four universities, or five billion shekels in business Arab Hebron conducts with the state of Israel annually.</div>
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Missy Eisner did remember to quote my saying that Jews have access to 3% of the city. She forgot the rest of the sentence, that Arabs have access to 97% of the city.</div>
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She also quotes part of my reaction to her query as to why we live in Hebron. However, she mentions only a short part of my answer. Additionally, I emailed her a link to the 2nd edition of my booklet 'Breaking the Lies' (<a href="http://www.davidwilder.info/" style="color: #557fa0; outline: none !important; text-decoration: none;">downloadable here</a>), which begins with an article titled, 'Motivation' which answers her question in depth. Missy Eisner, it seems, missed that.</div>
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There are two fascinating aspects to Missy Eisner's article. She begins her essay on Hebron with the words, "This is what’s so frustrating about these extreme settlers. They openly and eagerly defy the law, then react bitterly when — or more likely, if — the government actually responds. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Hebron…"</div>
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In other words, we are, a priori, "defiant of the law." Very interesting. Except for the fact that nowhere in the article does Missy Eisner detail our 'defiance to the law,' our illegality. We just are. Why? Because we live in Hebron. That is, in her words, 'unreasonable.'</div>
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Why?</div>
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The photograph of me is captioned, beginning with the word 'agitator.' Missy Eisner later writes, "Wilder is the unremitting agitator, whose passion I’d find almost admirable if it wasn’t so utterly unreasonable."</div>
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I checked out the word 'agitator.' It has a distinctly hostile connotation, of 'troublemaker' or 'rabble-rouser,' as a friend of mine defined the term. Merriam-Webster writes: "a person who tries to get people angry or upset so that they will support an effort to change…"something.</div>
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So, there is something inherently negative about me, because I am 'passionate' about "Hebron' and I have the audacity to live here. With other Jews.</div>
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Why?</div>
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Actually, the only hint of any positive reference to Hebron was just that, "whose passion I’d find almost admirable if…". 'Almost admirable.' Thanks a lot.</div>
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In other words, there is absolutely nothing positive about Jewish Hebron. Not of Hebron past, present or future. It is not a place for Jews in the 'modern era' because it is, as she writes, in her opinion, a 'palestinian city.'</div>
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Actually, I think it's quite fitting that this article be printed today. For today's Hebrew date is the 17th of Tammuz, a fast day, beginning three weeks of mourning for the destruction of Beit HaMikdash, the Temple, in Jerusalem.</div>
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Among other events that are traditionally recorded to have occurred on this sad day was Moses' throwing down and breaking the first tablets of law, the Ten Commandments, upon seeing Jews dance around a 'golden calf,' which they were worshiping as a god.</div>
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Missy Eisner's article has a distinct flavor of 'golden calves,' printed in a publication that should not be called 'The Forward,' rather, 'the Backward.' Because it views that which is holy and sacred as profane and immoral. Those dancing around the golden calf, 3,300 years ago, had it backwards. G-d wasn't real, and should be replaced by a god, a golden calf. Missy Eisner, refers to Jewish presence in Hebron and throughout Judea and Samaria as, 'Damn the consequences.' In other words, 'let's dance around a golden calf of emptiness and worthlessness. That is, the god of 'realpolitik', forgetting about our rights as a people in our land.' I ask, what would be the consequences should we not live here, in our homeland, in Hebron? Would again the Tablets of the Law be cast down on the ground and smashed to smithereens? Meaning, in real terms, again, Exile?! Galut?! G-d forbid!</div>
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Missy Eisner, I have but one last thought. I've been able to conjure up in my memory another person, who too, thought that Jews in Hebron were 'agitators,' simply because they lived in Hebron. His name was Haj Amin El-Husseini.</div>
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This realization brings me to understand that, in actuality, today has turned out to be a good day to fast.</div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-46240152567017597612014-07-11T15:50:00.001+03:002014-07-11T15:50:17.060+03:00Bombs Away!<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; padding: 0px;">
<img alt="The Jerusalem Post" src="http://www.jpost.com/images/jpost_logo1.png" /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://blogs.jpost.com/content/bombs-away">http://blogs.jpost.com/content/bombs-away</a></span></div>
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Bombs Away!</div>
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July 11, 1014</div>
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There are different kinds of bombs.<br /><br />Presently we are experiencing bombs falling on Israel, launched by a terrorist government whose goal is the demise of the State of Israel and the annihilation of all its Jewish citizens.<br /><br />Simultaneously Israel is returning the favor, not in an effort to kill all Gazan Arabs, rather to exterminate the animals who are causing 'Red Alert' to be sounded, not only in Sderot, Ashkelon and Ashdod, but also in Beit Shemesh, Jerusalem, Haifa, Caesarea, Tel Aviv, Nes Tziona, Rishon L'Tzion, and many other places, and yes, including even Hebron. (The unconfirmed rumors are that the missile aimed at us fell in the Arab village Daharia, in the Southern Hebron Hills, killing three Arabs.)<br /><br />Last night one of my granddaughters, who lives in Beit Haggai, in the southern Hebron Hills, where too there was a siren yesterday, called me. Her father (my son) was called up a few days ago in the emergency draft. In tears she whispered, "Saba, I'm afraid."<br /><br />There are major differences between our bombs and their bombs. They are aiming for Ben Gurion airport. Their primary targets are civilians. Apartment buildings. Factories. Shopping centers. Wherever. The more dead, the better. After all, that's the goal.<br /><br />Before Israel releases its bombs, the intended 'house' is notified. Not once, rather twice. "Get out, we are going to bomb this house." The people inside have, not 15 seconds, but five minutes to evacuate. Then a 'warning flare' is released. "We are serious about this." And only after both these warnings, is the building destroyed.<br /><br />Of course, these are not random dwellings. These are the home bases of the beasts trying to destroy Israel. If the people inside take the alerts seriously, they are not injured. But lately, the Hamas terror leadership in Gaza has told its citizens to 'ignore' the Israeli forewarning. Not only don't they care if their own civilians are killed. To the contrary, they prefer it. That way they have good photos to show the international media and at the UN.<br /><br />Thank G-d, we are experiencing Divine miracles. The existence of the "Iron Dome" system, which shoots the terror missiles while still in the air is a double miracle. The very fact that such a weapon exists, and the fact that it actually works. According to IDF statistics, the success rate stands (or flies) at 90%. The system not only identifies the attacking missiles' trajectory, but also where it is expected to land. If the targeted area is populated, the 'iron dome' explodes into action. If it projects that the rocket will land in an unpopulated place, it does not operate. Miracle of miracles. And just to clarify some of the expenses involved: Each Iron Dome projectile costs about $50,000.<br /><br />There is another kind of bomb. In my opinion no less necessary or effective.<br /><br />A few days ago HaAretz newspaper sponsored a 'peace conference.' (Ironically they all had to scatter, running to bomb shelters when the air raid 'red alert' siren sounded.)<br /><br />One of the invited guests was National Home Party Chairman and Economics Minister Naftali Bennett. He is not exactly a hardcore left-wing extremist. He, together with Uri Ariel and Uri Urbach represent the right in the Israeli government.<br /><br />As soon as he walked onto the stage the heckling and screaming started. "Murderer, murderer." Etc Etc Etc.<br />Bennett has an extremely strong character, remaining very cool under very hot conditions.<br /><br />"You will not shut me up. I will speak!" And despite the continued interruptions, he did speak, saying very important words.<br /><br />First, he used an example from his business career, (he made millions), to make a point.<br /><br />I paraphrase: 'We initiated a project and invested millions. Until, after a few months of total failure, we recognized that we'd made a mistake. As a result we changed everything, including the product itself. Today we have employed over 400 people.<br /><br />When we made a mistake, we saw it and changed direction. When are you, on the left, going to admit that you've made a terrible mistake and change direction?!?'<br /><br />Bennett then proceed to list four essentials:</div>
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1) Land matters. 'Where would you prefer to meet up with Da'aish (the extreme insurgent Islamic group on the verge of conquering Iraq)? On the Jordan River or on Road 6 (here in Israel, on the border of the 'green line' – the projected border for a 'palestinian state.)<br /><br />2) Deterrence. 'When you live in an area of anarchy, you have to be strong! So strong that no one would even dare think of trying to harm you. Deterrence is the ability to inflict harm on your enemies and the willingness to actualize it if necessary.<br /><br />3) Internal National Resilience. That is solidarity between various parts of society. We witnessed this unity after the abduction and murder of the three young me. Concerns for the minority.<br /><br />4) Our right to exist in our land. We are here for over 3,800 years. From Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose name is also Israel, to the Judges and King David and Soloman, the Maccabees, the 2nd Temple and the return to Zion. The idea is that a nation cannot be a conqueror or occupier in its own land.<br /><br />"Not a foreign land we took, and we didn't use foreign property, rather the land of our forefathers, which was conquered by our enemies, without justification and we (the Jewish people), when we had the opportunity, we took back the land of our forefathers."<br /><br />"Which Zionist pronounced these words," asked Bennett. No one knew. "Shimon the Maccabee, 2150 years ago."<br /><br />Very impressive speech. Very effective bomb, of another type.<br /><br />I'd like to conclude by defining one last 'bomb.' It relates to Bennett's first essential, that being land. Referring to this, he spoke of the missiles launched from land we abandoned to the Arabs in Gush Katif, and asked how it is possible that rockets aren't falling from Judea and Samaria. Because, of course, we are here.<br /><br />The third, necessary bomb, is our return to Gaza, our return to Gush Katif. The rebuilding of the destroyed communities, and multiplication of that population by 1000% . Our enemies understand two languages: force and land. We are presently showing them force, and will continue to as long as necessary. But it is not enough. We must prove to them that we are serious. Force is not enough. We must take back our land, as we did in 1948 and 1967. We must continue walking in the footsteps of the Maccabees, we must continue living the words of Shimon the Maccabee. That will lead the road to total victory.<br /><br />Bombs Away!</div>
David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-86010195596232261912014-07-04T15:52:00.001+03:002014-07-04T15:52:12.196+03:00Those were the Days...<h1 class="article-title">
<img alt="The Jerusalem Post" src="http://www.jpost.com/images/jpost_logo1.png" /><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><a href="http://blogs.jpost.com/content/those-were-days%E2%80%A6">http://blogs.jpost.com/content/those-were-days%E2%80%A6</a></span></h1>
<span class="article-text">July 04, 2014<br /><br /><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">July
3, 1976 was a Shabbat. I had graduated from university a month earlier
and had been accepted to be a counselor for a Jewish Agency summer group
tour in Israel. Fortunately I was escorting a group of college-age
youth, meaning that when they left back to the US, after the six week
excursion, I wouldn't have to fly with them. The job paid my ticket back
to Israel.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The group was scheduled to leave on Sunday, July 4<sup>th</sup>.
That being, of course, the two hundredth birthday of the United States.
Major events were planned for that day and my parents and I suspected
that traffic, from NJ into Kennedy airport might be unbearable. So after
Shabbat they drove me to a hotel near JFK. We said our goodbyes and I
went to sleep.</span></div>
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Except that I didn't sleep very well. The thought of returning to Israel
the next day was tremendously exciting. That excitement wasn't overly
conducive to a sound sleep. So at some point, in the middle of the
night, having nothing else to do, I turned on the radio. And what news
did I hear!</span></div>
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The broadcaster was talking about how the Israeli hostages on the
ill-fated Air France flight had just been rescued by a special Israeli
military force at Entebbe in Uganda.</span></div>
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Wow!!! What a way to take off. </span></div>
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I remember, after our group arrived, we spent a couple of weeks on a
Kibbutz in the north. The Kibbutznick lady in charge of our group sat
everyone down around a campfire and talked about the feeling of wonder
in the country, following the successful mission. We spoke about it, I
have no recollection of what people said. And I'm sure that our emotions
didn’t reach nearly the heights of the Israelis, who lived and breathed
that hijacking day and night, until the miraculous rescue operation. </span></div>
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Thirty eight years ago. Thank G-d that it happened then, and not today.
Because if that Air France plane had been hijacked and flown to Idi Amin
in 2014, Israel would never have even contemplated such a daring
undertaking. After all, what would Obama, the EU and the UN say?
Innocent Ugandans might be hurt. Israel would be violating the
sovereignty of a foreign nation. What right would we have to take on
such a preposterous military adventure?!</span></div>
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Instead, the 'security cabinet' would have sat together, making up a
list of terrorists to be released, including murderers with 'blood on
their hands.' They might also have contemplated, as per the terrorist
demands, expulsion and destruction of several communities in Judea and
Samaria. After all, saving all those hundreds of people would be worth
any price. Especially when the world community was saying that the
hijacking was our own fault. The terrorists aren't really terrorists.
They are frustrated Arabs, without a home, without a land, without…..
What can you expect from such poor, discouraged people?!</span></div>
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This is what was going through my head this morning when I saw
headlines, that Israel had given the Hamas in Gaza an ultimatum. If they
did not stop bombing Israel with rockets and missiles within 48 hours,
Israel would invade.</span></div>
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In other words, they had two full days to continue shelling Sderot and Ashkelon, and then, stop. </span></div>
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This week, speaking to a German journalist, I asked/told her the
following: If a rocket was shot from France into Germany and hit a
building, and German Prime Minister Merkel did nothing, rather told the
nation that they must be 'restrained,' how long would it take the German
parliament to vote her out of her office?!</span></div>
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But in Israel? Dozens of missiles hit and our reaction? Nothing.</span></div>
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Why did they begin these attacks now? Again, we are to blame. These
rockets were, I believe actually a 'warning' to Netanyahu. The Gazan
terrorists said like this: 'we kidnapped and killed three Israeli youth.
We hid their bodies; it took you almost 3 weeks to find them. Now you
want to react. Don't you dare! Because if you do, these few days of
missiles will turn into weeks and months. You won't be able to stop us.
We have long-range rockets that can hit Tel Aviv easily. So, Mr. Prime
Minister Netanyahu, be a good boy and don't play with matches. Don't
even think about any kind of military action against us as a result of
our successful terror. Beware – you've been warned.'</span></div>
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The 'security cabinet' met twice (that we know of) following discovery
of the murdered men. After the first night's session, rumors abounded
about the disagreements and arguments between the various ministers.
After the next night's meeting, no details were released at all to the
media. </span></div>
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And since then, total quiet. Israel has not reacted, in any suitable
way, to the abduction and killing of the youth. The Hamas bombs us, and
Israel shells some empty buildings in Gaza. Not exactly what we could
call Entebbe 2. </span></div>
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The impotence of this government is mind-boggling. Most of the coalition
is center-right. Yet a very small number of people seem to be swinging
them all to the left. Including Netanyahu, who has never been known to
have tremendous inner stamina, courage, or a firm backbone. </span></div>
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I was never a big fan of Rabin-Peres. Almost all of what is happening at
present is their responsibility. But had Binyamin Netanyahu been prime
minister on July 4, 1976, I have no doubt that today, 38 years later, we
wouldn't be celebrating the heroic event known as Entebbe. </span></div>
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In conclusion, I highly recommend an article authored by Prof. Mordechai Kedar, called, "<a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/15269">However, we are guilty</a>." After that, nothing else needs to be said. </span></div>
David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-71762181643867142702014-07-02T15:41:00.000+03:002014-07-03T15:43:58.615+03:00Sur m'ra v'Aseh tov - Destory the evil and do good<div class="title-post" id="title-post" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #3c6b8c; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b><img alt="The Jerusalem Post" src="http://www.jpost.com/images/jpost_logo1.png" /></b></span></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://blogs.jpost.com/content/sur-mra-vaseh-tov-destory-evil-and-do-good">http://blogs.jpost.com/content/sur-mra-vaseh-tov-destory-evil-and-do-good</a></i></span><br /></b></span><br />
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Sur m'ra v'Aseh tov - Destory the evil and do good</div>
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July 2, 2014</div>
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<i>My statement to the media at a press conference yesterday at Yeshivat Shavei Hevron, here in Hebron.</i></div>
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We sat here almost a month ago following the abduction, in hope and prayer that we might meet the press here again at a big celebration and unfortunately that's not the case. In Hebrew we say,' sur m'ra v'aseh tov' – first do away with the evil and then do good and that's the path that the State of Israel must follow today. We lost three men, three boys, three heroes who didn't know anything about evil. Their only crime was that they were Jews living in Eretz Yisrael, studying in Hebron, studying in Gush Etzion, who wanted to do good. That was their purpose in life, those were their values, and the evil of the evil, the worst of the evil took their lives, but that spirit can never be taken. The side that the State of Israel must follow today, sur m'ra, to destroy evil, to eradicate evil, all of the terror, anyone who associates with the terror, anybody who gives any kind of support whatsoever for terror, has to be eradicated, has to be eliminated, has to be done away with. At the big rally in Tel Aviv, where we found all of the different sides of the Israeli people coming together, left, right, anything, everyone was there. One of the things that was said by the chairman of the student's union, was that their cannot be any justification whatsoever, in any way, shape or form, for the abduction, and he would add to that today, murder, of three young people. There's no justification, there's nothing that can be said, no excuses that can be given.</div>
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It goes without saying that Hamas, the Jihad, the Salafists who are starting to infiltrate, associated with Al-Queida, they all have to be wiped out, in any way that is necessary. The Israeli security forces know how to do that. I include in that group, Abu Mazen and the palestinian authority, who made a unity pact with Hamas. People who make unity pacts with terrorists are terrorists. Their goals are the same. Enough of the handshaking, the hugging, the kissing, the 'let's be friends.' It's all a show. And it has to come to an end. The state of Israel has to make that clear, because if it's not made clear, then we'll sit here again together, and if it's not here in Hebron, then it will be, G-d Forbid, in Elon Moreh, or in Yerushalayim, or in Sderot, because that's their goal. And if we don't destroy them, then they will continue to murder Jews.</div>
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We saw the other day, 15 missiles shot, from Gaza into Sderot, it was a Divine miracle that no one was hurt, that no one was killed.</div>
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That's the side of Sur m'Ra, do away with evil.</div>
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There's another side, which is Aseh tov, to do good. Doing good means that we have to do what is good in our opinion, in the eyes of G-d, and to show the world that we have no intentions of acquiescing. We will not acquiesce to terror.</div>
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This yeshiva, which is a pillar of Torah learning, not only in Hebron, but throughout the state of Israel, has 350 students. It should be a yeshiva of 1000 men. The building should be tripled in size. There should be dormitories for 1000 men. That's Aseh tov. That's doing good. That's taking the spirit of Eyal, Naftali and Gil-Ad and raising it up, raising up their spirit. Raising up the spirit of Am Yisrael, of the Jewish people.</div>
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Their used to be what was called the 'Zionist response,' to murders. When people were murdered, such as here in Hebron in 1980, when six men were murdered outside here, just down the road, outside Beit Hadassah, the Israeli government finalized and actualized the permits necessary for the renewal of the Jewish community of Hebron. That was the Zionist response. That has to be renewed, it's been ignored, or perhaps even contradicted over the years. It has to be renewed.</div>
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One of the best ways to respond would be to expand the Jewish community of Hebron. Give us building permits. Give us the ability to purchase from the Arabs that want to sell us property, but not only in Hebron, rather throughout Judea and Samaria. The area in Gush Ezion can be expanded, and should be annexed. So too through Binyamin and Samaria.</div>
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This has to be our response. The goal of the terrorists is to move us out, not only to move us out of Judea and Samaria, but to move us out of Tel Aviv, Tzfat, Beer Sheva and Haifa. Those places and be built up too. But today the controversy centers here. And our response, of 'doing good,' is to show the world that we will not acquiesce to terror.</div>
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Those are the immediate steps that have to be taken. Of course today we mourn, with the families, with the friends, we mourn with all the Jewish people, because today the grief is national. Last night there were kids walking through the streets crying. I had people from the US and from around the world sending me text messages, and emails, calling me, with condolences. People called me up in tears, both Jews and non-Jews. The feeling of grief for these people knows no boundaries, except of course, for the terrorists, and those who wish to continue such acts, and that must stop, and we will do anything and everything we have to do to push the Israeli government, those people who are making the decisions, and we have representatives in that government, and take all of the steps necessary. And I really do think that the first step would be to make this Yeshiva a study place for 1000 people. And Makor Haim in Gush Etzion, where the other two men studied, to do the same thing there. And with G-d's help we will never have to meet again under these circumstances for a press conference. But you'll all be invited when this Yeshiva is transformed into an international Torah organization , when we have here men like Mickey (Zivan) and others, from around the world, and not only men, we can have here too a women's division. For the good of the entire world.</div>
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Question: What about the world opinion, which is against these things that you say?<br /></div>
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I tell you what I've told other journalists: I don't give a damn what the world thinks. The world sat, 70 years ago, and watched as Jews were shoveled into ovens at Aushwitz. They didn't do anything about it. The leaders of the western powers knew what was happening. It's detailed and documented. It could have stopped. They didn’t' raise their pinkies to try and stop it. The world today is not interested in the existence of the state of Israel. Today it's not popular to be anti-Semitic, anti-Semitism has taken on a new form, it's called being anti-Israel and pro palestinian. Pure rabid anti-Semitism. And its goal is the destruction of the state of Israel. The world does not give a damn about us, and I, very honestly, don't give a damn about them. We have to survive, we have to do what is best for us and see to it that our people are safe, we have to make sure that guys standing on the road to catch a ride home aren’t picked up by terrorists and murdered in cold blood. Everyone hitches and we aren't going to stop. People have to be safe. If the world doesn't like it, that's their problem. </div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-47474106833433730372014-06-27T17:31:00.001+03:002014-06-27T17:31:16.378+03:00Waiting<div class="title-post" id="title-post" style="background-color: white; color: #3c6b8c; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<img alt="The Jerusalem Post" src="http://www.jpost.com/images/jpost_logo1.png" /></div>
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<span style="color: #3c6b8c; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>http://blogs.jpost.com/content/waiting</b></span></span></div>
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Waiting</div>
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June 27, 2014</div>
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There are many people in Israel who feel like these past two weeks have been the longest two weeks in their lives. Since the moment the abduction became public knowledge, the tension is palpable. There's more unknown than known. Optimism flips to pessimism and then back again. Emotions overcome intellect, but then the mind overtakes the heart. Faith, prayer, and a seemingly never-ending glance at the news, with someone in the background asking, 'did they find them yet?'</div>
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Israel has experienced difficult times. Anxiety is no stranger to anyone in this State. Wars, missiles, terror, shootings, intifadas, you name it. It's very difficult to find a reason for apprehension that does not exist in Israel, over the years.</div>
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This time it seems, for some reason, different. Almost all barriers have crumbled. There is literally wall-to-wall concern and support for the families. Left and right, the most divisive forces in Israel, have come together. This has happened before, notably following a prior abduction, that of Nachshon Wachsman, in 1994.</div>
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The difference, of course, is that Wachsman was a soldier. The three teenagers, Gilad, Naftali, and Eyal are just that, teenagers. They are civilians.</div>
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Yet, that's not entirely true. Our enemies have declared, numerous times that the three young men are soldiers, 'Zionist soldiers.' In a sense, they are correct. Because in truth, we are all soldiers. Some of us, in khaki uniform, and others in regular, everyday clothing. But the superficiality of our dress does not change the fact that we are all, one way or another, serving our country, serving our people, serving our G-d. </div>
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Our very presence, not only in Judea and Samaria, but anywhere in Israel, makes us soldiers. Because we, the State of Israel, is still fighting a War of Independence. We are still struggling for existence. There are many out there, around the world, who would be more than happy to see us deleted from the map of the globe.</div>
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A few days ago I attended a special Knesset caucus meeting, dealing with the delegitimation of Israel throughout the world. The keynote speaker was former Gov. Mike Huckabee. Of course he spoke very well and to the point. Features about his visit in Israel and in the Knesset can be <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Tag.aspx/4985" style="color: #557fa0; outline: none !important; text-decoration: none;">seen here.</a></div>
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One of the main points, which I've spoken about in the past, and was also stressed by Huckabee and also ZOA president Mort Klein, at the Knesset session, is the fact that rabid anti-Semitism is still very much present, in Europe and the US. However, in our modern day and age, it is not popular or correct to be anti-Semitic. Therefore, pure Jew-hatred has taken on a 'new dress' that being a double edged sword of being anti-Israel and pro-Arab (palestinian).</div>
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I'll get back to this idea in a moment. But first, another thought must be presented.</div>
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One of the almost inexpressible utmost uplifting results of the horrid abduction of the three youth is the appearance of three new Israeli leaders, for I don't think there is any other way to describe them. Leaders. Iris Yifrach, Rachel Frankel, and Bat-Galim Sha'ar.</div>
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Three women, whose courage, faith, and stamina, during the most difficult time that can be conjured up in the worst possible nightmare imaginable, are leading the Israeli public through this horrendous event.</div>
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I've been working as a spokesman, opposite press and public for almost two decades. It's not easy work. You have to think and speak simultaneously. Knowing that a slip of the tongue can be catastrophic. These women, evolved literally overnight, from being private people, wives and mothers, to being not only spokeswomen, but also symbols, of Israel.</div>
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Perhaps the culmination of their efforts occurred a few days ago when they appeared at the UN Council for Human Rights in Geneva.</div>
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Here, talk about anti-Semitism?! I watched live, over the internet, how one country after another condemned, not the butchery in Syria or Iraq, not the abduction of three teenagers, rather, only the 'violation of palestinian human rights.' Nothing else in the world takes precedence to this. Not the mass slaughter in Syria, not the arrest and death sentence of a woman in Sudan who dared to convert to Christianity from Islam, and certainly not rockets fired at Israel from Gaza, or continued terror against Jews. Only one thing matters, that being the 'occupation.'</div>
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How these three women sat there, listening to this revolting hate is beyond me. But more amazing than that was Rachel Frankel's presentation to the world organization, describing the three young men, their abduction, and plea for international intervention, to bring the boys home, alive, safe, to their families. Such grace and dignity, representing Israel with honor, an embodiment of the best of the best. Spokeswomen, leaders, soldiers. Literally, warriors, fighting for their sons, but not only for their children, rather for their people.</div>
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Unfortunately not all Israelis fit into this category of heroics. Specifically MKS like Hanin Zuabi, who, rather than condemn the abduction, praise and support it, or MK Achmad Tibi and others, who support Hamas, refusing to recognize them as a terror organization. Even Jewish MK Amram Mitzne, who compared the Jewish Home party with Hamas. </div>
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These kind of people should be spewed out of Israeli society, and certainly should not be allowed to serve in our parliament, the Knesset. There are no words of condemnation strong enough to use to describe them.</div>
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But these are surely not representative of the Israeli public at large. An Israeli public which not only embraces the families, but also recognizes their outstanding nobility, during such trying times.</div>
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Yesterday the military and intelligence forces released the names and photographs of the Arabs suspected of abducting Gilad, Naftali and Eyal. They are monsters. Their families are well-known for previous terror activities against Israel. They will be found, eventually, and the youth too, will be brought back to their families. The events may deteriorate before they get better. But nothing can or will ever erase the magnitude of these women's determination and fortitude. They are a beacon of light, shining forth the essence of our people. They are what Israel is all about.</div>
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We will continue to pray, to hug them, and wait.</div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-56664039790269576032014-05-29T17:32:00.000+03:002014-06-27T17:33:06.604+03:00Celebrating Hebron Liberation Day<div class="title-post" id="title-post" style="background-color: white; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="color: #3c6b8c; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b><img alt="The Jerusalem Post" src="http://www.jpost.com/images/jpost_logo1.png" /></b></span></span><br /><span style="color: #3c6b8c; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14px;"><b>http://blogs.jpost.com/content/celebrating-hebron-liberation-day</b></span></span></div>
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Celebrating Hebron Liberation Day<br />May 29, 2014</div>
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Forty eight years ago it couldn't have happened.</div>
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Dozens of Israeli men and women, in uniform, standing in formation, in the plaza outside Ma'arat HaMachpela.</div>
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Yesterday we celebrated Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day, the anniversary of the liberation of the holiest city in the world, Jerusalem. Foreign occupation, beginning some 2,000 years ago finally ended. True, this sacred city was not (and still is not) 'complete' – but, Jews, as those who for hundreds of year gave their lives reciting the words "Next year in Jerusalem" could finally actualize this dream.</div>
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Today we celebrate Yom Hebron, Hebron Liberation Day. The following day, after liberation of Jerusalem, the Jewish people came home to Hebron.</div>
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This phrase, 'coming home,' cannot be taken for granted. I speak with hundreds of people from around the world who cannot grasp how or why Hebron is 'home' to the Jewish people, and who cannot fathom why people like myself would come to live here.</div>
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The story of our return is well known. Following the liberation of the Kotel, the Western Wall in Jerusalem, the then Chief Rabbi of the IDF, Rabbi Shlomo Goren zt"l, traveled from Jerusalem to Gush Etzion, about half-way between Hebron and Jerusalem. There he met up with the Israeli forces who had, that same day, freed that area too. Knowing that the next morning they would be leaving for Hebron, he made a short speech about the importance of Hebron, and lay down to rest for a few hours.</div>
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When he awoke, the site was empty of people. Rabbi Goren woke up his driver, saying, 'They left without us – get in the jeep, we'll catch up with them.'</div>
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So it was that a Rabbi and his driver, alone, drove from Gush Etzion south, towards Hebron. Driving into Hebron, Rabbi Goren quickly realized the Arab enemy had surrendered, viewing white sheets hanging from windows and rooftops. The city's Arab residents remembered all too well the 1929 massacre, when 67 Jews were slaughtered by their next-door neighbors in August of that year. Fearing retribution, the Arab men fled the city, with the women and children waiting for the liberating forces.</div>
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Rabbi Goren quickly made his way to Ma'arat HaMachpela, the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, which had been totally off-limits to Jews for 700 years. This, the first Jewish possession in the first Jewish city in Israel, second in sanctity only to Temple Mount in Jerusalem, was finally back in Jewish hands.</div>
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Rabbi Goren ran up the western staircase, only to find the doors closed and locked. Unable to open them, he shot at the doors with his Uzi submachine gun. However, the doors remained locked. He backed his jeep up the stairs, attached chains to the jeep and the doors, and proceeded to pull then down. At last inside, he began to pray, thanking G-d for the miracles happening.</div>
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The Mufti of Hebron sent a messenger, wanting to surrender. Rabbi Goren sent him away, saying 'This place, Ma'arat HaMachpela, is a place of prayer and peace. Surrender elsewhere.' Which is what happened.</div>
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Rabbi Goren later explained: I have the rank of General. Why should I give them the honor to surrender to a General? Let them surrender to a lower ranking officer.' Which too happened.</div>
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However, when the Rabbi left in his jeep from Gush Etzion, his goal was to catch up to the army. Where were they?</div>
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What he didn't realize was that the IDF was unaware that Hebron's Arabs were about to surrender. They had made their way to the western side of Gush Etzion, to prepare the attack. They had also sent a contingent to enter the city from another direction.</div>
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In other words, Rabbi Goren liberated Hebron for the Jewish people, singlehandedly.</div>
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That's how we came back to Hebron.</div>
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Last night, we again reaffirmed our allegiance to this so holy a place.</div>
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For the past two years, Colonel Avi Bluth commanded the Judea Division, sometimes called the Hebron Division. Avi grew up in Israel. His parents made Aliyah, that is, came to live in Israel from the United States. Last night, at a unique and special ceremony, Avi transferred command to another young colonel, Yariv Ben Ezra. The ceremony took place in the plaza outside the huge structure, atop the caves of Machpela.</div>
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It is very difficult for me to express the emotions I sensed during the half-hour ceremony. I might call it pride, but actually it's much more than that.</div>
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First, about the commander. Avi Bluth is a military man. But he is also a religious Jew.</div>
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For many years, it was almost impossible for an orthodox Jew to reach such the rank and position of Colonel. And today, when it is possible, I'm asked about the 'religious people' 'taking over' the army.</div>
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When religious Jews didn't undertake military service, as did others, they were accused of 'not serving the country.' Now, when religious Jews do undertake to serve, and reach high-ranking positions, they are accused of 'taking over.' As one person described it to me, 'you're damned if you do and you're damned if you don’t.'</div>
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In any case, my personal feelings, seeing a man like Avi, serving with such distinction, in a place like Hebron, are overwhelming. At a short farewell meeting in our offices, I told him that not too many people have had the privilege and honor to serve where Abraham, the Jewish people's first General, and David, who became King of Israel in Hebron, lived and served.</div>
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The fact that Avi is religious didn't affect his decision-making. There were times when we agreed with his decisions and actions, and times when we didn't. We had many meetings with him and conducted an open line of communications. As has been the case with previous commanders, and as will continue with the new commander. His assessments determined his decisions, as should be.</div>
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What I didn't say to Avi was how much he reminded me of a previous Hebron commander, Col. Dror Weinberg, hy'd, who was killed in Hebron during a major terror attack over ten years ago. Both men are very similar. Both young, very determined, very loyal, very hard working, and also, both religious.</div>
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But Avi mentioned him during his outgoing speech last night, saying that Dror was his first commander, and that he was to him an example to be followed.</div>
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Avi also spoke of the honor and privilege to serve and command in Hebron.</div>
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And all of this, at this so special a site, the Tombs of the first Jews, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rivka, and Ya'akov and Lea. Liberated, exactly 47 years ago today.</div>
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What an experience!</div>
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Lately I've found some words, which perhaps, express in the most lucid way possible, our connection to Hebron.</div>
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<b>The Jews are the most tenacious people in history. Hebron is there to prove it.</b><br /><br />It ties 20 miles south of Jerusalem, 3,000 feet up in the Judaean hills. There, in the Cave of Machpelah, are the Tombs of the Patriarchs. According to ancient tradition, one sepulchre, itself of great antiquity, contains the mortal remains of Abraham, founder of the Jewish religion and ancestor of the Jewish race. Paired with his tomb is that of his wife Sarah. Within the building are the twin tombs of his son Isaac and his wife Rebecca. Across the inner courtyard is another pair of tombs, of Abraham's grandson Jacob and his wife Leah...This is where the 4,000-year history of the Jews, in so far as it can be anchored in time and place, began.</div>
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Hebron has great and venerable beauty. It provides the peace and stillness often to be found in ancient sanctuaries. But its stones are mute witnesses to constant strife and four millennia of religious and political disputes. It has been in turn a Hebrew shrine, a synagogue, a Byzantine basilica, a mosque, a crusader church, and then a mosque again. Herod the Great enclosed it with a majestic wall, which still stands, soaring nearly 40 feet high, composed of massive hewn stones, some of them 23 feet long. Saladin adorned the shrine with a pulpit. Hebron reflects the long, tragic history of the Jews and their unrivalled capacity to survive their misfortunes. David was anointed king there, first of Judah (II Samuel 2:1-4), then of all Israel (II Samuel 5:1-3). When Jerusalem fell, the Jews were expelled and it was settled by Edom. It was conquered by Greece, then by Rome, converted, plundered by the Zealots, burned by the Romans, occupied in turn by Arabs, Franks and Mamluks. From 1266 the Jews were forbidden to enter the Cave to pray. They were permitted only to ascend seven steps by the side of the eastern wall. On the fourth step they inserted their petitions to God in a hole bored 6 feet 6 inches through the stone.</div>
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...The Jewish community, never very numerous, was ferociously attacked by the Arabs in 1929...When Israeli soldiers entered Hebron during the Six Day War in 1967, for a generation not one Jew had lived there. But a modest settlement was re-established in 1970. Despite much fear and uncertainty, it has flourished.</div>
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<b>So when the historian visits Hebron today, he asks himself: where are all those peoples which once held the place? Where are the Canaanites? Where are the Edomites? Where are the ancient Hellenes and the Romans, the Byzantines, the Franks, the Mamluks and the Ottomans? They have vanished into time, irrevocably. But the Jews are still in Hebron.</b></div>
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<b>Hebron is thus an example of Jewish obstinacy over 4,000 years.</b></div>
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These words where not authored by myself, rather by a Gentile historian, Paul Johnson, in a book called: <b>A History of the Jews</b>.</div>
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This is Hebron, this is Eretz Yisrael, this is Am Yisrael, this is Torat Yisrael.</div>
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All wrapped up in one.</div>
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<img alt="" height="200" src="http://blogs.jpost.com/sites/default/files/mahatim-avi-yariv-43_resize.JPG" style="border: 0px none; display: inline-block; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;" width="300" /></div>
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As exemplified by Col Avi Bluth, by Col Yariv Ben Ezra, and by so many others.</div>
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Happy Hebron liberation day.</div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045733129862077968.post-60564817879993584252014-05-07T23:01:00.001+03:002014-05-07T23:01:35.950+03:00The Hebronization of Yitzhar<span style="color: #898989; font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 17px;">The Hebronization of Yitzhar<br />May 7, 2014</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;">Iyar 7, 5774,</span><br />
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The year was 1996. Shimon Peres signed away Hebron, chopping the city into two pieces, the larger abandoned to Arafat. But then the miracle happened. Bibi was elected. The Messiah had arrived. Hebron was saved.</div>
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Except that in January, 1997 the Messiah was revealed as a phony. Implementing the Hebron Accords, the city was split.</div>
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We warned – if you give the terrorists all the hills surrounding us, they'll use them as a base to shoot at us. We were ignored, or rather we were accused of being hysterical. After all, the false messiah told us, if one bullet is shot, I'll send in the troops.</div>
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The last days of September, 2000. Israel's worst (then) CoC was Prime Minister. When the Arabs started shooting, on the eve of Rosh HaShana, Barak, was caught with his pants down. Those attacks continued through the middle of 2002.</div>
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We asked, we pleaded, we did everything possible, demanding that the IDF retake the hills. Nothing happened, they kept shooting.</div>
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The end of March, 2001. Shalhevet Pas, 10 months old, shot in the head and killed by an Arab sniper, from those hills.</div>
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Eruption. The volcano exploded, lava covered the already scorched earth.</div>
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How can you sit quietly and watch yourself, your family, your friends, everyone, being transformed into moving targets. The reactions were swift, and to a degree, violent. But nowhere near as vicious as the attackers.</div>
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And then, almost overnight, Hebron's Jewish community was transformed from the victim to the predator. The Arabs continued daily and nightly target practice on men, women and children. Simultaneously the Israeli police, together with IDF soldiers, who were ordered to use police tactics and treat us as aggressors, swooped down on us , turning our already hell-like lives into a nightmare. Facing an Arab enemy is much easier than dealing with so-called 'fellow countrymen,' who rather than assist you, brutalize you.</div>
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Occasionally I have reason to flip through photos from those days, months, and years. I have no idea how we were able to overcome the police-prosecution-court persecution. People's homes were broken into in the middle of the night. Kids were swooped up on the street, whisked away into police cars, disappearing. Police, chasing after teenagers, with guns drawn, ran through children's nursery school classes. Cars were stopped for 'routine checks' again and again and again.</div>
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Despite the continued shooting and terror, we were portrayed as monsters, who deserve whatever happens to them.</div>
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And it was much much worse than these few measly lines of writing can possibly describe.</div>
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Why write about this today, so many years later? Because these are the thoughts clogging my head for the past few weeks, as I witness the Hebronization of Yitzhar.</div>
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I'm not a fan of attacking soldiers. I also don't get my kicks throwing rocks at police. Or at anyone else, for that matter. But I do know that there are times when people lose it. Or almost lose it. There are varying degrees of 'losing it.'</div>
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After the expulsion from Beit HaShalom, in 2007, I wrote an article called Extremism breeds Extremism. It was true then and it continues to be true today.</div>
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The residents of Yitzhar, in the Shomron (Samaria) are no less idealistic than anyone else in Israel. And they are, just as most of the rest of us, loyal, law-abiding citizens, who work, serve in the army, pay taxes, and live, just like everyone else. But they've been labeled, and unjustifiably monsterized .</div>
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Sure, I agree, there are red lines. When those lines are crossed, the people responsible must be held accountable for their actions. But collective police-judicial terror, signed and dotted on the highest levels of Israeli government, is no less atrocious.</div>
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The episodes of the past month or so, culminating with the arrest and torture of a woman, a mother, over a period of three days, being strip searched numerous times, not being allowed to use a bathroom, being denied basic elements of life, for no reason whatsoever, is totally inexcusable.</div>
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Today's headlines were breath-taking. A twenty-two year old Yitzhar woman, eight months pregnant, arrested for incitement. I certainly don't find her comments particularly wise or correct. Such statements are too, not my cup of tea. Yet, I do know that I've heard people say all sorts of crazy things, expressing thoughts and opinions that, heard, recorded and broadcast on youtube would have caused them loads of trouble. And I have to admit, me too. I've thought things, and sometimes even spoken words, that could cause me havoc.</div>
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But, who hasn't?! Maybe there are a few people, somewhere in the world, who were born righteous and remained so all the days of their lives. But there aren't too many of them.</div>
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Last week the owner of a basketball team was recorded making some very stupid and racist remarks. I read more than one column, by very respectable authors, who, while decrying the comments, questioned the morality and ethics of publicizing private conversations. I mean, come on, who hasn't said really dumb things in private conversations?</div>
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The forum, where 22 year old Eliraz spouted her abhorrence of police and soldiers was private. She's about to give birth. She doesn’t seem to be a prime candidate to kill anyone in the near future. She didn't stand on a rooftop and declare before the people of Israel that they should take up arms against police or soldiers. She expressed her thoughts, as brainless as they were, at a given moment of rage. Is that illegal?</div>
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I don't know what brought it on. But I can guess. The constant attacks, by Arabs and Jews, the steady delegitimization, like Chinese water torture, drop after drop after drop, – as I wrote, sometimes people lose it. Legality and illegality is a question of definition. But in this case, it seems part of a grand plan by the 'authorities' to continue their fierce and somewhat sadistic campaign against Yitzhar, in an attempt to break them, all of the people there, good people, one at a time, until they simply disappear into thin air. Or into jails or dungeons.</div>
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I conclude with a facebook post that my son wrote:</div>
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'Daily, yes daily, there are tens, if not hundreds, who hurl rocks at Israeli soldiers. Ah, yes, also on police and civilians. And boulders, and firebombs, and sometimes, even shoot. Hitting, wounding, killing.</div>
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No one speaks or writes about the different theories of 'for' or 'against.' Rather, get up and do something.</div>
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But here begins the policy of containment. We can 'contain it,' absorb, ignore…and what else!?</div>
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When Arabs enemies hurt us, or our soldiers, well, we can 'contain' it. But when a young person writes something stupid, while overly agitated, she is attacked as an enemy of the people and state….'</div>
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Continued government extremism against Yitzhar will only exasperate an already deteriorating situation. They don't deserve it any more than we did. This extremism will only breed further extremism, with events liable to really spiral out of control.</div>
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This article does not necessarily represent the Jewish Community of Hebron</div>
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David Wilderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10846694927950322348noreply@blogger.com0