Today is Day 14,239 of the Maintenance of the Immoral (and Illegal) West Bank Settlements
Micah.6:8 “He has told you, O man, Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God
In a few months it will be 25 years since the debate I helped organize at the JCC in Marblehead, Massachusetts – July 29, 1982. I have in front of me the flyer we distributed which reads in part
ISRAEL IN LEBANON: Self-Defense or Invasion? Is the Road to Beirut the Path to Peace? Speakers were: Robert Lappin, former President of the Jewish Federation of the North Shore; Yuval Metser, Israeli Consul General; Donald Perlstein, Editor of Genesis II; and Roger Hurwitz, Member of New Jewish Agenda
Two hundred attended: Quotes and comments from coverage in the Jewish Journal of the North Shore. Lappin, “Israel’s entry into Lebanon was an act of legitimate self-defense. We should not allow our compassion for innocent civilians who have the ability to save themselves to becloud the grim reality of Arab actions and intentions.” “In order to reach the talking stage, both Lappin and Metser insisted first on the removal of the PLO”. Hurwitz said that the PLO really posed no imminent threat when the moves were taken. “The alternative of negotiating with the Palestinians has been steadfastly refused by the government”. Perlstein “I reject the myth that Israel will attain security and peace by destroying the PLO. .. Those who call for a change of policy are often called traitors or non-supporters of Israel, when in fact it’s the very policy presently pursued that is at the core of what is most dangerous to Israel.” The program ended abruptly when Yuval Metser, apparently insulted by a comment by Roger Hurwitz, spit on Roger Hurwitz, and led a walk-out of more than half of the audience with cries of “Anti-Semite” filling the air.
From a letter to the editor after the program: “Clearly my anticipation and willingness to listen was not shared by those who came to heckle and disrupt the evening with the self-righteous conviction that there is no valid second option and that their positions were ‘the right ones’ absolute and inviolate. .. As a Jew I have always been proud of our people’s wonderful, if painful and passionate history of openness to inquiry, discussion, exploration and debate.… I wonder, sometimes, if the North Shore was served an overly generous share of intolerant, parochial minds. It seems that when some of us are served an unfamiliar or threatening concept, we revile not only the idea but also the source.”
Prior to that there was an op-ed piece in the New York Times on June 26, 1982 by Roger Hurwitz and Gordon Fellman: “Under present international conditions, there is little likelihood that Prime Minister Menachem Begin will get the strong Lebanese government – that is, one dominated by Phalangists – that he seeks. His further pursuit of it would entail a prolonged Israeli occupation and strain his country’s resources and morale.….. West Bank Palestinians were moved to protests by expropriation of lands they worked, suppression of their cultural institutions and denial of political rights. … for three decades, Israeli officials boasted that their armed forces respected the lives of innocents … Such claims can no longer be believed, not even by the Israeli public. Until now fear of disunity has muffled public criticism by American Jews of Israel’s approach to the Palestinian issue. This fear must be overcome, for at stake are Israel’s moral future and the identity of Jews everywhere as moral agents.”
And in September, 1982 some of us signed a letter to Ambassador Arens stating in part: “We insist upon the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Beirut and ultimately Lebanon. We urge that the Israeli government recognize the human rights and needs of the Palestinian people.”
One reaction to this 1982 invasion and occupation of Lebanon by the government of Israel was the formation of Hezbollah!!
Deuteronomy 16:20 – “Justice, justice shall you pursue that you may live and inherit the land which God gave you”
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Israeli Targeted Assassination in the Gaza Strip
Today is Day 14,239 of the Maintenance of the Immoral (and Illegal) West Bank Settlements
Micah.6:8 “He has told you, O man, Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God
Boston Globe, Sunday, April 8, “PALESTINIANS SAY ATTACK BROKE CEASE- FIRE An Israeli helicopter attack in the Gaza Strip yesterday that killed a member of a militant squad was one of the most serious breaches yet of the four month old cease-fire, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli military said the air attack was aimed at militants planting a bomb along the border fence and did not amount to a cease-fire violation.”
So when the Israeli government “suspects” that a group is planting a bomb along the border fence, the response is to send in a helicopter and assassinate them. Interesting definition of justice, isn’t it?.
I wonder what else the Israeli government could do. How about arresting them and trying them in an Israeli court? What a novel approach!!! Of course, you might have a problem with pesky matters such as facts and proof which assassinations avoid. From reading this article one can see why the Israeli military authorities would not want to bring the accused before an Israeli court
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/jewishethics/capital.shtml
Ethics of capital punishment
Judaism and capital punishment
Someone who reads the Old Testament list of 36 capital crimes might think that Judaism is in favour of capital punishment, but they'd be wrong. During the period when Jewish law operated as a secular as well as a religious jurisdiction, Jewish courts very rarely imposed the death penalty. The state of Israel has abolished the death penalty for any crime that is now likely to be tried there.
The classic Old Testament texts quoted to justify capital punishment are these:
... life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth ...
A man who spills human blood, his own blood shall be spilled by man because God made man in His own Image
Although they seem clear these texts are commonly misunderstood. To really understand Jewish law one must not only read the Torah but consult the Talmud, an elaboration and interpretation by rabbinical scholars of the laws and commandments of the Torah. The rabbis who wrote the Talmud created such a forest of barriers to actually using the death penalty that in practical terms it was almost impossible to punish anyone by death. The rabbis did this with various devices: interpreting texts in the context of Judaism's general respect for the sanctity of human life; emphasising anti-death texts such as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill'; interpreting texts to make them very narrow in their application ; refusing to accept any but the most explicit Torah texts proposing the death penalty; finding alternative punishments, or schemes of compensation for victims' families; imposing procedural and evidential barriers that made the death penalty practically unenforceable (Blogger’s Note – One requirement was the need for two eye-witnesses before the accused could be given the death penalty. Numbers 24:30 “If anyone kills another, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses; but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of a single witness.”
Think about the targeted assassinations. What is their purpose? To kill those “suspected” of being murderers (“combatants”? “persons worthy of death”?) The Government of Israel allows the IDF to be the investigator, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner? This is not a place governed by any rule of law that I am familiar with. This area is occupied. This is not a war. There are individuals in the territories who are committing crimes including murder. They should be found and tried before a court of law.one of which is a requirement that there be two eyewitnesses to a murder or killing)
The result of this is that there are very few examples of people being executed by Jewish law in rabbinic times.
Israel
In 1954, Israel abolished capital punishment except for those who committed Nazi war crimes. In the 54 years that Israel has existed as an independent state, only one person has been executed. This person was Adolf Eichman, a Nazi war criminal with particular responsibility for the Holocaust.
That being the case, if the accuseds had been convicted of planting a bomb, the court could not have imposed the death penalty.
Micah.6:8 “He has told you, O man, Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God
Boston Globe, Sunday, April 8, “PALESTINIANS SAY ATTACK BROKE CEASE- FIRE An Israeli helicopter attack in the Gaza Strip yesterday that killed a member of a militant squad was one of the most serious breaches yet of the four month old cease-fire, Palestinian officials said. The Israeli military said the air attack was aimed at militants planting a bomb along the border fence and did not amount to a cease-fire violation.”
So when the Israeli government “suspects” that a group is planting a bomb along the border fence, the response is to send in a helicopter and assassinate them. Interesting definition of justice, isn’t it?.
I wonder what else the Israeli government could do. How about arresting them and trying them in an Israeli court? What a novel approach!!! Of course, you might have a problem with pesky matters such as facts and proof which assassinations avoid. From reading this article one can see why the Israeli military authorities would not want to bring the accused before an Israeli court
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/jewishethics/capital.shtml
Ethics of capital punishment
Judaism and capital punishment
Someone who reads the Old Testament list of 36 capital crimes might think that Judaism is in favour of capital punishment, but they'd be wrong. During the period when Jewish law operated as a secular as well as a religious jurisdiction, Jewish courts very rarely imposed the death penalty. The state of Israel has abolished the death penalty for any crime that is now likely to be tried there.
The classic Old Testament texts quoted to justify capital punishment are these:
... life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth ...
A man who spills human blood, his own blood shall be spilled by man because God made man in His own Image
Although they seem clear these texts are commonly misunderstood. To really understand Jewish law one must not only read the Torah but consult the Talmud, an elaboration and interpretation by rabbinical scholars of the laws and commandments of the Torah. The rabbis who wrote the Talmud created such a forest of barriers to actually using the death penalty that in practical terms it was almost impossible to punish anyone by death. The rabbis did this with various devices: interpreting texts in the context of Judaism's general respect for the sanctity of human life; emphasising anti-death texts such as the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill'; interpreting texts to make them very narrow in their application ; refusing to accept any but the most explicit Torah texts proposing the death penalty; finding alternative punishments, or schemes of compensation for victims' families; imposing procedural and evidential barriers that made the death penalty practically unenforceable (Blogger’s Note – One requirement was the need for two eye-witnesses before the accused could be given the death penalty. Numbers 24:30 “If anyone kills another, the murderer shall be put to death on the evidence of witnesses; but no one shall be put to death on the testimony of a single witness.”
Think about the targeted assassinations. What is their purpose? To kill those “suspected” of being murderers (“combatants”? “persons worthy of death”?) The Government of Israel allows the IDF to be the investigator, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner? This is not a place governed by any rule of law that I am familiar with. This area is occupied. This is not a war. There are individuals in the territories who are committing crimes including murder. They should be found and tried before a court of law.one of which is a requirement that there be two eyewitnesses to a murder or killing)
The result of this is that there are very few examples of people being executed by Jewish law in rabbinic times.
Israel
In 1954, Israel abolished capital punishment except for those who committed Nazi war crimes. In the 54 years that Israel has existed as an independent state, only one person has been executed. This person was Adolf Eichman, a Nazi war criminal with particular responsibility for the Holocaust.
That being the case, if the accuseds had been convicted of planting a bomb, the court could not have imposed the death penalty.
What justification in Jewish law or ethics is there for such targeted assassinations? What is their purpose? To kill those “suspected” of being murderers (“combatants”? “persons worthy of death”?) The Government of Israel allows the IDF to be the investigator, prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner? This is not a place governed by any rule of law that I am familiar with. The Gaza Strip is occupied. This is not a war, or if there was, there is a cease-fire. There are individuals in the territories who are committing crimes including murder. They should be found and tried before a court of law. What is the justice system in the Gaza Strip? What are the human and civil and legal rights of Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip?
Deuteronomy 16:20 – “Justice, justice shall you pursue that you may live and inherit the land which God gave you”
Deuteronomy 16:20 – “Justice, justice shall you pursue that you may live and inherit the land which God gave you”
Friday, April 6, 2007
1980 - More Squatters, More Violence and an Ad in the The New York Times
In the footnote to the 1980 Hertz Edition of the Torah under Deuteronomy 16:20 "Justice, justice shall you pursue" appears the following " (T)here is international justice, which demands respect for the personality of each and every national group, and proclaims that no people can of right be robbed of its national life or territory, its language or spiritual heritage.
I still have a copy of an article by David Horowitz in October 1974 in Ramparts Magazine entitled "The Passion of the Jews". In it on page 27, I read, "Thus, while the state of Israel is the embodied national idea of a people who for two thousand years were without a land and a state, in the interets of Jewish "survival', Israel's leaders continue to deny in principle the very existence of the people they have displaced, and to thwart their claims to land and statehood. 'It was not as though there was a Palestinian people in Palestine considering itself a Palestinian people and we came and threw them out and took their country away from them,' explained Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in 1969, 'they did not exist.' .... The Palestinians, in the view of Israel's Foreign Office, 'are not a party to the conflict between Israel and the Arab states,' and 'have no role to play' in any peace settlement. Denied a legitimate voice, weak, disorganized, living in refugee camps and under Israeli military rule, the Palestinians have responded with acts of terror as a cruel but therefore unevadable statement: We exist."
In 1980 I was solicited for, and signed, an ad which appeared in the New York Times on Sunday, June 22, entitled "End Middle East Bloodshed which said, in part, "We condemn the shootings that killed six young Jews in Hebron... We deplore the continued destructive acts of some Palestinian groups including factions of the PLO and of some Israeli groups including some of the right wing factions, Kach and Gush Emunim .. We profoundly regret the unwillingness of the leadership of the PLO to deplore and curtail the provocative acts undertaken by Palestinians... We are deeply saddened by the failure of the leadership of the Government of Israel to End Its Settlement Policy and to restrain Jews from hostile actions in the territories."
When Israel was admitted to the United Nations in 1949, it signed the UN Charter which included a renunciation of the acquisition of territory by force. Another condition of its admission was UN General Assembly Resolution 181 and 194 of 1949 authorizing two states and the right of return of refugees. Eighteen years later, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 242 of 1967 saying that the UN Charter required Israel to withdraw its forces from occupied territories and a termination of the state of belligerence and respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every State in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognized boundaries free from threats or acts of force.
Recall that there were then, in 1980, 53 settlements in the West Bank with a population of about 12,500 squatters. By this time, I found it more and more difficult to reconcile this slow but steady stream of Jewish squatters into the occupied territories and the resulting hostilities engendered by their construction of settlements on the backs of the Palestinians living with my long held belief in the Jewish passion for compassion, fairness and justice.
Would that be the end of the illegal transfers of Jewish individuals into the occupied territory, an act which would likely reduce the tension in the West Bank? Would the Israeli Government recognize and comply with international law and act consistent with Jewish values?
Growth of the Settlements 1968-1980
Today is Day 14,237 of the Maintenance of the Immoral (and Illegal) Settlements on the West Bank
Micah.6:8 “He has told you, O man, Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God."
Much of the material that will be included in this and some of the posts to follow has been taken from: “Land Grab” Israel’s Settlement Policy in the West Bank, May 2002, a publication of B’TSELEM – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories; Tikkun Magazine; Americans for Peace Now; the Foundation for Middle East Peace; and Christian Peacemaker Teams CPT; hebron.org; the U. S. Campaign to End the Israel Occupation; Healing Israel/Palestine by Michael Lerner. There has been no independent attempt to verify the facts presented.
In 1967 Theodor Meron, legal counsel of the Israel Foreign Ministry concluded in a memo “civilian settlement in the administered territories contravenes the explicit provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention.” Article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention prohibits a nation from transferring its citizens to occupied territory.
Nevertheless, after Rabbi Moshe LevInger and his merry band of 80 squatters (those who settle on lands of others without legal authority) occupied the King David Hotel in Hebron in 1968 and announced his intention to stay, no action was taken to remove him. Successive Israeli Governments have continued to support the growth and expansion of settlements. In 1978 an opinion of the Legal Adviser of the Department of State in the administration of President Jimmy Carter stated “the establishment of the civilian settlements in those territories is inconsistent with international law.”
1968 – A new religious group, Gush Emunim (block of the faithful) argued that it was forbidden for Jews to return land to the Arabs, and that the outcome of the war was a product of divine intervention. These “modern-Orthodox created settlements in the West bank and pushed the agenda of Israeli expansionism. Over the next 25 years, the Gush Emunim movement encouraged Israelis to settle in the West Bank and Gaza, sometimes buying land, but often occupying and expropriating land from Palestinians.
1968 – 1972 – Jewish Israeli citizens founded 11 settlements – Mehola Kalya, Argamar, Rosh Zurim, Gilgal, Ma’ale Efrayim, Massu’a, Mevo Horan, Hamra, Mizpe Shalem, Har Gilo and Kiryat Arba
1977 - After the Likud came to power in 1977, the government began to establish settlements throughout the West Bank, particularly in areas close to the main Palestinian population centers along the central mountain ridge and in western Samaria. This policy was based on both security and ideological considerations.
1977 – July – Menachem Begin refuses President Jimmy Carter’s request to freeze settlement activity.
1977 – September - Ariel Sharon, minister of agriculture unveils “A vision of Israel at Century’s End” calling for the settlement of 2 million Jews in the occupied territories.
1978 - April 21, 1978 opinion of the Legal Adviser of the Department of State in the administration of President Carter the Congress on the legal status of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. “While Israel may undertake, in the occupied territories, actions necessary to meet its military needs and to provide for orderly government during the occupation, for the reasons indicated above the establishment of the civilian settlements in those territories is inconsistent with international law.”
1980 – There are now 53 settlements where approximately 12,500 Jewish Israeli citizens live.
The Israeli Government recently revealed as announced in the following Americans for Peace Now Press Release that, in fact, many of the settlements were built illegally (according to Israeli law) on private land.
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 14, 2007 CONTACT: Ori Nir - (202) 728-1893
Washington, D.C.— Israel's Peace Now movement today released official data it received from the Israeli government, validating the findings of its November 2006 report that vast portions of Israeli settlements in the West Bank are built on land which the government recognizes as privately owned by Palestinians. According to the data, which the government recently provided to Peace Now following a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, one third (32.4 percent) of the Jewish settlements' land in the West Bank is privately owned. The data confirm assertions made earlier by Peace Now that the vast majority of the settlements and outposts (131 out of 162) are either partially or completely situated on privately owned land. The 2006 report was based on 2004 data leaked to Peace Now. The new data are both official and up-to-date. "The new data, which come officially from the hands of Israel's Civil Administration in the West Bank, not only vindicate Peace Now but also underscore the need for Israel and America to vigorously work together to roll back the settlement enterprise in the West Bank," said Debra DeLee, president and CEO of Peace Now. Last year's groundbreaking report shattered the oft-repeated claim that settlements are built exclusively on public lands. The Israeli High Court of Justice has a long established precedent that privately owned lands cannot be taken for settlement construction."
On April 25, 1980 I had the good fortune to sit in on a presentation by the Hon. Arie Lova Eliav who stated that his belief that Palestinians also have a right to the land led him being a prominent member of the Labor party to leadership of the doves “It also is the basis for his opposition to the present policy of establishing Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. This land, under his proposal is being held for the Palestinians subject to their agreement on demilitarization and other conditions.”
Micah.6:8 “He has told you, O man, Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God."
Much of the material that will be included in this and some of the posts to follow has been taken from: “Land Grab” Israel’s Settlement Policy in the West Bank, May 2002, a publication of B’TSELEM – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories; Tikkun Magazine; Americans for Peace Now; the Foundation for Middle East Peace; and Christian Peacemaker Teams CPT; hebron.org; the U. S. Campaign to End the Israel Occupation; Healing Israel/Palestine by Michael Lerner. There has been no independent attempt to verify the facts presented.
In 1967 Theodor Meron, legal counsel of the Israel Foreign Ministry concluded in a memo “civilian settlement in the administered territories contravenes the explicit provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention.” Article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention prohibits a nation from transferring its citizens to occupied territory.
Nevertheless, after Rabbi Moshe LevInger and his merry band of 80 squatters (those who settle on lands of others without legal authority) occupied the King David Hotel in Hebron in 1968 and announced his intention to stay, no action was taken to remove him. Successive Israeli Governments have continued to support the growth and expansion of settlements. In 1978 an opinion of the Legal Adviser of the Department of State in the administration of President Jimmy Carter stated “the establishment of the civilian settlements in those territories is inconsistent with international law.”
1968 – A new religious group, Gush Emunim (block of the faithful) argued that it was forbidden for Jews to return land to the Arabs, and that the outcome of the war was a product of divine intervention. These “modern-Orthodox created settlements in the West bank and pushed the agenda of Israeli expansionism. Over the next 25 years, the Gush Emunim movement encouraged Israelis to settle in the West Bank and Gaza, sometimes buying land, but often occupying and expropriating land from Palestinians.
1968 – 1972 – Jewish Israeli citizens founded 11 settlements – Mehola Kalya, Argamar, Rosh Zurim, Gilgal, Ma’ale Efrayim, Massu’a, Mevo Horan, Hamra, Mizpe Shalem, Har Gilo and Kiryat Arba
1977 - After the Likud came to power in 1977, the government began to establish settlements throughout the West Bank, particularly in areas close to the main Palestinian population centers along the central mountain ridge and in western Samaria. This policy was based on both security and ideological considerations.
1977 – July – Menachem Begin refuses President Jimmy Carter’s request to freeze settlement activity.
1977 – September - Ariel Sharon, minister of agriculture unveils “A vision of Israel at Century’s End” calling for the settlement of 2 million Jews in the occupied territories.
1978 - April 21, 1978 opinion of the Legal Adviser of the Department of State in the administration of President Carter the Congress on the legal status of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. “While Israel may undertake, in the occupied territories, actions necessary to meet its military needs and to provide for orderly government during the occupation, for the reasons indicated above the establishment of the civilian settlements in those territories is inconsistent with international law.”
1980 – There are now 53 settlements where approximately 12,500 Jewish Israeli citizens live.
The Israeli Government recently revealed as announced in the following Americans for Peace Now Press Release that, in fact, many of the settlements were built illegally (according to Israeli law) on private land.
"FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 14, 2007 CONTACT: Ori Nir - (202) 728-1893
Washington, D.C.— Israel's Peace Now movement today released official data it received from the Israeli government, validating the findings of its November 2006 report that vast portions of Israeli settlements in the West Bank are built on land which the government recognizes as privately owned by Palestinians. According to the data, which the government recently provided to Peace Now following a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, one third (32.4 percent) of the Jewish settlements' land in the West Bank is privately owned. The data confirm assertions made earlier by Peace Now that the vast majority of the settlements and outposts (131 out of 162) are either partially or completely situated on privately owned land. The 2006 report was based on 2004 data leaked to Peace Now. The new data are both official and up-to-date. "The new data, which come officially from the hands of Israel's Civil Administration in the West Bank, not only vindicate Peace Now but also underscore the need for Israel and America to vigorously work together to roll back the settlement enterprise in the West Bank," said Debra DeLee, president and CEO of Peace Now. Last year's groundbreaking report shattered the oft-repeated claim that settlements are built exclusively on public lands. The Israeli High Court of Justice has a long established precedent that privately owned lands cannot be taken for settlement construction."
On April 25, 1980 I had the good fortune to sit in on a presentation by the Hon. Arie Lova Eliav who stated that his belief that Palestinians also have a right to the land led him being a prominent member of the Labor party to leadership of the doves “It also is the basis for his opposition to the present policy of establishing Israeli settlements in the occupied territories. This land, under his proposal is being held for the Palestinians subject to their agreement on demilitarization and other conditions.”
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Passover 1968 - The Settlements Begin
Today is Day 14,235 of the Maintenance of the Immoral (and Illegal) Settlements on the West Bank
Micah.6:8 “He has told you, O man, Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God."
We read every day about the terms of a possible peace agreement and they all include the closing of the settlements in the West Bank. What are the settlements? How did they begin? Why do I consider them to be immoral and contrary to the highest values of Judaism as well as illegal? Why should they be closed NOW without the need to wait for negotiations?
In my most recent Passover post, I wrote about Joshua and his “liberation” of Jericho to free it from the evil of idolatry. Unfortunately, the residents were prevented from greeting their saviors with open arms since Joshua slaughtered all of them except for Rahab, “the collaborator” and her family.
Let us now move forward in time about 3500 years to Passover, 1968, April 13 to be exact., From the website of the Jewish Israeli residents of Hebron entitled “The Return to Hebron” “Wanted: Families or singles to resettle ancient city of Hebron For details contact Rabbi M. Levinger” This unassuming newspaper advertisement captured the attention of many Israelis in 1968. The euphoria of the Six Day War had subsided, Judea and Samaria were in Jewish hands, and yet, no Jews had made their homes this area. Rabbi Moshe Levinger and a group of like-minded individuals determined that the time had come to return home to the newly liberated heartland of Eretz Yisrael. As their first goal, the group decided to renew the Jewish presence in the Jewish People’s most ancient city, Hebron. Word of the decision spread quickly and soon a nucleus of families was formed. Their objective: to spend Pesach in Hebron's Park Hotel. … the Park Hotel's Arab owners were delighted to accept the cash-filled envelope which Rabbi Levinger placed on the front desk. In exchange, they agreed to rent the hotel to an unlimited amount of people for an unspecified period of time. The morning of Erev Pesach, April, 1968 saw the Levinger family along with families from Israel's north, south and center packed their belongings for Hebron. They quickly cleaned and kashered the half of the hotel's kitchen allotted to them and began to settle in. …. Eighty-eight people celebrated Pesach Seder that night in the heart of Hebron. “We sensed that we had made an historical breakthrough", recalls Miriam Levinger, and we all felt deeply moved and excited". Two days later, Rabbi Levinger announced to the media that the group intended to remain in Hebron. Dignitaries, Knesset members and Israelis from far and near streamed to the Park Hotel to encourage the pioneers. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan was anxious to remove the pioneers from the hotel. He suggested that they move to the military compound overlooking Hebron. A heated debate ensued. There were those who felt that moving to the compound would in effect, strangle the project. Others saw in Dayan's suggestion official recognition, albeit de facto, of their goal. Six weeks later, the pioneers moved to the military compound. Rabbi Levinger insisted on accommodations for 120 people even though they numbered less than half at that time. Rabbi Levinger was accused of being an unrealistic dreamer. Within a few short weeks however, he was proven correct. The 120 places in the military compound could not accommodate the hundreds of people who wanted to be part of the renewed Jewish life in Hebron, city of the Patriarchs. "We received Eretz Yisrael on a silver platter in 1967", explained Miriam Levinger. "It was an honor and a privilege to be among the first people to make the dream of return a reality."
After an initial period of deliberation, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol's Labor-led government decided to temporarily move the group into a near-by IDF compound, while a new community -- to be called Kiryat Arba -- was built adjacent to Hebron. The first 105 housing units were ready in the autumn of 1972.
Today, Kiryat Arba has approximately 6,650 residents. Hebron is also home to around 160,000 Palestinians
On April 14, 2002, - Rabbi Ben-Zion Gold at Harvard Hillel said– “Building of Israeli settlements in parts of the West Bank has frustrated their (Palestinians) hopes. At this point three generations of Palestinians have lived for thirty-five years under Israeli occupation and the persistent building of settlements on their land has led to violent conflict. When Sharon was elected . . his commitment to the preservation of the settlements precluded the possibility of a peaceful resolution of the conflict. . the conflict can not be solved by power alone. Then by what? By removing the basis for the conflict. The Jewish settlements on the West Bank are a grave and dangerous mistake that have done much harm to Israel. Micah. “He has told you, O man, Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” By all means, Humbly.
"Rabbi Levinger fit the battle of Hebron
Hebron, Hebron
Rabbi Levinger fit the battle of Hebron
And tzedakah began a tumblin’ down."
Micah.6:8 “He has told you, O man, Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God."
We read every day about the terms of a possible peace agreement and they all include the closing of the settlements in the West Bank. What are the settlements? How did they begin? Why do I consider them to be immoral and contrary to the highest values of Judaism as well as illegal? Why should they be closed NOW without the need to wait for negotiations?
In my most recent Passover post, I wrote about Joshua and his “liberation” of Jericho to free it from the evil of idolatry. Unfortunately, the residents were prevented from greeting their saviors with open arms since Joshua slaughtered all of them except for Rahab, “the collaborator” and her family.
Let us now move forward in time about 3500 years to Passover, 1968, April 13 to be exact., From the website of the Jewish Israeli residents of Hebron entitled “The Return to Hebron” “Wanted: Families or singles to resettle ancient city of Hebron For details contact Rabbi M. Levinger” This unassuming newspaper advertisement captured the attention of many Israelis in 1968. The euphoria of the Six Day War had subsided, Judea and Samaria were in Jewish hands, and yet, no Jews had made their homes this area. Rabbi Moshe Levinger and a group of like-minded individuals determined that the time had come to return home to the newly liberated heartland of Eretz Yisrael. As their first goal, the group decided to renew the Jewish presence in the Jewish People’s most ancient city, Hebron. Word of the decision spread quickly and soon a nucleus of families was formed. Their objective: to spend Pesach in Hebron's Park Hotel. … the Park Hotel's Arab owners were delighted to accept the cash-filled envelope which Rabbi Levinger placed on the front desk. In exchange, they agreed to rent the hotel to an unlimited amount of people for an unspecified period of time. The morning of Erev Pesach, April, 1968 saw the Levinger family along with families from Israel's north, south and center packed their belongings for Hebron. They quickly cleaned and kashered the half of the hotel's kitchen allotted to them and began to settle in. …. Eighty-eight people celebrated Pesach Seder that night in the heart of Hebron. “We sensed that we had made an historical breakthrough", recalls Miriam Levinger, and we all felt deeply moved and excited". Two days later, Rabbi Levinger announced to the media that the group intended to remain in Hebron. Dignitaries, Knesset members and Israelis from far and near streamed to the Park Hotel to encourage the pioneers. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan was anxious to remove the pioneers from the hotel. He suggested that they move to the military compound overlooking Hebron. A heated debate ensued. There were those who felt that moving to the compound would in effect, strangle the project. Others saw in Dayan's suggestion official recognition, albeit de facto, of their goal. Six weeks later, the pioneers moved to the military compound. Rabbi Levinger insisted on accommodations for 120 people even though they numbered less than half at that time. Rabbi Levinger was accused of being an unrealistic dreamer. Within a few short weeks however, he was proven correct. The 120 places in the military compound could not accommodate the hundreds of people who wanted to be part of the renewed Jewish life in Hebron, city of the Patriarchs. "We received Eretz Yisrael on a silver platter in 1967", explained Miriam Levinger. "It was an honor and a privilege to be among the first people to make the dream of return a reality."
After an initial period of deliberation, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol's Labor-led government decided to temporarily move the group into a near-by IDF compound, while a new community -- to be called Kiryat Arba -- was built adjacent to Hebron. The first 105 housing units were ready in the autumn of 1972.
Today, Kiryat Arba has approximately 6,650 residents. Hebron is also home to around 160,000 Palestinians
On April 14, 2002, - Rabbi Ben-Zion Gold at Harvard Hillel said– “Building of Israeli settlements in parts of the West Bank has frustrated their (Palestinians) hopes. At this point three generations of Palestinians have lived for thirty-five years under Israeli occupation and the persistent building of settlements on their land has led to violent conflict. When Sharon was elected . . his commitment to the preservation of the settlements precluded the possibility of a peaceful resolution of the conflict. . the conflict can not be solved by power alone. Then by what? By removing the basis for the conflict. The Jewish settlements on the West Bank are a grave and dangerous mistake that have done much harm to Israel. Micah. “He has told you, O man, Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.” By all means, Humbly.
"Rabbi Levinger fit the battle of Hebron
Hebron, Hebron
Rabbi Levinger fit the battle of Hebron
And tzedakah began a tumblin’ down."
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Passover Haggadah - The Sequel
Today is the first day of Passover. Our family Seder is tonight and we will read the story of how Moses freed the Israelites from the oppression and the slavery they endured in Egypt and led them on a journey to Canaan – the land promised to them by God.
Here is what an excerpt from the Story of Passover used for our family 5763 Seder: "The Pharoh, fearing the loss of valuable workers and, perhaps the brain-drain, refused to let the group go. According to the Book of Exodus (in the bible, not the movie), God assisted by imposing plagues on the Egyptians such as blood in the river, flies, boils and locust. Fortunately for Moses, Aaron and God, the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 had not yet been adopted because it prohibits the targeting of civilians in a time of war. Finally, seeing how stubborn Pharoh had become, Moses, Aaron and God unleashed the mother of all plagues – killing all the firstborn of the Egyptians (including the son of the Pharoh). Pharoh, having endured what would later be remembered as the first use of a weapon of mass destruction, told the group to leave."
Now for, as Paul Harvey says, the rest of the story.
How do the writings tell us the Israelites gained control over Canaan? Recall that the Torah (the five books of Moses) ends with the death of Moses – duh!!
For this we have to read the Book of Joshua as told to us by, of course, Joshua, because when Moses died on the final approach to the promised land the reins fell into the hands of Joshua to lead the people into Canaan - establish the people in the land, divide it up among them, and destroy or drive out the natives of Canaan so that they would not pollute Israel with idolatry and evil ways.
Before crossing into the land west of the River Jordan, Joshua sent two spies to Jericho. The woman the spies were staying with was named Rahab and she protected them. Safely escaping the city, the two reported that the "whole land was melting with fear". After crossing the Jordan, Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan where they laid siege to the city of Jericho. The Lord spoke to Joshua telling him to march around the city once every day for six days with the seven priests carrying trumpets in front of the ark and on the seventh day they were to march around the city seven times and the priests were to blow their trumpets. On the seventh day, after following God’s instructions, Joshua ordered the people to shout. The walls of the city collapsed, and the Israelites were able to charge straight into the city. The city was completely destroyed, and every man, woman, and child in it was killed. Only Rahab and her family were spared, because she had hid the two spies sent by Joshua. After this Joshua burned the remains of the city.
As we all know:
Joshua fit de battle of Jericho, Jericho
Jericho Joshua fit de battle of Jericho
And the walls came a tumblin' down.
Who were these people who lived in Jericho in the West Bank of the Jordan River? What were their evil ways? What was the idolatry in which they were engaged?
Imagine that you are Menobite, a resident of Jericho with a wife and three children, watching as the Israelites march for seven days with trumpets blaring. You ask the mayor what he is going to do? He says that he has tried to schedule a time for negotiations but the Israelites just continue to march around the walls, the priests blaring their trumpets and the warriors screaming “Actors of Evil”. He adds that the Israelites leaders have rejected all calls for a peace conference. You suggest to the mayor that the Israelites be attacked and he responds “With what, stones?”
The Israelites keep repeating “God promised us this land.” You ask the mayor whether such a promise trumps the deeds that you have to your house. He assures you that the Israelites claim would not be upheld in any court and that should the Israelites win an initial battle, you would certainly have a right to return to your home.
You tell him that the situation is desperate. If the Israelites win, they will likely occupy Jericho and oppress and enslave all of you. The mayor is not worried, having read about the Israelites somewhere in a papyrus draft which told of them recently leaving Egypt where they had been held as slaves. Besides, the mayor says, he read in the scroll that their God told them “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” and “Justice, Justice shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." Not to worry, the mayor says. They will appreciate how important it is to respect others and treat them justly and with dignity.
You are not convinced so you appeal to the Jericho court and argue that under international law the Israelites have no right to preemptively attack a city based on the possibility that it may some day unleash its writings of mass idolatry. The court issues a ruling in your favor and you attach the order to the Israelites to end the siege and return to the other side of the Jordan to a rock which you throw over the wall on the sixth day. A few minutes later, over the wall attached to a spear comes a note “We never signed the treaty that would give the Jericho court jurisdiction over our actions … and stop attacking us with rocks. Sincerely, Joshua – the Israelite.” The spear strikes and kills a child. At this point you finally get the attention of the mayor who decries this act of terrorism by the Israelites.
On the seventh day, “the walls came a tumblin down” and … could that be another reason we have Maror on the Seder plate?
Here is what an excerpt from the Story of Passover used for our family 5763 Seder: "The Pharoh, fearing the loss of valuable workers and, perhaps the brain-drain, refused to let the group go. According to the Book of Exodus (in the bible, not the movie), God assisted by imposing plagues on the Egyptians such as blood in the river, flies, boils and locust. Fortunately for Moses, Aaron and God, the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949 had not yet been adopted because it prohibits the targeting of civilians in a time of war. Finally, seeing how stubborn Pharoh had become, Moses, Aaron and God unleashed the mother of all plagues – killing all the firstborn of the Egyptians (including the son of the Pharoh). Pharoh, having endured what would later be remembered as the first use of a weapon of mass destruction, told the group to leave."
Now for, as Paul Harvey says, the rest of the story.
How do the writings tell us the Israelites gained control over Canaan? Recall that the Torah (the five books of Moses) ends with the death of Moses – duh!!
For this we have to read the Book of Joshua as told to us by, of course, Joshua, because when Moses died on the final approach to the promised land the reins fell into the hands of Joshua to lead the people into Canaan - establish the people in the land, divide it up among them, and destroy or drive out the natives of Canaan so that they would not pollute Israel with idolatry and evil ways.
Before crossing into the land west of the River Jordan, Joshua sent two spies to Jericho. The woman the spies were staying with was named Rahab and she protected them. Safely escaping the city, the two reported that the "whole land was melting with fear". After crossing the Jordan, Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan where they laid siege to the city of Jericho. The Lord spoke to Joshua telling him to march around the city once every day for six days with the seven priests carrying trumpets in front of the ark and on the seventh day they were to march around the city seven times and the priests were to blow their trumpets. On the seventh day, after following God’s instructions, Joshua ordered the people to shout. The walls of the city collapsed, and the Israelites were able to charge straight into the city. The city was completely destroyed, and every man, woman, and child in it was killed. Only Rahab and her family were spared, because she had hid the two spies sent by Joshua. After this Joshua burned the remains of the city.
As we all know:
Joshua fit de battle of Jericho, Jericho
Jericho Joshua fit de battle of Jericho
And the walls came a tumblin' down.
Who were these people who lived in Jericho in the West Bank of the Jordan River? What were their evil ways? What was the idolatry in which they were engaged?
Imagine that you are Menobite, a resident of Jericho with a wife and three children, watching as the Israelites march for seven days with trumpets blaring. You ask the mayor what he is going to do? He says that he has tried to schedule a time for negotiations but the Israelites just continue to march around the walls, the priests blaring their trumpets and the warriors screaming “Actors of Evil”. He adds that the Israelites leaders have rejected all calls for a peace conference. You suggest to the mayor that the Israelites be attacked and he responds “With what, stones?”
The Israelites keep repeating “God promised us this land.” You ask the mayor whether such a promise trumps the deeds that you have to your house. He assures you that the Israelites claim would not be upheld in any court and that should the Israelites win an initial battle, you would certainly have a right to return to your home.
You tell him that the situation is desperate. If the Israelites win, they will likely occupy Jericho and oppress and enslave all of you. The mayor is not worried, having read about the Israelites somewhere in a papyrus draft which told of them recently leaving Egypt where they had been held as slaves. Besides, the mayor says, he read in the scroll that their God told them “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” and “Justice, Justice shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." Not to worry, the mayor says. They will appreciate how important it is to respect others and treat them justly and with dignity.
You are not convinced so you appeal to the Jericho court and argue that under international law the Israelites have no right to preemptively attack a city based on the possibility that it may some day unleash its writings of mass idolatry. The court issues a ruling in your favor and you attach the order to the Israelites to end the siege and return to the other side of the Jordan to a rock which you throw over the wall on the sixth day. A few minutes later, over the wall attached to a spear comes a note “We never signed the treaty that would give the Jericho court jurisdiction over our actions … and stop attacking us with rocks. Sincerely, Joshua – the Israelite.” The spear strikes and kills a child. At this point you finally get the attention of the mayor who decries this act of terrorism by the Israelites.
On the seventh day, “the walls came a tumblin down” and … could that be another reason we have Maror on the Seder plate?
Sunday, April 1, 2007
April Fools Day
April Fool's Day Thoughts
I just returned from the JCC where I spent 30 minutes on the treadmill at 4.1 - that works out to 2 miles - I do this every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. My daughter in law is coming here to run the Boston Marathon in two weeks. I told her that I too am a marathoner running 26 miles (2 miles thirteen times a month. I wore my favorite t-shirt to the gym - there is a photograph entitled "Geronimo" with him and three of his warriors in traditional battle garb with their rifles. Above the picture it says "Homeland Security". Below the picture it says "Fighting Terrorism since 1492."
I just returned from the JCC where I spent 30 minutes on the treadmill at 4.1 - that works out to 2 miles - I do this every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. My daughter in law is coming here to run the Boston Marathon in two weeks. I told her that I too am a marathoner running 26 miles (2 miles thirteen times a month. I wore my favorite t-shirt to the gym - there is a photograph entitled "Geronimo" with him and three of his warriors in traditional battle garb with their rifles. Above the picture it says "Homeland Security". Below the picture it says "Fighting Terrorism since 1492."
Joan took a class on Titus Andronicus at the local life-long learning institute in which she is active and we are going to see a live performance of it in the Garage in Harvard Square. I did not read the play but have read a summary of it - 14 killings, 6 severed members, 1 rape, 1 live burial, 1 case of insanity and 1 of cannibalism. I can't imaging how a play written over 400 years ago about a time 2000 years ago can possibly have any relevance to the world in which I am living. When someone asked me a year ago about the solution to our national nightmare, I said I had the answer - the resignation of the President and the Vice-President of the United States. Joan thought that to be ridiculous. With the on-going recent revelations (Walter Reed, the firing of the US Attorneys, the presentations at the GSA Administrator's office) I am more and more convinced that this is realistic. All it will take will be the recognition by we, the people, the media and our elected officials that this administration should not be allowed to remain in office.
Has anyone read the American Jewish Committee ad that appeared on the Boston Globe op-ed page on Wednesday, March28, 2007. In part it says that Israel stands apart and that "Three consecutive Israeli prime ministers have called for a two-state agreement with the Palestinians. Sadly, it has not yet come to pass. Still, Israel keeps striving for peace. Israel We are proud of her." Such advertising is so misleading and deceptive. Of course, the Israeli government wants peace. What the ad (as well as many Jewish people as well as the Soon to be Former President and Vice President of the United States) ignores is that there can be no peace without justice . As usual, the ad is saying is that we could have peace if only those Palestinians who live in the West Bank and Gaza would ignore the illegal and immoral 40 year old occupation, the terrible living conditions, the poverty, the humiliation, the human rights and civil rights violations, the 120 illegal settlements would stop reacting violently. What part of Deutoronomy 16:20 where it says Justice, Justice Shalt Thou Pursue does the American Jewish Committee not understand??!!
That kind of thinking is the reason for my sending this message to the Barack Obama campaign through its website where it asks for any policy questions. "On March 24th, I sent a Comment through your Contact Us page which is reprinted below. I have now received three requests for donations from the campaign so I assume that a response to my message adding me to a campaign listserve. I do not object to that but do again request that I be contacted to discuss the Senator's views on the Israel/Palestine conflict. On March 14 I sent a message substantially as follows through the campaign website and to Senator Obama’s office website. I am Jewish and have been active in the Jewish community for most of my 67 years. (For my involvement, you can go to http://www.centerforjewishalternatives.com/) After reading Dreams from My Father, I was so impressed with Senator Obama I purchased the Audacity of Hope. Just as I was about to start the Chapter “Values”, I read the senator’s speech to AIPAC at its Policy Forum in Chicago on March 2. What he said so disturbed me, I have been unable to pick the book up again. Could someone who is an adviser on his Israel/Palestine policy (Mark Lippert?) please call me at 781-639-2322 to discuss this issue further? Coincidentally, I was the Public Interest Adviser at Harvard Law School for part of the time Senator Obama was a student there.
The day after I sent this, I met with five friends of mine since we were in college – Class of ’60 - for breakfast with the only agenda item being the candidacy of Senator Obama. I mentioned my concern and some at the table thought that my description of his talk, if accurate, was inconsistent with what they believe to be his values and principles. I recently wrote to them noting that it had been seven days and no one connected with Senator Obama had contacted me about this issue. As a disappointed veteran of George McGovern’s and Fred Harris’ presidential campaigns, I would like to see this campaign shed the influence of groups that have an agenda that I believe is not in the public interest. I look forward to hearing from someone at your earliest convenience.
The day after I sent this, I met with five friends of mine since we were in college – Class of ’60 - for breakfast with the only agenda item being the candidacy of Senator Obama. I mentioned my concern and some at the table thought that my description of his talk, if accurate, was inconsistent with what they believe to be his values and principles. I recently wrote to them noting that it had been seven days and no one connected with Senator Obama had contacted me about this issue. As a disappointed veteran of George McGovern’s and Fred Harris’ presidential campaigns, I would like to see this campaign shed the influence of groups that have an agenda that I believe is not in the public interest. I look forward to hearing from someone at your earliest convenience.
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