Hebron Articles- July-August, 1999

Hebron Articles – July-August, 1999
David Wilder

My Daddy is in Heaven August 4, 1999
A little while ago I was sitting in a small hospital room together with
Baruch and Miriam ben Ya'akov and Ephraim and Anna Rosenstein. Baruch and
Ephraim were on their way into Hebron from Kiryat Arba last night when they
were shot at by Arab terrorists who ambushed them. Making their way down
the hilly, curvy road into the city, they made a right turn, only meters
from the Tomb of the Patriarchs - Ma'arat HaMachpela. As they turned, an
Arab terrorist armed with an M-16 rifle opened fire. Over a period of a few
seconds, seconds which sounded like an eternity, some 24 bullets were
discharged, in their direction, from almost point-blank range. Two
terrorists, hiding in a small gully on the side of the road, concluded
shooting and fled in the direction of the Arafat controlled section of
Hebron.
The car, driven by Baruch, stopped at the side of the road. Ephraim jumped
out, took cover behind the car, drew his gun and attempted to load it.
However he was unable to because two of his fingers had been ripped off by
the gunfire. He jumped back into the car and the two men continued a few
more meters, arriving at an army checkpoint in front of Ma'arat HaMachpela.
They were sped by jeep to a military base where they received first aid.
>>From there they were taken by ambulance to Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem.
Ephraim lost part of two fingers on his right hand and was splattered by
shrapnel in his eyes, hands and forehead. Baruch's wounds were lesser. He
has shrapnel in his left shoulder.
I found the two men, together with their wives, in high spirits. Ephraim
answered phone calls from friends, calming them down, explaining to them
that he really is OK. He will probably he released from the hospital by the
end of this week or early next week, as will Baruch. Both couples,
realizing the tremendous miracle that had occurred, were almost joyous.
Twenty four bullets from an M-16 at point-blank range are not easy to
survive. Not only did they both survive, but their wounds can be described
as relatively mild, considering the alternatives.
Both of these men are no strangers to adversity. Ephraim Rosenstein came to
Israel from Russia. There he was chased around the country by people
attempting to kill him due to his Israel-Zionist activities. Anna
Rosenstein's father too was a major figure in the struggle against Soviet
oppression of Jews and Israel activists. Ephraim finally escaped, arrived
in the United States, and moved to Israel. A few years ago the couple
moved from their apartment in Kiryat Arba to a small 'caravan' home in the
Tel Hebron (Rumeida) neighborhood, in Hebron.
Baruch ben Ya'akov came to Israel from the United States many years ago. He
married a Russian woman and has lived both in Hebron and Kiryat Arba. About
six years ago, walking down the street in Hebron on a Friday morning, he
was stabbed in the neck. Fortunately the wound was superficial, and
required only a few stitches. He has a radiant personality, always
grinning, singing, and happy. Tonight he was no different.
Earlier this afternoon I visited one of Hebron's nursery schools. As I
arrived I found a group of happy little children scampering around on the
lawn. The woman watching them smiled at me and said hello. Every time I see
her at the nursery school I cannot help but think back to a cold January
morning, less than a year ago. Flori Hofi, together another nursery school
teacher, was shot by Arab terrorists at almost the exact spot where the
attack took place last night. Flori's wounds weren't critical. A bullet
entered one leg and exited from the other leg. She was back at the nursery
school after a few months. Today she was at work, as usual.
As I was standing there, suddenly one of the children caught my eye. A
little blond boy in a red shirt, pranced around with the others - one of
Ephraim and Anna Rosenstein's children, Elchanan.
Two people, a small boy and a middle-aged woman, with something very unique
in common. Elchanan's father was almost killed last night at the very site
where his nursery school teacher was almost murdered just seven months ago.

At the hospital the two men gave accounts of the attack and we spoke about
their medical condition. I told them that I had been talking to a friend in
the Avraham Avinu neighborhood when the shots were fired. Hearing the long
burst of automatic fire, we both waited a minute for the sound of sirens, a
sure confirmation that 'something had happened.' When there were no sirens,
we went our separate ways. As I arrived home a couple of minutes later, all
hell broke loose. Jeeps speeding by, soldiers running every which way, and
walkie-talkies squawking endlessly.
I also recounted to Ephraim and Anna that I had met their little son
Elchanan earlier in the day, at his nursery school. Anna Rosenstein looked
at me and said, "You know, this morning Elchanan went to nursery school and
told all his friends that his Daddy is now in heaven."
Tonight I printed out some pictures of Ephraim that I photographed at his
hospital bedside in an attempt to convince little Elchanan that his father
is not in heaven, but is alive and recovering. Elchanan was already asleep
when I arrived at his house. But the babysitter assured me that Ephraim
had spoken to Elchanan earlier on the phone, thereby relieving the little
boy's anxieties about his father's death. I left the pictures for him to
see in the morning, hoping that they will quell any lingering doubts he
may still have. A picture of Mommy and Daddy together, ever if Daddy is
missing a couple of fingers, should do the trick until Daddy comes home in
a couple of days.
With that, we have no choice but to remember, and remember we will, that
Elchanan's daddy really was very very close to heaven last night.
AIDSJuly 26, 1999
Today will be recorded as an infamous date in the annuls of Jewish-Israeli history. This day may be recalled as the commencement of Arafat's assault of Jerusalem, strange as it may be, less than a week after Tisha b'Av, the day we mourn the destruction of the First and Second Temples. Historians will probably have difficulty explaining the inexplicable: How was it that the Jewish leadership of the Jewish state actually opened the door to our archenemies and invited them to besiege us!? And ironically, at the same time as the foe was greeted, the friend was expelled.
What am I talking about? This afternoon Abu-Ala, the otherwise called Ahmed Qurie, Chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council in Gazza, visited the Knesset at the invitation of Israeli Knesset Speaker Avrum Burg.
Who is Abu Ala?
According to an official PLC web site (http://www.pal-plc.org/english/speaker/cv.htm) Abu-Ala was born in Abu Dis, Jerusalem, Palestine and spent 14 years in banking until 1968 when he devoted his time completely to the FATAH Movement. He was heavily involved in the "FATAH" Movement from its early beginnings as a member of its Revolutionary Council until he was elected as a member of its Central Committee in 1989.
Aside from these past terrorist activities with the PLO, Abu-Ala is now an articulate spokesman for Arafat's policies. Late last December, Abu-Ala, being interviewed by Arafat's daily newspaper in Gazza, El-Hayat el Jadidah, defined the borders of the 'soon-to-be created' palestinian state. He said then that they would be determined, not by the June 4, 1967 pre-Six Day War borders, but rather, by United Nations resolution 181. UN resolution 181 dates back to November 29, 1947 and is more commonly recognized as the 'partition plan' which divided Eretz Yisrael into 'an Arab entity and a Jewish entity' in his words.
Abu-Ala said, "the fact that we didn't take advantage of that resolution then doesn't mean that the it is invalid today." What Abu-Ala ignores is that Ben Gurion accepted the partition plan, not because he liked it, but because he had no choice. The Arabs rejected it and declared war on us. From November 30, 1947 until December 12 of that year 79 Jews were killed in Israel. From November 30 until December 31, the number rose to 200 Jews murdered by Arabs. On May 14, 1948, with the declaration of the Jewish State of Israel, they officially declared war, with the intention of wiping us off the map. That was the Arab reaction to UN resolution 181.
What other gems has Abu-Ala come up with? (ZOA Press Release: July 22, 1998)
The Jerusalem Post reported on July 13, 1997, "Qurei walked over a freshly burned Israeli flag during a protest in Ramallah [on July 12, 1997]...A TV camera caught Palestinian protesters burning an Israeli flag as leading Palestinian Authority and PLO officials watched. Witnesses said Qurei smiled as he watched two Palestinian men burn the flag and then stepped over its charred remains.
"If Israel does not honor the agreements, the Palestinians will also ask for Haifa, Jaffa, and Safed [cities within Israel's pre-1967 borders]...The response to the continuation of the occupation will be more dangerous than the intifada...the arms available...and the organizing is better than in the past...The alternative to peace will be bad for the Israelis, something which they do not want. The Palestinian people will oppose the occupation, from children to adults, including the Palestinian police. The Israelis must know that the Palestinians have many options and choices." (Qurei, in an interview with the Tunisian newspaper Al Sabach, quoted in Ha'aretz, December 6, 1996)
Asked by the BBC Radio on February 17, 1997, what the Arab response would be if Israel built houses in the Har Homa neighborhood of Jerusalem, Qurei replied: "No doubt there will be an explosion."
"Abu Ala, one of the Oslo accord's architects, threatened if Palestinian demands are not met, 'We'll take a different route and return to the past.'" (Jerusalem Post, June 5, 1996)
In an interview with the Cairo radio station Sawt Al Arab, "Qurei called for a firm Arab stance to prove that there would be neither peace nor normalization of relations between Israel and the Arabs if the Jewish state continues its settlement activities in the Palestinian land." (Xinhua News Agency, Aug. 5, 1996)
Asked by the BBC Radio on February 17, 1997, which parts of Jerusalem should be negotiated between Israel and the PLO, Qurei replied: "Not East or West--Jerusalem, the whole of Jerusalem."
And the list goes on and on and on.
It is also interesting to understand WHO invited this terrorist to visit the Israeli parliament. Perhaps this is the place to interject a short, true story, appropriate to this date and time.
In the late summer of 1929, in the midst of the riots and massacre which left 67 Jews dead in Hebron, an Arab landlord named Abu Zeini, on his way to Jerusalem, returned speedily to Hebron, to the home of his Jewish tenants, Rabbi Ya'akov Slonim and his family. Seeing a bloodthirsty mob approaching the house, he stood on the steps outside, blocking their way. He refused to allow the other Arabs into the house, telling them that they would have to kill him first. A knife blade was placed against his throat, drawing blood, but not causing any real damage. Finally the mob went elsewhere, and Rabbi Slonim, his wife and daughter were saved. The daughter, Rivka Slonim, later married Yosef Burg, an important Israeli Israeli politician with the National Religious Party. He served as a minister in several Israeli governments. Yosef and Rivka Burg's son is the present Speaker of the Israeli Knesset, Avrum Burg.
What are Avrum Burg's thoughts concerning Hebron? A few years ago, following Netanyahu's election, Burg participated in a live television interview broadcast from Hebron. On camera, his Hebron counterpart, Rabbi Hillel Horowitz, welcomed Burg back home to Hebron, the city of his direct descendants, going back to the early 1800s. Burg exploded. Following the show, when we tried to speak calmly with Avrum Burg about Jewish heritage in Hebron, Burg, (who is a 'religious' Jew), shook his finger at us and furiously exclaimed, "Bnei Esav Atem - Bnei Esav Atem" which translated literally means, "You are the sons of Esau (Isaac's son - Jacob's brother)."
This same Avrum Burg invited Abu Ala to officially visit the Israeli Knesset, five days before the 70th anniversary of the massacre in Hebron.
At the same time that this Arab terrorist was in the Knesset, three former members of the outlawed Kach movement were invited to visit the Israeli parliament by MK Michael Kleiner, in protest of the Abu Ala disgrace. However Israeli security guards refused to let them in. Eventually they gained entrance and met with MK Kleiner in his office. Shortly after their arrival, members of the Knesset guard demanded that they be expelled from the Knesset because MKs Achmad Tibi and Talab A'sana complained that the former Kachniks had yelled at them 'terrorists.' Their host, MK Kleiner, refused to hand the three Jews over to the Knesset guard. Only after they concluded their meeting did they agree to leave the Knesset of their own accord.
Israel is suffering from AIDS, twice over. AIDS are initials for the ARABS IN DISGUISE SYNDROME. The Arabs are 'dressing up' as good guys, and are slowly but surely infiltrating Israel. (So we have also witnessed with the appointment of Arab MK terrorists to the most sensitive Knesset committee, dealing with security and defense issues. They will undoubtedly be a direct pipeline to those who most need such secret information, their real bosses, Arafat and Achmad Yassin, in Gazza.) They are infiltrating AT OUR INVITATION.
This syndrome is going to have the same effect as the other AIDS we know, the medical kind, which, destroying the body's immunization systems, wears a person down until he has nothing left to fight off the other deadly diseases attacking the rest of the body. This is what the Arabs are doing to us, step by step, day by day. Today's episode is another example. But this example is much more serious, because the supreme Israeli legislature has presented our enemy with an official foothold, not only in the Parliament, but in Jerusalem too, the very same Jerusalem which, according to Abu Ala, belongs to him.
In my humble opinion we are in need of an AIDS vaccination ASAP, allowing us to obliterate this deadly disease before it kills us first.
Wind It Up and Let It GoJuly 15, 1999
It is definitely an interesting scenario. The newly elected Prime Minister
of Israel walks into the President's study at the White House. The two men
are holding their first meeting together and it is an entirely private
affair. Only the two of them. Ehud Barak sticks out his hand, wanting to
give Clinton's hand a hearty shake without having any cameras record the
deed.
Suddenly Clinton lunges at Barak. Rather than return the hand shake, the
President, a large key in his right hand, thrusts towards Barak's stomach.
Barak, is totally stunned, virtually paralyzed. Clinton tugs at Barak's
shirt, revealing the Prime Minister's belly button. He plunges the large
key into his tummy and begins twisting it, again and again and again.
Suddenly Barak, glassy-eyed and breathing heavily, opens his mouth and
begins to sing a soft melody. The tune repeats itself, louder and louder,
faster and faster and faster. Then, without any advanced warning, the
former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Force begins dancing. First,
he spins around, again and again. Then he starts trotting in a small
circle, going around and around and around. And finally, to top it off, he
claps his hands rhythmically to the beat of his song and dance.
Meanwhile, Bill Clinton, tapping his foot to the beat, is busy recording
the event for posterity. The President can't stop smiling. Actually, it is
more like a laugh. Such fun!
After a while, Barak slows down, and the President's camera battery
empties. After a short break, William J. and General Ehud sit down to talk.

"Gee, that was fun," exclaims Clinton.
"Glad you liked it Bill," responds the Israeli PM. "If you'd like we can do
it again sometime." Under his breath Clinton remarks, "Oh we sure will,
sooner that you think."
The host offers his guest a drink and almost immediately after a few sips,
Barak slumps over, fast asleep. Clinton calls out the forces.
"Come on Doc - get to work - we don't have much time."
The doctor lies Barak on his stomach, gets out his needle and a piece of
very thick thread, and goes to work. Shortly the task is completed. The
doctor disappears. The PM wakes up and remembers nothing of the ordeal.
Barak begins. "OK Bill, let's get down to business. Now first, just know
that with all of the election propaganda and all that, Bibi and I
really aren't that far apart. If you think for one minute that I will
implement the Wye River Accords without getting anything in return from
Arafat, you are 100% off base. Actually I'd like to hold off on Wye until
we reach a final status agreement."
Clinton just sits there, a small grin on his face. He starts pulling on the
string at his side and instantly Barak jerks up. Clinton begins wrapping
the string around his little finger, and Barak begins twisting and turning.
Now Clinton hums a song to himself, enjoying the show.
Eventually he stops, seats Barak and comments, "It's been a long time since
I had so much fun. Just like a little kid with a new toy."
An interesting scenario, indeed.
This is, more or less, what Clinton has planned for Barak. He has only one
goal. To twist the Prime Minister of Israel, and together with him, all of
the State of Israel, around his finger. He has invited Barak to meet him at
an office inside his inner sanctum, within his private residence in the
White House, rather than in the more formal Oval Office. The first meeting
is scheduled for between two to three hours. Later, the two, together with
their spouses, are helicoptering to Camp David for an intimate dinner.
Just the four of them, Bill, Hillary, Ehud and Navah, to be followed
by a late night "chat" and concluding with a 'family breakfast.' Such fun.
Just like a little boy with a new toy.
Clinton is rolling out the red carpet, but he doesn't intend that Barak
will walk on it. Rather, he plans on wrapping Barak up in it. The
President of the United States has a major problem. In a little over a year
he will cease to rule, and he fears leaving office with the stain of
impeachment being remembered as the highlight of his administration. He
would prefer to retire in a blaze of glory, being known in the history
books as the true "peace chief," of the Middle East. Of course, he really
doesn't care if the peace is real or imagined. What is important is that
the treaty is signed on the White House lawn - Arafat on one side, Barak
on the other side, and you know who in the middle.
But there are factors Clinton hasn't taken into account.
Don't misunderstand. Barak is not my cup of tea. Ask me if I trust him?
No way. But when the US president has the audacity to say that he is
waiting for Barak the same way that way a child anticipates a new toy, he
is not only insulting Barak. He is insulting all of Israel. The US
president believes that he can wine and dine and then pull the strings.
He is wrong.

In some ways this scenario reminds me of a story we all know. I usually
don't quote Bible stories, but today is an exception
'And the Pelishtian said to David, "Am I a dog, that thou comes to me with
sticks? And David said, "I come to you in the name of the L-rd of hosts,
the G-d of the armies of Yisrael, whom thou has taunted. On this day the
L-rd will deliver you into my hand - I will smite thee. and all the earth
will know that there is a G-d in Israel." '
The encounters between Clinton and Barak are not entirely similar to the
rendezvous between David and Goliath. Their weapons are different. And more
problematic is that Barak may not even realize whom he is up against. He
might not even know that G-d is on his side. But if Clinton thinks that he
can wind up the Prime Minister of Israel and let him go, he is mistaken.
For more than Barak represents his own erroneous political philosophies, he
represents the People of Israel. When Clinton taunts Barak he is scorning
Am Yisrael and the G-d of Israel.
Should Barak not realize that he is being jerked around on a string from
his behind, we will inform him. And if he is forced to dance to the tune
of the White House Music Box, then some how, some way, the spring will
break. But the truth is that I think that Barak will know - because he is
much smarter than Clinton makes him out to be. And more importantly, I
think he has some national pride. I'm sure Barak agrees that the People of
Israel cannot be jerked about on a string. Barak and Am Yisrael are
not a new toy in the hands of a child, even if that child happens to be
named President Bill Clinton.

From the City of David to the City of DavidJuly 9, 1999
This morning I left Hebron with my oldest son, travelling north to
Jerusalem. Today however, we didn't make the trip to go shopping or do any
other errands. Our goal was a tour of Ir David - the City of David,
otherwise known as the village of Silwan, to the east of the Old City,
across for the Ashpot Gate, leading to the Kotel (Western Wall).
I don't intend to give you all the details of the tour, except to say that
it was fascinating. Working as a tour guide myself, I can appreciate well
presented explanations. Inbal, the young woman now finishing her year of
volunteer service at Ir David, was excellent. And then again, she had what
to speak about.
When the tour finished we met with David Be'eri, the man responsible for a
Jewish presence at Ir David. Be'eri told us that 10 years ago not only
didn't Jews live at Ir David. Jews could not get anywhere near it. The Arab
village of Silwan was a terrorist nest, and an extremely dangerous one at
that. Be'eri, a retired ranking army officer, began years of painstaking
detective work. His discoveries of Jewish owned land, purchased by Baron
Rothchild over a hundred years ago, led to the founding of a private
non-profit organization called "El Ad - El Ir David." This organization,
with Be'eri at its helm, began redeeming Jewish houses and property. Today
twenty families live in the ancient Ir David, and with G-d's help, others
will join them.
Why should people live today in the original Jerusalem, populated by King
David 3,000 years ago, following the initiation of his kingship in Hebron?
David Be'eri was quite clear "Arab Silwan is growing by leaps and bounds.
You can see that on top of all the older homes are one or two new floors.
They are building and building and building.
The hill behind the Silwan village is called Abu Dis. Abu Dis is the
planned 'capital' of Arafat's palestinian state, a fact accepted by the
Arabs and many Israeli politicians. Arafat is planning on building a huge
Arab city, starting at Abu Dis, going through Silwan, and leading into the
Old City and Temple Mount. This is his way of enabling Abu Dis, the capital
of 'palestine' to actually include Jerusalem and Temple Mount. This is what
we must prevent."
This can, and will be prevented by people like Be'eri and other Jewish
families who now live, scattered about, in the ancient City of David. And
to prevent any misunderstandings, they live very nicely with there Arab
neighbors. We saw one house which, on the first floor is Jewish, the second
floor is Arab, and the top floor is again Jewish.
So much for the politics. We entered a huge water pit, recently uncovered,
which is possibly where the prophet Jeremiah was thrown into when he tried
to convince the ancient Israelis not to sin. We sloshed a half a kilometer
through the ancient Shiloach tunnel, carved out of the rock by King Hezkiah
2,800 years ago, to bring water into Jerusalem. His workers began digging
from the two opposite sides of the mountain, meeting near the middle. An
ancient plaque, carved into the stone wall, describes the emotions when the
two sides met, just as they were supposed to. Children splashing around
there in the water a hundred years ago discovered that plaque which today
sits in a museum in Turkey.
Any of you who are regular readers of this commentary are aware how close
Hebron is to my heart. Hebron was the first City of David. But this site,
which I had the privilege to experience today, is the eternal City of
David, the eternal capital of Israel. I would suggest that all of you
coming to visit in Israel plan two very special days first, spend a day in
Hebron, seeing here the ancient Jewish sites, including the newly uncovered
archeological excavations at Tel Hebron/Tel Rumeida. Then, the next day,
spend 3-4 hours following in the footsteps of David HaMelech, seeing and
feeling the ancient Ir David. Of course, at both places, Hebron and
Jerusalem, the old meets the new and that also is an enchanting experience.
You too can go from the City of David to the City of David.
For more information
Hebron - see http//www.visit.hebron.org.il or call Moria at 972-2-9962323
or email hebron@hebron.org.il
Ir David - The City of David call 972-1-800-25-24-23 or 972-2-581-8989 or
fax 972-2-581-8987.
I can guarantee you two days which you will never forget!
Shabbat Shalom.
The Eye of the StormJuly 2, 1999
Yesterday Bill Clinton said during a news conference "I would like it if the Palestinian people felt free and more free to live wherever they like, wherever they want to live." He also said that "settlements are a provocation." He expects Israel to immediately implement all agreements signed with Arafat, i.e., the Wye River Accords.
Mossy Raz, head of Shalom Achshav (Peace Now) in Israel, in an interview with Aharon Lerner of IMRA said
IMRA What is the position of Peace Now on the right of return?
Raz The right of return exists.
IMRA And?
Raz They have the right of return. But they don't have the right
to realize that right. Basically, those who want to return to Jaffa
are exactly like the Jew who wants to return to Hebron. Both the Jew
who wishes to return to Hebron and the Palestinian who wants to
return to Jaffa are extremists who will have to forego their desires.
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Well folks, it's beginning. And this time, it may be the real thing. No beating around the bushes, no agreements that can be interpreted 50 ways in 20 languages. The crunch is upon us.
The pressure is going to come from all sides. Here we have it. The President of the United States has one year left in the White House. His place in history is heavily stained with the stamp of IMPEACHMENT. He would like nothing more than to go out in a blaze of glory, in the shape of a major international peacemaker Israeli peace with Syria and Israeli peace with the palestinians.
Arafat is on his way out. He is very ill and everyone knows it. He too would like to see the materialization of his dreams a palestinian state in all of Judea, Samaria and Gazza, paving the way, in his eyes, to the end of the State of Israel.
Hafez Assad, President of Syria is in a similar situation. He would be very happy if his son's inheritance includes all of the Golan Heights.
And then there is the Israeli left. Who is leading the Israeli left is yet to see. Nominally, Barak is in charge. But there are those looking over his shoulder who have the ability to take him by the nose and lead him down their path. People such as Shimon Peres, Yossi Beilin, Yossi Sarid, Haim Ramon and others are just waiting for their chance.
This is no secret. Barak knows it. The big question is whether he will control them or if they will control him.
Where is Barak? The truth is that nobody really knows. On the one hand he sees himself as successor to Yitzhak Rabin. On the other hand he replied in no uncertain terms to Clinton's remarks, dismissing them out of hand.
Barak also knows that, in spite of the large coalition he has put together, at best it can be described as fragile. The far left, sitting together with Shas and the Mafdal (National Religious Party) is not going to be an easy marriage. Already, astute political commentators are not giving this government a full four years. (From their microphones to G-d's ears.) Yossi Sarid as Minister of Education, in the same cabinet with Rav Eliyahu Swissa in Religious Affairs and Rav Yitzhak Levi in the Building Ministry isn't a very appetizing stew.
Therefore Barak knows that whatever he is going to do, he must do in a hurry, before it all falls apart. He saw with his own two eyes what happened to Netanyahu and realizes that he could easily face the same fate.
What then, are we to do about this bizarre scenario, which is due to begin down the yellow brick road next Wednesday? There are no hocus-pocus solutions. Barak has promised that a final status agreement with Arafat, and/or treaty with Syria will be brought to a national referendum. We then have few choices either to try to prevent such a referendum from every occurring, or to make sure that if it does occur, we win and they lose.
Either way, it is not going to be easy.
For quite a few months now we have been perched in the eye of the storm. In reality, the winds, lightening and thunder continue to convulse all around us, while we have been sitting relatively quietly on the sidelines, waiting to see what will happen. The time for sitting and waiting has come to an end.
We must now, all of us, go back to full time work and help to prevent the calamity in the planning. Our efforts must be both short term and long term, perhaps first trying to explain to an uncomprehending Israeli public why Arabs who want to live in Jaffa are NOT the same as Israelis who want to live in Hebron. Perhaps if they understood what Hebron is, they would not think this way.
In any event, this is what we are up against. We cannot and should not live under any illusions. The road ahead is going to be rough. Our job is to do everything we can, within the frameworks available to us, to prevent an international onslaught aimed at chopping up the Jewish State of Israel into indefensible little pieces of land that would leave us with very little left.
With G-d's help, we will succeed.

Hebron Articles- June, 1999

Hebron Articles-June, 1999David Wilder
Lessons from the NorthJune 25, 1999
A short time ago we called friends of ours in Kiryat Shmona. D. has lived
there all her life. Her husband A. has lived there since they married
nineteen years ago. I know Kiryat Shmona fairly well, as my wife lived and
worked there for two years, before we met.
I'll never forget my first glimpse of Kiryat Shmona, on the northern border
of Israel. Ensconced by the greens and browns of the Naftali mountains,
the scenery is breathtaking. The air is clean and pure, filled with the
fragrances of flowers and freshness. Looking from the border of the city
down into the lush Hahula valley, your head spins. The fields and the
fish ponds are quite unlike the sticky swamps once covering the area, to
be dried out by Jews decades ago, when they started returning to
Israel.
The Jews of Kiryat Shmona are a special breed of people. Living on the
border of Israel and Lebanon, these brave folk have suffered
terror attacks and numerous Katusha rocket attacks. Time after time,
frequently without advanced warning, Katusha rockets blast through a living
room ceiling or explode in a school room. Fortunately miracles are common.
Stories of near-misses abound. Unfortunately, with all the miracles,
sometimes tragedy strikes. A pregnant women lost twin fetuses as the result
of a Katusha exploding next to her. And last night two men, Shimon
Elimelech, aged 45 and Toni Zanna, aged 36, both working late at night in
the emergency center at the Kiryat Shmona Municipality were killed
instantly when a Katusha ripped into the room where they were sitting.
Ironically both men lived in the same building elsewhere in the city. The
two of them leave six orphans.
The present state of affairs is a result of an agreement between the
terrorist Hizbullah organization and the State of Israel following a
military escapade called 'The Grapes of Wrath" a few years ago. This
agreement should be taught in military academies around the world under
the title, "Treaty of Farce." In short this agreement allows Hizbullah to
kill Israeli soldiers patrolling in Lebanon, and allows them to launch
Katusha rocket attacks on Israel if any Lebanese civilians are killed, or
are reported to be killed during battles between Israeli and Hizbullah or
Lebanese forces. Otherwise they are supposed to refrain from shooting
Katushas.
A few days ago Hizbullah terrorists, in the midst of a battle with Israeli
forces, took cover in a civilian house. They later reported that, as a
result of continued Israeli attacks, two civilian women in the house were
killed. That night Katusha rockets flew through the air.
That was expected. What happened last night was unexpected. Without any
seeming reason, again, Katushas began exploding in different northern
Israel communities. At about 1100 a Katusha landed in the Kiryat Shmona
municipality building, killing the two men. In retaliation Israel bombed
Hizbullah bases in Lebanon.
The situation in North Israel and South Lebanon is intolerable. Our
citizens are being held hostage by a relatively small group of guerilla
terrorists who are backed by Syrian terrorist president Hafez el-Assad.
Assad's whose first goal is to regain the Golan Heights, captured by Israel
after Syria attacked in 1973. He might not be around to try and accomplish
his second goal, but having the Golan back in Syrian hands will make the
job easier for his successor.
What is Israel supposed to do? I won't try and conjure up a swift solution.
There are solutions, but Israel is, as of yet, unwilling to do what is
necessary. But there are lessons that can be learned from this fiasco in
the north. Just to list a few
1. If the Golan Heights are abandoned to Syria, Israelis in Kiryat Shmona
won't be the only Jews being attacked by rocket fire. Back in the 1960's
Israelis on the Israeli side of the Kinneret were picked off by Syrian
sniper fire from their side of the Sea of Galilee. Following abandonment of
the Golan, sniper fire will be the least of their worries.
2. Hizbullah has already announced that an Israeli withdrawal from Southern
Lebanon will not bring an end to their attacks. Once they can get closer to
the border without having to be concerned with running into Israeli
patrols, they will be able to launch Katusha rockets deeper into Israeli
territory.
3. If Israel does not know how to stop Katusha attacks originating over the
border in South Lebanon, what will we do when they start flying into Petach
Tikvah, Kfar Saba, Netanya, and Tel-Aviv. These won't be launched from
Lebanon, but rather from Kalkilya. The proposed palestinian state, almost
a forgone conclusion amongst most Israeli politicians, even those on the
right, will host terrorists more sophisticated than the Hizbullah
guerillas. What response will the Israeli government have after those
attacks?
There are many lessons to be learned from the debacle in the North. The
most important one is that we should not repeat the same mistakes, which
will lead to similar, if not more serious catastrophes throughout the
country in the not very distant future.
Our friends in Kiryat Shmona are just as dedicated as anyone I know living
here in Hebron, or anywhere else in Israel. But they are starting to wear
down. Continued rocket attacks on your homes and schools doesn't make for
an easy life. Living and sleeping in bomb shelters, (as they did
today and will be doing this Shabbat) is not a pleasant way to live. Many
good people have left Kiryat Shmona for this very reason. If the Israeli
government doesn't solve the problem soon, others too are going to leave
for the center of the country. When terrorists in 'palestine' start
launching missiles into Tel Aviv, where are they going to go then?

Hebron Articles May, 1999

Hebron Articles – May, 1999
David Wilder
-------------Day of Judgement------------------May 28, 1996May 16, 1999
Monday is a day of Judgement - a Day of Awe. It is a day when
the Israeli People must make a choice - one of the most, if not the
most, important, critical, fateful decisions made by a public body, a
Jewish body, ever. Most decisions are made by a small group of people, in
the heat of a crisis. Who decides war or peace, who decides life and
death? Usually a few leaders, if not only one - who sits alone, pondering
the future of his people, weighing the lives of his soldiers, the fate of
his county, of the world.
Elections may generally be important, but usually, the outcome,
in spite of differences between the candidates, is not
earthshattering - it doesn't have an immediate effect on the
existence of a People, on the future of a Land.
Monday, in Israel, without trying to be overly melodramatic, the
truth is, that this is exactly what we are facing. Does this mean
that if Barak is elected 'we are done for?' No - of course not. Nothing
or nobody has been able to eradicate the Jewish People and nothing or
nobody ever will. Israel is eternal. The prospects for the immediate
future will not be easy regardless of the results of the election. If
Barak wins, he will continue on his chosen path until the bubble bursts -
until the Arabs have so much that even he will have to say stop - and by
then it will be too late. The resulting war will be barbaric and bloody,
but it will have to be fought and won. And if Bibi wins, - we mustn't
live under any illusions. Our experiences of the last three years have
taught us a lesson about Binyamin Netanyahu.
Where does this all lead? Is our future all black? Almost all of the
reporters who arrive in Hebron ask me the same question "What will you do
if Barak wins?" There is only one reply Hebron existed before Barak and
Netanyahu. Hebron will continue to exist after Barak and Netanyahu. We
are staying in Hebron, regardless of who wins the elections. That is our
right and our obligation. "And what if... what if... what if..." There
are so many hypothetical possibilities, it is impossible to prepare
contingency plans for them all. We hope and pray that most all of them
will never materialize, that we will never have to worry about them. And
if and when IT should happen - we'll worry about it then. We have to do
what we know and believe is right, not for us, but for the Jewish People,
of past, present and future.
That is, of course, a tremendous responsibility. But if we have been
so privileged as to be where we are, when we are, we trust in G-d that He
will give us the tools to make the right decisions at the right time.
Such it is, not only with Hebron, but with all of Israel - the Land and
the People. We don't live in easy times. But we, the citizens of the
State of Israel, have been given the privilege to participate in the
dream of the Jewish People, to be a part of the return to Israel after a
2,000 year exile. We believe with all our hearts that we weren't brought
back here only to be thrown out again - and we won't be. How the dice
will fall, how it will all work out, is a great unknown - but in the end,
it will work out. There may be different directions to go in, there may
be easier routes and more difficult ones, but in the end they all lead to
the same place.
So Monday's Day of Judgement isn't a question of
survival or destruction - it is rather the road we will take to ensure our
survival - whether it will be easier or harder. We have, to some
degree, the possibility to determine our own future. But regardless of the
results we will survive - in Hebron, in Jerusalem and in Eretz Yisrael -
forever.

Elections 1999 May 14, 1999
Next week we again go to the polls. Three years ago we defined those
elections as the most fateful in the State of Israel's history. They were.
But these elections are more important.
Binyamin Netanyahu is not "the child we were praying for." He has committed
almost unforgivable blunders, including abandonment of over 80% of Hebron
and most recently, agreeing to the ? accords. Why did he do this? The
answer is still a very big question mark.
There are those who say he had no choice. I don't buy it. After the
September attack two and a half years ago, Arafat's reaction to the tunnel
opening in Jerusalem, Netanyahu had every excuse in the world to stop
implementation of Oslo. Even Rabin was quoted as saying that if PA
weapons, supplied by Israel, were ever used against Israeli forces, the
'peace process' would grind to a halt. If Netanyahu really desired to
avoid territorial concessions, the Hebron abandonment could have been
avoided. This in spite of his guarantees during the last campaign, that he
would continue where Labor left off.
I don't have to waste too much time on Wye. We all know that Arafat has
violated every and all of the obligations he previously undertook. That is
no secret. Even the Americans know it. Again, Netanyahu could easily have
wiggled out of further agreements.
This is, of course, all in light of Israel's seeming commitments to Oslo.
But Netanyahu could also have come into office and either declared, "I am
not chopping up any more of Eretz Yisrael," or he could have initiated
other projects (massive building in Hebron, East Jerusalem, and throughout
all of Judea, Samaria and Gazza), thereby forcing Arafat to publicly
renounce Oslo.
As we all know, he didn't do this. He followed the road to Hell, first
paved by his immediate predecessors. This may very well be the reason that
he WILL NOT be reelected. We have already witnessed that all of those who
have relinquished Eretz Yisrael have fallen from power.
But...
Being that the right was running the country and not the left, those of us
in Hebron, and in Yesha, were recalled from the dead. We were no longer an
illegitimate species. We had who to speak to. Sometimes it didn't do too
much good. But sometimes it did. Much done behind the scenes which cannot
be publicly detailed occurred in spite of Netanyahu's policies.
The Education ministry was in the hands of the NRP and not run by Meretz.
Rabbi Meir Porush, an overwhelming supporter of Hebron and all Yesha funded
building projects from his post as Deputy Minister of Building.
Etc. Etc. Etc.
The Ehud Barak candidate for education may very well be Yosef (Tommy)
Lapid, whose entire campaign is focussed around 'anti-religion.' We may
find ourselves with a Moslem Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs and
another Arab sitting in crucial cabinet sessions where Israel's future
could be determined. Yossi Beilin, Shimon Peres, Uzi Baram and Haim Ramon
will hold key ministries. Needless to say, the fate of major portions of
Eretz Yisrael and dozens of communities will be in jeopardy. If Peres was
able to pull the wool over Rabin's eyes, what will he do to the weak,
inexperienced Barak?
I could go on, but it is unnecessary. We all know what has to be done.
Despite the polls, we have to do whatever is still possible to get
Netanyahu reelected.
It is almost Shabbat here. In a few minutes my wife will light the candles
and we will go to pray Shabbat prayers at Ma'arat HaMachpela. We will pray
that Netanyahu doesn't lose on Monday, and that we get a second chance on
June 1, when the run-off election is scheduled to take place. We ask all
of you to pray too, that Binyamin ben Ben-tzion and Tzila Netanyahu be
reelected to the office of Prime Minister and that Ehud Barak is defeated.
Shabbat Shalom.
The Shame and the PrideErev Yom Hebron 5759May 13, 1999
Tomorrow is Yom Yerushalayim Jerusalem Day. Saturday, the 29th day of Iyar is the thirty-second anniversary of our return to Hebron - what we call “Hebron Day.”
Hebron Day is normally a time of special significance. Following an over 30-year absence from the first Jewish city in Israel, as a result of the 1929 massacre and exile, the return in 1967 was reason to celebrate. This year Hebron Day is especially poignant as we commemorate the 70th anniversary of that massacre.
It seems though, that the most significant facet of our return to Hebron in 1967 was the renewal of a Jewish presence at Ma’arat HaMachpela - the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Many times tourists and journalists ask me why we have chosen to live in Hebron. Why be here, and not in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, or anywhere else in Israel? Why Hebron?
This is my response Ma’arat HaMachpela, is the second holiest site in the world for the Jewish people, second only to Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Chronologically, Ma’arat HaMachpela preceded Jerusalem by hundreds of years. According to Jewish sources Abraham purchased the Caves of Machpela to bury his wife Sarah after discovering there the tomb of Adam and Eve and the entrance to the Garden of Eden. Thus its importance, not only to Abraham, but for all generations.
For seven hundred years, from 1267, when the Crusader Wars concluded with the Mamalukes expelling the Christians from Hebron and from Israel, Ma’arat HaMachpela became off limits to all peoples, excepting Muslims. Jews and Christians attempting to visit were told that Ma’arat HaMachpela is a Mosque and that only Moslems can pray in a Mosque. Jews were forced to stand outside at what was known as the 7th step, on the way into the 2,000 year old structure atop the original caves. Only when we returned in 1967 were we again able to enter and pray in Ma’arat HaMachpela.
Today we are told by such notables as Mustafa Natsche, the Arab Mayor of Hebron, and officials such as the late Minister of Religious Affairs in the Palestine Authority, Hassan Taboub, that when “they” again control all of Hebron (G-d forbid), we Jews will no longer be able to pray at Ma’arat HaMachpela because it is a Mosque and only Moslems can pray in a Mosque. So they promise us ‘visitation rights.’ We know all about these visitation rights. We had them for 700 years, when we had no choice but to stand outside at the 7th step.
I have no doubt whatsoever that the only reason Ma’arat HaMachpela is today accessible to Jews and Christians is due to the permanent Jewish presence in Hebron. If we weren’t here, none of the 450,000 plus people who visit here annually would be able to get anywhere near Ma’arat HaMachpela.
I cannot imagine the following scenario becoming reality A family arrives in Israel for a visit. The children turn to the parents with a simple request “Mommy, Daddy, let’s go visit Abraham in Hebron. We just learned how he bought Ma’arat HaMachpela in school, a few weeks ago. Let’s go see it.”
And the parents look at each other and say, “Sorry but we can’t go.”
And the children ask, “Why not it’s only an hour from Jerusalem.”
And what will the parents answer? - “Because they took it away from us” or will they have to answer, “BECAUSE WE GAVE IT TO THEM?!” WE ABANDONED THE SECOND HOLIEST SITE IN THE WORLD TO OUR ARCHENEMIES WHO ALREADY PROCLAIMED THAT WE WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO VISIT THERE?
Very simply, this doesn’t make any sense.
We aren’t here because Hebron belongs to us. Hebron belongs to each and every Jew just as much as it belongs to me, or my family or friends. We are here as a kind of ‘keeper of the keys,’ keeping Hebron and Ma’arat HaMachpela for all the Jewish people. And not just for this generation but also for our children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, forever. And who knows maybe one day one of them will COME LIVE HERE IN HEBRON. And if you think that’s a really wild thought well, ask my parents!
That is why we are here in Hebron. It is a privilege but also an obligation. It isn’t so easy to live in the shadow of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Lea, King David, and tens and hundreds of thousands of righteous who preceded us.
It isn’t easy for many reasons. For example, yesterday as I was entering Ma’arat HaMachpela to attend a friend’s family festivity I heard a border policeman telling a visitor that it is forbidden to take a shofar (ram’s horn) inside because it is a “musical instrument.” I responded that a shofar is an instrument of holiness and may definitely be taken into Ma’arat HaMachpela. His answer It is only an instrument of holiness on Rosh HaShana (the Jewish New Year), but not during the rest of the year.” I asked to speak with his commander, who also forbade taking a shofar into the building. I requested to speak with his superior who finally permitted the shofar to be taken into the building.
The security forces have also decided that mirrors are potentially ‘dangerous’ and confiscate them from people entering Ma’arat HaMachpela. This includes makeup mirrors, and the like. Many times men, going to pray with Tallis (prayer shawl) and Tefillin (phylacteries) take a small mirror with them in order to check that the Tefillin are properly placed on their head. Yesterday, my friend, who was celebrating his newly born son’s Brit Milah (circumcision) had his small circular-shaped mirror taken away from him. When I asked the officers why they allow people wearing glasses or carrying cameras into the Ma’ara, I received a blank stare in return.
So where are we - in Israel or in Russia of the 1960s and 1970s?
There is pride in Hebron, but there is also shame in Hebron. Following a seven hundred year exile from Ma’arat HaMachpela and an almost 40 year exile forced exile from Hebron, a Jew cannot bring a shofar into Ma’arat HaMachpela, AS DECREED BY A JEWISH, ISRAELI GOVERNMENT?!
Yes, there is shame - shame which to a great degree is inexplicable. But there is also pride, for with it all WE HAVE RETURNED HOME. Sometimes we must struggle, sometimes with the Arabs, and yes, sometimes with our own. But we are struggling HERE, in Hebron, at Ma’arat HaMachpela. With time this ridiculous strife will come to an end and there will be only pride, and no shame. Until them we will press on, living here, educating, and attempting to follow in the footsteps of our sacred ancestors.
From Hebron we send our blessings for a Happy Jerusalem Day and Happy Hebron Day proud and glad that we have the privilege to be representing you here, in the City of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs.

The Crossroad of Civilization May 7, 1999
After years of waiting excavations have begun in the Tel Hebron (Rumeida) neighborhood. This location is thought to be the site of the original Hebron, home to the Patriarchs and Matriarchs and King David, well over 3,000 years ago. The first week or so of digging revealed a huge (for those days) winery, probably dating to the Byzantine era, about 1,500 years ago. Archeologists working under the auspices of the Israeli Antiquities Authority believe that following the Moslem conquest the area was transformed into an agricultural center.

Another find, capturing all our interests, included several skeletons, some of children and at least one adult. It is clear that at some point in time the land was also used as a cemetery. What we do not know is which people the skeletons belonged to. They were found on a surface above the winery, leading us to believe that they may be Jewish or possibly Moslem. It is still unclear how this revelation will affect the continued excavation. What is clear is that the area being dug out was within the original Hebron wall, part of which has also be uncovered. The implications of this fact are of major significance. It is extremely likely that underneath these discoveries, which are very close to the surface, are ruins extending back in time to the Bronze Age the days of Abraham, and later, King David. To this date the oldest find is that of pottery four thousand years old, uncovered several months ago. Yesterday a pottery signature with the word Melech (King) on it, approximately 2,700 years old, from the era of Hezkiah HaMelech was discovered. (Pictures of the excavations can be viewed on the Hebron Web Site http//www.hebron.org.il/TelRumeida/trdig.htm)

The archeologist heading the excavation is Emmanuel Isenberg. His authority to dig is being challenged by another archeologist, Avi Ofer, who excavated in Hebron over 15 years ago. Ofer is claiming that he should have first rights to continue digging, as a result of his previous work in Hebron. The Antiquities Authority believes otherwise, and the Israeli Supreme Court is due to hear the case and rule in the near future.

Here is where the crossroads of history and politics meet, one way or another. Avi Ofer is not only an archeologist. He is also a major Israeli activist. He is one of the leaders of Shalom Achshav, the Peace Now organization. A few months ago we had a discussion with him in our Hebron offices. His statement, still reverberating in my ears, represents the paradox of politics and Hebron. He said, “Tel Hebron is the second most important archeological site in Israel, second only to Jerusalem and Temple Mount. However, as unfortunate as it may be, the site belongs to Arafat and the Palestinians.”

It is well known that after the excavations are completed, it is the intention of Hebron’s Jewish Community to construct permanent housing at the site. As in Jerusalem, it is possible to build above excavations, thereby allowing accessibility to visitors, while living in buildings above them. Avi Ofer has made it abundantly clear that he opposes any Jewish building at the site, for reasons which extend well beyond his professional interests. The Israeli left demands the removal of Jews from all of Hebron.

The Jewish Community of Hebron had no say, and has no say in the choice of archeologists working at the site. But we know that should Avi Ofer be granted the permit to work there, he will do everything in his power to keep us from utilizing the site for a fully constructed present day neighborhood.

As the digging was getting underway, Israel’s archenemy Arafat was preparing to ‘declare a state.’ On May 4, the day he promised to make it official, we were observing the uncovering of our ancient history. The land the Arabs (and Avi Ofer) claim is theirs is being bared for all to see. True, at some time in history it is possible that Moslems lived there. But that was many hundreds and thousands of years after Jewish Israelites had settled that same land. Tel Hebron, known also as Tel Rumeida and Admot Ishai is not only a crossroad of civilization. It is the roots of all civilization. Those roots, from which we still soak up the teachings of our Forefathers, are based in Hebron, at Tel Hebron and Ma’arat HaMachpela, which is located in the valley under the neighborhood. Jews lived at Tel Hebron 4,000 years ago, three thousand years ago, two thousand years ago, one thousand years ago. And, of course, today. How an archeologist, whose primary objective is to uncover the past, enabling us to learn about our land and ourselves can make such a statement, “but it belongs to Arafat” is beyond my comprehension.

The crossroad of civilization still runs via Tel Hebron. Our people and our state stem from Tel Hebron. This neighborhood provides and represents, perhaps more than any other place in Israel, the moral and historical justification of our existence, not only in Hebron, but in all of Israel. The crisscross of present day politics cannot eradicate the roots of our existance. That is why we are here, and that is why we will stay here, forever.

Hebron Articles March-April, 1999

Hebron Articles – March-April, 1999
David Wilder

Courage, Faith and Self-Sacrifice
Rosh Hodesh Iyar 5759 April 16, 1999

It was just after Pesach, 20 years ago. Two women, both instrumental in the return to Hebron eleven years earlier, now living in Kiryat Arba, sat down to talk. They pondered how to return to the city of Hebron itself.
By 1979 Kiryat Arba was an established community of thousands. Apartments, schools, playgrounds and small businesses abounded. But, when a small group of Jews returned to Hebron in 1968 their aim was not the establishment of a new Hebron suburb; their goal was to renew the ancient Jewish community in Hebron.
Miriam Levinger later spoke with her husband, Rav Moshe Levinger, mentioning an idea that had been broached: maybe women and children would be able to accomplish what the men were, as of yet, unable to do: to move back into the abandoned Beit Hadassah building in the heart of Hebron.
Hadassah building in the heart of Hebron.
Beit Hadassah was built in the late 1800s, originally a free medical clinic and guest house for Jews and Arabs alike. The one-story structure was too small to serve the many people taking advantage of the free services, and in the early 1900s a second floor was added. The clinic continued to operate under the auspices of the Hadassah women’s organization until the 1929 massacre, at which time all Jews were expelled from Hebron.
When a small group of families returned to Hebron in 1931, they lived in and around Beit Hadassah, utilizing the building as a school for the children. However, they too were expelled from Hebron by the British in 1936, following continued Arab aggression throughout Israel.
After the Six-day war and return to Hebron in 1967, Beit Hadassah was left vacant. Israeli soldiers sometimes stood guard from the roof of the building. In spite of various attempts to enter the building, Beit Hadassah was declared ‘off-limits’ and Jewish civilians were not allowed in.
Rav Levinger liked of his wife’s idea to have women and children secretly enter the premises. A chain of command was established, and a plan was developed. A few days later he asked Miriam if she was ready to go. Very quickly and very quietly a group of 10 women was organized. On the eve of the new month of Iyar, at three o’clock in the morning, the women, together with forty children, made the five-minute drive into downtown Hebron, arriving behind the main entrance to Beit Hadassah. A ladder was erected, leading into Beit Hadassah’s back windows. Again, very quickly, and very quietly, the women and children climbed into the empty downstairs room, whose floor was thick with dust and dirt. It was only then that Miriam Levinger understood why her husband had presented her with two brooms before leaving her Kiryat Arba home.
As the men made their way back to Kiryat Arba the women cleared some room on the floor for the mattresses they brought with them. Soon, everyone was asleep.
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See pictures of the return to Hebron in 1979: http://www.hebron.org.il/beithadassah/RtrnBeitHadas.htm
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When they woke up the next morning, the children started singing, ‘v’Shavu banim l’gvulam’ - ‘the children have returned home.’ Surprised Israeli soldiers stationed on the roof came down to investigate and discovered the group. They had no idea what to do with them. Neither did anyone else, including the Israeli government, then led by Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Begin wasn’t really keen on having Jews again living in the heart of Hebron, but he was opposed to physically removing them from the site. So, after a short time a solution was found. Police and soldiers surrounded Beit Hadassah. No one new was allowed in, and anyone leaving would not be allowed to return. The intention was to starve the group out.
Menachem Begin was approached by Rav Levinger: “When Israel surrounded the Egyptian third army in Sinai, during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the Egyptians were allowed food, water and medical supplies. If this was permitted to our enemy, who had just attacked us and killed our soldiers, the least you can do is allow the same to the women and children in Hebron.” And so it was. For close to a year.
One day a little boy in Beit Hadassah had a toothache and was sent to the dentist in Kiryat Arba. When he returned to Hebron, the Israeli soldier at the gate refused to let him back in. The little boy started crying, “I want my Ema (mommy).” Finally, only after an almost cabinet-level decision, the little boy was allowed back in.
Due to the lack of any real sanitary facilities, there was an outbreak of hepatitis. One of the women, upon entering Beit Hadassah, was pregnant. Hepatitis and pregnancies do not mix well together. When her friends told her she should leave Beit Hadassah rather than risk contracting the disease she replied, “If I can’t come back, I will not leave.”
As her due date approached, again the other women tried to convince her to leave for hospital to give birth. The answer: "If I cannot come back here with my baby I will not leave. Miriam Levinger is a nurse. She will assist me and everything will be OK.”
Pressure on the Israeli government was tremendous. Finally she received a written permit stating that she could return following the birth. After reading the permit, however, she refused to take it. “Why not?” asked the astonished messenger. “Because it is written here that I can come back, but it doesn’t say that I can bring my baby with me.”
After a second permit was issued she left Hebron for hospital in Jerusalem, gave birth to a little girl, named her Hadassah, and returned to Beit Hadassah in Hebron. (Later, the women and children were allowed to leave the building and return, but no one else was allowed in, excepting special occasions.)
These women and children lived this way until a terrorist attack in early May of 1980, when six Jews were shot to death on a Friday night across the street from Beit Hadassah. Only then did the Israeli government allow the men to join their families, and then officially sanctioned a permanent Jewish presence in Hebron. A few years later the government rebuilt Beit Hadassah, adding two floors onto the original building. Today Beit Hadassah houses ten families, the Hebron Heritage Museum, including the 1929 memorial room, archives, a library, and a volunteer’s apartment.
This is how Hebron’s Jewish community, an ancient community decimated by the murderous massacre incited by Haj Amin el-Husseini in 1929, was reestablished. These ten women and forty children, true modern-day pioneers, literally gave a year of their lives in order to bring about the renewal of The Jewish Community of Hebron. Their courage, faith and self sacrifice brought us back to Hebron. It started today, exactly twenty years ago. And we all owe them an eternal debt of gratitude and appreciation.

Different Kinds of HeroesMarch 19, 1999
Seven years ago, if I remember correctly it was January first, a young man with three children and a pregnant wife, Shella, was murdered near his Kfar Darome home in Gush Katif, Gazza. I remember Doron Shorshan from many years ago when he began studying at Machon Meir in Jerusalem - a yeshiva for "chozrim b'tshuva" - Jews returning to their religious roots. Doron was a teenager - he may still have been in high school. He was always smiling, always doing something, finding it very difficult to sit still. And everyone liked him.
Years later he married Shella and they set up their home in Kfar Darome, a small, isolated community in Gazza. Not too many families were able to settle there for lack of space and homes. But the young families who were fortunate enough to get a house, or in those days, a caravan or small prefab, lived the idealistic life of Israeli pioneers. Doron liked to work with his hands and to work the land. Together with Shella their family began to grow. AviChai, Tal and Hadar. And another child, on the way. A life of ideals on the Land - almost bliss.
Until that winter day when terrorists ambushed Doron on his way home, shooting and killing him as he was driving, not far from Kfar Darome.
Shella later gave birth to their fourth child and second son, who she named Yair-Doron. Yair means "will radiate" or "give forth light." The connotation is obvious.
Two years later - again, tragedy. Six year old Tal was suddenly stricken with meningitis. After a week in the hospital, she died. It was almost exactly two years to the day when her father was killed. In a children's book, recommended also to adults, Shella writes, "Tal missed her father," everyone said. "Now she is with him in heaven so that he won't be sad."
What does a woman do in such a situation? Shella Shorshan is a special human being, living in a special neighborhood. Kfar Darome is a very close-knit community. Unfortunately Shella is not the only 'war widow.' With support from her friends and family she became a symbol of courage. Over time she became a spokesperson for the Kfar Darome community and for all of Gush Katif. About a month ago, while spending a Shabbat at Kfar Darome with my family, someone told me, "Shella? Shella and Kfar Darome are synonymous. She is not a stationary symbol, rather Shella Shorshan became a full fledged leader, working and representing these brave souls, living in an area that might be described as 'close to the end of the world." The community is literally surrounded by thousands of Arabs from Gazza, Arabs who don't want them there and more then Hebron's Arabs want us here in Hebron.
But rather than surrender to the aspirations of her husband's murderers, Shella built a new life for herself and her children, a life centered not around herself, but around Kfar Darome and all of Gush Katif.
This coming Wednesday night Shella is taking a further step to rebuilding her life She is marrying a Jerusalem doctor, and will, with G-d's help, continue to raise a family - a family dedicated to Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael.
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Four years ago, one weekday night, Nachum Hoss called his wife Avigial in Hebron and told her that soon he would be home. He was catching the next bus from Jerusalem and would arrive an hour later. An hour came and went, and suddenly rumors started flying. Something had happened - a bus had been shot at - people were hit - some were killed.
That night a Bat Mitzvah party was being celebrated in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. A family from outside of Hebron decided to celebrate their daughter's Bat Mitzvah in Hebron. One of the guests was a doctor. In the middle of the party he was requested to step outside. He was told that Avigial's husband Nachum had been killed in a terrorist attack outside of Hebron, one of the two people murdered. He accompanied some Hebron residents, friends of Avigial and Nachum, to break her the news. She already knew something was wrong, because Nachum should have been home a long time ago. As the group entered her small apartment, with tears in her eyes, she said, "you don't have to tell me - I already know."
Avigial Hoss graduated from the Kiryat Arba Ulpana high school for girls and then married Nachum. Nachum was a major activist and was known as Rav Moshe Levinger's 'right-hand man.' After the wedding they so wanted to live in Hebron that they agreed to move into a tiny apartment in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. Nachum worked in Jerusalem and Avigial, in a Hebron nursery school, as an assistant.
Following Nachum's murder Avigial stayed in Hebron, finished post-high school studies, and became a nursery school teacher. Not having any children of her own, Avigial became an 'Ema' - mother to dozens of Hebron children, filling them with love and happiness every day. I know how much the children love her - I see it in my four year old son, who is in Avigial's class - I see how, every morning, he can't wait to get to nursery school - to his friends, and to Avigial.
Earlier this week, one morning, a Hebron woman approached me with a special request. "We need you to design a wedding invitation, fast." When I asked why the hurry I was told, "Avigial just got engaged, and they are getting married next week, before Passover, and they want to send out invitations before the end of this week."
A week and a half ago, with many of us, Avigial stood by Nachum's grave, on the fourth anniversary of his murder. Next Thursday night we will all participate in Avigial and Yigal's simcha - their wedding, next to the walls of Ma'arat HaMachpela in Hebron.
These two women - Shella Shorshan and Avigial Hoss - are living examples of heroism- authentic heroism. They are heroes because, in spite of their tragic losses, they did not succumb to the terrorists who murdered their husbands. The terrorists who shot at Doron Shorshan and Nachum Hoss wanted not only to kill their victims, but also to destroy the fabric of all normal life, thereby causing families and friends to despair, to pick up and leave - be it from Hebron or Kfar Darome. These two women did, as have others like them, the opposite. They struggled on, overcoming the pain, overcoming the anguish, and continued forward, reestablishing lives of value, lives of purpose - selflessly giving to others, defeating the terrorist's goals.
Now, next week, these two women will begin new lives, with G-d's help lives of happiness, full family lives that they so richly deserve. Shella and Avigial are different kinds of heroes - because their heroism is a continuance of normalcy in a sea of seeming insanity. They have proven that, as hard as they will try, the terrorists cannot, and will not win.
To Shella and to Avigial - Mazal Tov - may you be blessed with health and happiness all the days of your lives, together with your old friends and new families - HaShem Yivarch etchen b'Shalom - May G-d bless you with true peace.
Surrender to TerrorMarch 9, 1999
A few months ago, after years of waiting, and following the brutal stabbing murder of 63 year old Rabbi Shlomo Ra'anan, Hebron's Jewish Community received building permits allowing construction of a new apartment building - Beit Ha Shisha. This building is named after six men: Hanan Krauthammer, Gershon Klein, Ya'akov Zimmerman, Zvi Glatt, Shmuel Marmelstein, and Eli HaZe'ev, all of whom were killed in a terror attack in front of Beit Hadassah in the early spring of 1980. Despite continued requests, previous administrations refused to OK the construction. Until the murder of Rabbi Ra'anan late last summer.
As construction began The Jewish Community of Hebron discovered that the road in front of Beit Hadassah, which had been closed to all Arab traffic, both vehicular and pedestrian since the murder, was about to be reopened to Arab pedestrians.
This stretch of road, at most a hundred meters, literally touches apartment buildings Beit Hadassah and Beit Shneerson, a children's playground and a daycare - nursery school complex. In the past Arabs found their way into the courtyard and stole children's bicycles and other toys. One day a Hebron resident living in Beit Shneerson came home to find an Arab in his kitchen.
Intelligence reports constantly warn of Arab plans to harm Hebron's Jewish population. From this street, into a Jewish residence, is a matter or seconds. The likelihood of a hand grenade being tossed into a house is far from wild imagination. Unfortunately, it is too real a possibility. For these reasons the community objected to the street's reopening. Arabs were able to easily reach their destination by walking a few meters out the their way. They were delayed, perhaps, two or three minutes.
Our objections reached deaf ears. The street was reopened.
However, it was not chance coincidence that the road was reopened when work began on Beit HaShisha. Arab leaders in Hebron and in the Palestinian Authority, utilizing their connections with the US State Department, issued a warning to Israeli military leaders: Hebron's Arab population is liable to violently object to the new construction by the Jews in Hebron unless they are appropriately appeased. Steady US pressure on Netanyahu and then Defense Minister Mordechai, together with the Arab threats achieved the goal - the reopening of the street.
During the week following Rabbi Ra'anan's murder Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the Admot Ishai neighborhood, paying his condolences to the Rabbi's widow and family. Upon witnessing the housing conditions in the neighborhood he immediately promised government approval to rectify the deplorable situation. Seven families live in this neighborhood in the equivalent of mobile homes - caravans 45 square meters. One family has two caravans - 90 meters - because they have twelve children. This is the way people have had to live for the past fourteen years.
Before permanent housing can be constructed, archeological excavations are required in the area, due to the antiquity of the site. Some four thousand years ago Abraham and Sarah resided here, as did King David almost a thousand years later. In order to commence with the archeological digs two of the caravans must be removed. The families living in them are supposed to move into a 'double-decker' caravan, to be placed on top of two other remaining caravans. Those two new caravans were supposed to be moved into the neighborhood today. Sometime next week the other two caravans were to be removed.
Last week we learned that the road leading to the Tel Rumeida-Admot Ishaineighborhood, closed to Arab vehicular traffic for over eight months, wasto be reopened on the same day that the new caravans were to be broughtinto Hebron. It was closed when tourists from Ranana, celebrating their son's Bar Mitzvah, were shot at while walking down the road. The mother of the Bar Mitzvah boy, Esther Hizmi, was hit in the leg.
A couple of days ago we learned that, again, Arab threats were responsible for Israeli relinquishment. Again, they warned of massive riots in Hebron, should two new caravans be moved into Tel Rumeida. They promised to maintain quiet if….the road was reopened to Arab traffic.
This road, a narrow steep winding hill, is our only route into the Tel Rumeida neighborhood, without having to travel through the section of Hebron controlled by Arafat. Reopening it to Arab traffic will pose a grave threat to the Jews who daily walk and drive up and down this road. In the past a man was stabbed on this road. It has also been the site of firebomb and rock attacks.
Again, American pressure is being applied. Sources close to the community revealed that the State Department is again twisting the screws, demanding that Israel reopen the road, despite the dangers involved. And again, Israel acquiesced and the deal was made. When the caravans were to be brought into Hebron, the road would be reopened.
This morning Hebron's Jewish leadership notified the appropriate authorities of cancellation of the new caravans. We refuse to play into Arab-American hands, playing chit for chat, thereby allowing the Arabs to use threat of force to gain Israeli concessions, concessions which endanger our lives. We refuse to cooperate with cowards in the Israeli administration who are bowing down to Arab threats.
A few days ago I participated in a conference in Jerusalem sponsored by the Victims of Arab Terror (VAT), founded and led by Mrs. Shifra Hoffman. There I heard Mrs. Joyce Baum, mother of David, who would shortly have celebrated his 20th birthday had he not been murdered outside Beit El a few years ago. She told how she was almost killed by the same terrorist who murdered her son, due the failure Israeli and PA forces to apprehend him. I heard Mr. Nisim Gudai of Kiryat Arba describe how Arabs stabbed him in the back in Hebron, and how, miraculously, the knife did not hit any vital organs. I heard the sister of Esther Ochana, a woman soldier killed by a rock, speak of her family's experiences. I too spoke, of two nursery school teachers shot by terrorists in Hebron a few months ago, and of Hebron's Nachum Hoss and Yehuda Partush, killed exactly four years ago that day.
And I ask now, as I did then, why does Israel continue to submit to Arab threats and American pressure? Why should Israelis have to pay the price of Arab-American blackmail?
Earlier today I was visited by a representative of the American consulate in Jerusalem. When she asked me why we had cancelled the caravans, I answered quite simply: "We refuse to acquiesce to Arab terror!" If need be we will force the Israeli government to relearn what we all know and what, in the past, Israel practiced - the ABCs of independence and sovereignty: Do not surrender to threats - do not surrender to terror!

Hebron Articles - Jan. - Feb., 1999

Hebron Articles-Jan-Feb., 1999
David Wilder
Measures of Strength
February 5, 1999
Two subjects have become major topics of the current elections Tel Rumeida and Bibi's new campaign slogan.
Tel Rumeida? Yes! Labor candidate Ehud Barak has turned Tel Rumeida into a campaign issue. In what way? For example, a few days ago on Tuesday, Feb. 2nd, as quoted in Ha'Artetz newspaper "We have clear red lines. Yitzhar and Tel Rumeida are one thing; But Alphei Menashe, Gush Etzion, Ariel, Nirit, the Jordan Valley settlements and many other places are part of the State of Israel in the permanent settlement as well."
In other words, Tel Rumeida is NOT part of the State of Israel, according to Barak.
What exactly is Tel Rumeida? This Hebron neighborhood is very special. The word Rumeida, in Arabic, has something to do with a fire that occurred well over 1,000 years ago and for some reason the name stuck. However, the real name of this site is not Tel Rumeida. Rather, it is Tel Hebron. For this is the site of the original Hebron - the home of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Lea.
According to archeologists, a huge, ancient wall found here originated during the days of Joshua.
Later, this site was the location of King David's first palace - the first capital of the Kingdom of Judea, where David went following the death of King Saul. Visitors can see here the Tomb of Jessie and Ruth - Jessie, King David's father, and Ruth, his great grandmother.
Other excavations have unearthed ruins from two thousand years ago, during the time of the Second Temple. Only a few months ago a superficial excavation discovered 40 clay jugs four thousand years old. Some of this pottery was intact, and some of the jugs contained jewelry inside them.
When I take tourists to visit this neighborhood I tell them, "You literally have 4,000 years of Jewish history here, under your feet. This is the roots of the Jewish People, the roots of monotheism. Our history began here. This is the original Hebron, the first Jewish city in Israel."
Tel Rumeida today is a small Jewish neighborhood. Small, not because this is the way we want it, but because we have denied the ability to build, or to bring in prefabricated structures. Seven families live today in this area, living in what we call 'caravans' or mobile homes. Each caravan is about 45 square meters in size. One family, who we frequently visit while touring, has two caravans - 90 square meters. The reason they recently celebrated the birth of their 12th child. So they need a little extra room. Another family in Tel Rumeida came from Russia, not too many years ago. The wife, Anna, is one of Israel's premiere musicians. Tel Rumeida is also home to Hebron director Rabbi Hillel Horowitz and his family. And of course, I must mention another family, a family which experienced tremendous tragedy a few months ago Rabbanit Chaya Ra'anan. Her husband, Rabbi Shlomo Ra'anan, the sixty three year old grandson of Rabbi Abraham Isaac HaCohen Kook, Israel's first Chief Rabbi, was brutally murdered by an Arab terrorist less than six months ago.
These are some of the seven families living today at the site of Israel's first Jewish city. This is the neighborhood of the 'extremists' which, according to Barak, is NOT a part of the State of Israel. This is a land area which, according to Barak, WILL BE GIVEN TO ARAFAT, as part of a final status settlement.
(A few weeks ago an Israeli archeologist who excavated at Tel Rumeida, and who is also a well-known activist of Shalom Achshav - Peace Now, in the Israeli left, told us, "This is the second most important archeological site in Israel, second only to Jerusalem." He added, "Unfortunately, it belongs to Arafat.")
This is where Barak draws the line.
The second topic I mentioned is Bibi's campaign slogan, which says Netanyahu A strong leader for a strong people. (Well, they got half of it right. We are a strong people. Whether or not Netanyahu is a strong leader is another story.)
Why is this a controversial subject? For some reason, people object to the use of the word 'strength'. It seems to have negative connotations. This, I personally find difficult to comprehend. Strength does not necessarily mean physical strength. What about moral and ethical strength, spiritual strength, or what might be called assertiveness - i.e. standing up for what you believe in?
What I find interesting is that the same people who negate Tel Rumeida also object to this campaign slogan. And the reason seems to be fairly obvious. They prefer weakness. They prefer mediocrity. They prefer a fuzzy and obscure identity. They cannot identify with Abraham or King David or Joshua, because these central figures in the history of our People were strong and assertive. They cannot associate with a people like the Maccabees, who revolted against the Greeks, or Bar-Kochva, who led the revolt against the Romans following the fall of the Second Temple. Both the Maccabees and Bar Kochva battled in ancient Hebron. For they represent the antithesis of 'good Jews'. They prefer Jews who kowtow to the demands of others, who prefer Washington and Geneva to Hebron and Yitzhar (a community in the Shomron). They prefer to erase our past, thereby stunting our future.
A people unwilling to honor its past, cannot honor its future. Of course we always have to look forward, but when we look at ourselves in the mirror of history, we are our past. If we despise our past, we despise our present. And in the future, we too will be disregarded. The measure of who we are - Israelis and Jews - this is our past and our strength. That is why, obviously, Barak rejects not only the 'strength' in the campaign slogan, but also the historic identity with Tel Rumeida.
We, to the contrary, have a different measure of strength, a strength which is inextricably bound up with Tel Rumeida - with Abraham and King David, with Joshua and the Maccabees. And with seven families who are keeping this ancient holy site accessible for all the Jewish people.
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(Note The present administration has recently granted permission to build at Tel Rumeida. Hopefully, following archeological excavations due to begin shortly, new houses will be built at this site and the population will be doubled.)

A Grain of Sand January 18, 1999
It was exactly 730 days ago, two years ago, when the State of Israel willingly
and intentionally abandoned 80% of Hebron to Arafat and the terrorists. It was
such a terrible Friday morning when the military commander of the Hebron
Brigade, Lt. Colonel Gadi, walked out of the Israeli military compound on a
hill overlooking much of the rest of the city, entered his jeep and drove a few
minutes 'over the border' into the "Israeli" side of the city.
It was not unexpected. The 'Hebron Accords' had been signed and then ratified
by the Israeli cabinet only days before. That agreement, coming on the heels of
the cursed Oslo accords, had almost fallen through. Here in Hebron, together
with Jews around Israel and throughout the world we had worked day and night
for months on end, attempting to prevent implementation of the decree. Cabinet
ministers and Knesset members visited Hebron in order to 'learn the subject'
from up close. As a matter of fact, on the very day that the accords were voted
on in the cabinet, Minister Natan Sharansky made a special trip to Hebron, to
once again see with his own two eyes, and hear from the Hebron leadership, the
situation which would be created as a result of the agreement. Hebron was not
new to Sharansky - he had been here before, for the same purpose. And he also
believed, as he had said here on a previous visit, that 'signed agreement's
must be honored but not at the expense of Jewish lives and security.'
Concluding his mission here, he returned to Jerusalem, where he expressed his
doubts and fears to his friend, the Prime Minister. Netanyahu allayed
Sharansky's qualms, assuring him that 'Hebron's Jewish Community would have
full security and not be in danger.' Later that day Sharansky voted in favor of
the Hebron Accords.
That same cabinet decision also guaranteed 'to substantiate" Hebron's Jewish
community. A half a year later the community received permits to begin
construction of a new - six family building in the Avraham Avinu neighborhood.
Following the murder of Rabbi Shlomo Ra'anan, five months ago, Netanyahu agreed
to allow permanent housing at the Tel Rumeida - Tel Hebron neighborhood.
However this work cannot begin until archeological excavations are completed at
the site, excavations which have not yet begun. Last week, after another
shooting attack against Hebron nursery school teachers, construction finally
began on Beit HaShisha, for an additional 6 families. By the time the elections
roll around this government will have agreed to 'substantiate' Hebron's Jewish
community of 54 families with an additional 20 families, in Israel's most
ancient city.
This is the way it has been for the last two years, surrounded by hills filled
with armed terrorists who shoot at us, throw hand grenades, firebombs and
rocks. So, the question must again be asked How can we stay here?
I'd like to tell you about three people, three very different kinds of people
who, together with so many others, give us the strength to stay, despite all.
Groups continue to visit Hebron. Sometimes large, others smaller, but almost
every day, another group arrives. As a representative of the Hebron community,
I speak to many of these people, explaining the present situation and answering
questions. Yesterday one such group sat in the Avraham Avinu Shul, listening to
me describe how, for 700 years, Jews could not enter the 2nd most holiest site
to our People, Ma'arat HaMachpela - The Tombs of our Forefathers. Only since
our return in 1967 are we again allowed to pray at this sacred place. As I told
them that only because of our presence in Hebron is this site still accessible
to us, I noticed that one of the women in the group was wiping her eyes. I
wasn't saying anything out of the ordinary, but she continued to cry quietly
for about 20 minutes, until I had finished. I later found out that she had to
be convinced to visit Hebron, because originally she was afraid to come.
Afterwards, meeting the person who had convinced her to make the trip, with
tears rolling down her cheeks, and not being able to speak, she hugged her.
Last week we had a number of very distinguished guests. One of them, a
Christian, is an influential Congressman from New York, Mr. Michael Forbes. I
had the honor to spend some time conversing with the Congressman, and was
utterly amazed, not only by his comprehension of what is happening here, but
also by his emotional reaction and attachment to Hebron and its community.
While visiting the caravan house of a family with twelve children I could
literally see the light in his eyes, light of wonder and admiration. Upon
hearing that this neighborhood was the home of Abraham, and later, King David,
I could literally feel that his soul was filled with awe. Sitting with Mrs.
Chaya Ra'anan, widow of the murdered Rabbi Shlomo Ra'anan, the hurt and pain in
his eyes was tangible.
Here is an American gentile politician, who not only has the time to
investigate parts of Israel which few actually get to see, but also exhibits a
true, unbreakable bond between himself and a small group of Jews living in one
of the most controversial locations in the Middle East, if not in the world. I
was truly impressed and touched by his genuine interest and desire, not only to
know more, but more importantly, to assist in any way possible.
The last visitor I'll tell you about is actually not one person, rather, they
are a couple Dr. Irving and Mrs. Cherna Moskowitz. Much ado was made
concerning their visit to Israel and their involvement in Israeli politics.
What is perhaps less well known is that on their final day in Israel, the
entire group, led by Dr. and Mrs. Moskowitz, charted four six-seater airplanes
and flew to Kiryat Shmona, on Israel's northern border. There, they met with a
woman who had lost twin fetus' due to a katusha missle attack a few weeks ago.
And later, when meeting with the city's mayor, Dr. and Mrs. Moskowitz presented
him with a check for $100,000, for the city of Kiryat Shmona.
The Moskowitz's can only be described as 'Tzadikei HaDor" - the righteous of
the generation. They don't talk - they do; they do what they believe in, be it
Hebron, Jerusalem or Kiryat Shmona. Standing at the entrance to the Avraham
Avinu neighborhood, surrounded by dancing children, the love and warmth
radiated by Dr. and Mrs. Moskowitz was palpable. Dr. Moskowitz took Hebron
children in his arms, dancing with them to the tune of Hebron-Meaz u'letamid -
HebronFrom then and forever. Later, while bidding them farewell, and thanking
them for all they have done, Dr. Moskowitz, with true sincerity and humility
replied, "I couldn't do it if you weren't here."
These are three, but only three examples, of the over 600,000 people who have
visited Hebron in the past 730 days. This is what gives us the strength to
continue, come what may. For in all actuality, our reality is not that of 730
days - it is a reality of almost 4,000 years - a reality not of Netanyahu and
Barak, but rather a reality the likes of Mike Forbes, the Moskowitz's and a
women weeping while hearing about the people of Hebron. Seven hundred and
thirty days out of four thousand years - right now it's not so easy, but in the
end it will be like a single grain of sand on the beach, a grain washed into
the ocean of our heritage and tradition, beginning here in Hebron.


Clucking AwayJanuary 8, 1999

This morning, on my way into a Kiryat Arba supermarket, I was greeted in a most unusual manner. Two men, speaking outside, saw me and started yelling at me: "You really f….. this one up good, didn't you Wilder!? Now, instead of Netanyahu, we are going to get Ehud Barak and Yossi Beilin."

I looked at them, somewhat surprised, and asked, "Me, I brought Netanyahu down?"

"Yeah, you and those others in Hebron and the leadership of the right - you always said, Bibi must fall. Now see what you've gotten us into."

So, what's the answer? A friend told me the following story:
A king's son once decided that he was a chicken. He took off his clothes, got down on his hands and knees under a table, and starting eating crumbs off the floor. The king brought all his doctors to try and convince his son to stop being a chicken. To no avail. Finally a famous doctor arrived from a far away country. He promised the king that he could cure his son. The king promised him rewards of gold and silver should he perform such a miracle. With that, the doctor removed his clothing, stooped down on his hands and knees under the table, with the king's son, and too, began eating crumbs. The king's son looked at his companion and asked him, "who are you?" "I too am a chicken," said the doctor, and for several days they ate together crumbs from the floor.

After some time the doctor suddenly put on his pants. "And what is this?" asked the king's son. "Oh, don't you know. There are chickens who wear pants." The king's son mimicked the doctor's actions. After a few more days the doctor put on his shirt, as did the king's son, and so it went until one day the doctor sat in a chair, saying that there are chickens who sit in chairs, and a few days later began eating with a fork and knife. So, in the end, the king's son remained a chicken, but he acted like a human being.

What is the moral of the story? A few years ago a man named Binyamin Netanyahu proclaimed, "I represent the Israeli right." A little while after being elected Prime Minister he shook hands with Arafat, saying, "the right too can shake hands with Arafat." Then he abandoned 80% of Hebron, saying, "the right can give away Eretz Yisrael too." Then he went to Wye continuing to say, "the right can be like the left, but still be the right." And there is no doubt that given the opportunity, under the circumstances, he would have continued implementing Wye right down to the last comma and period.

How can we be so sure where this government would go? A few nights ago on Israeli television's Channel 1 news, it was reported that secret negotiations are underway between Israel and Arafat concerning reopening of the Arab market outside the Avraham Avinu neighborhood and the total reopening of "Shuhada" - King David Street, leading from the Avraham Avinu neighborhood to Beit Hadassah. This, in order to receive assurances from Arafat that our Arab neighbors will not 'cause disturbances' as a result of the new construction at Beit Hadassah and Tel Rumeida.

In any other language, this is called a bribe. The Arabs say, "we won't break the law, riot, shoot, throw firebombs, or knife anyone because you are building. Just give us the marketplace and the street." This, coming after another terrorist attack in Hebron earlier this week, which left two women injured, one critically. And Netanyahu and his Defense Minster are willing to pay the bribe?!

This is the Netanyahu administration. This is the reason Binyamin Netanyahu had to fall.

No, Bibi Netanyahu - we will not follow your act - you do not really represent us. You are not a true lover of Eretz Yisrael - you have proven that you are not a genuine representative of the Israeli right. We will not follow you wherever you go.

So, where do we go now. There is an ideal, and then there is practicality. Ideally, the Prime Minister should not be Netanyahu. Practically, we may get him back. We may even have to vote for him, if not the first time around, then during the run-off election. We may hold our noses and try to keep from being sick when we cast our ballots, but there won't be any choice.

What will be the secret ingredient that may bring us victory? One word: unity. Whichever of the two major blocks, left or right, succeeds in unifying, they will win. If the Israeli right, today led by Benny Begin forms a block, including Moledet, the NRP and other rightwing factions, thereby receiving a large number of mandates in the next Knesset, they may very well determine the policy platform of the next government, regardless of who is elected Prime Minister.

So far it is a free-for-all. The left is divided. So is the right. Meridor, Shahak, Barak, all represent the same political ideology. But the right has yet to make an intelligent move to pull the forces together. Next week Dr. Irving Moskowitz, leading a large delegation including Dr. Joseph Frager, is arriving in Israel to study the situation and help pull the right together. (See Jerusalem Post article: http://www.hebron.org.il/moskowitz.htm) If Dr. Moskowitz and his delegation succeed in impressing the heads of the major political factions that they have no choice but to work together, there is a VERY GOOD chance that we will be victorious.

The truth is that we really don't want Barak, Beilin, or Shahak. However Bibi must know that if he wants to be a chicken, eating crumbs off the floor, he cannot disguise himself, claiming to be something else. If he wants to cluck around, that is his prerogative. But he cannot make believe that his clucks are actually intelligent speech and try to sway us to act accordingly. Arafat is Arafat, Eretz Yisrael is Eretz Yisrael, and Hebron is Hebron. Nobody, however hard they try, will ever be able to persuade us otherwise.