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.