Judea Magazine, No. 3.2



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JUDEA ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE  Vol.3, No.2  Adar II-Nisan 5755/Mar-Apr 1995
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Contents: THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

* In Memoriam: Nachum Hoss and Yehuda Partush
* The Struggle: Jail Again / Post-Zionist Justice / Esti -- Just an
  Ordinary Jew? / Jewish and Anti-Jewish
* The Temple Mount is Ours: Equal Rights for Jews on the Temple Mount /
  Prisoner of Zion Arrested on Temple Mount
* The Face of Peace: No Joy in Jericho / The Burdens of Authority /
  Two Peace Myths
* Jewish Heroes: Remembering Eli Cohen -- Israel's Greatest Spy
* The Zionist Dream Lives On: Can't Stop an Idea / The Pioneers of Maale
  Hever / From a Reader: I Felt Like I Had Come Home
 
*************************************************************************

                IN MEMORIAM: NACHUM HOSS AND YEHUDA PARTUSH

     Murdered by Arab terrorists while riding home on a public bus from
Jerusalem to Hebron on 19 March 1995 -- two more victims of peace.
                               *     *     *
     "Did anyone tell you or write about Nachum Hoss?  About this
righteous man, this simple, straightforward man who loved Eretz Israel? 
Did anyone tell you about Yehuda Partush, who came to Israel from France,
who returned to religion -- a simple man who worked as a plumber, not
some intellectual but a working man -- who came to an understanding of
his Jewishness because his daughter returned from kindergarten and told
him all about French history but didn't know anything about Jewish
history?  The day he was killed he had gone to Jerusalem to sign the
contract to buy his apartment in Kiryat Arba.  Did you know that Yehuda
Partush died on the way home, in his wife arms, after he shielded her
from the bullets -- with a bullet in the head and a bullet in his heart? 
Did anyone write about him?  About his children?" - Adir Zik, Arutz 7
Radio, 24 March 1995

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The Struggle:

                               JAIL -- AGAIN

     On 20 March 1995, the morning after Arab terrorists had attacked a
bus full of people, thirty-five women wearing green hats and banging on
pots and pans stood in front of the prime minister's office in Jerusalem
to try to wake up the government.  In response, the authorities brought
in the border police, the special anti-demonstration squad, as well as
scores of regular police.  There we were -- 35 women, at least half of
whom are grandmothers
-- faced off against the city's "finest," led by the head of the
Jerusalem police force and his deputy.
     These brave men linked arms and proceeded to push the women up the
street, knocking many down along the way.  Nadia Matar was quickly
dragged to the waiting police van.  Ruth Matar, 66, was also roughed up
and put in the van, but was later taken to hospital.  I was arrested, as
was Ruthy Gregor, and we were all taken to the Russian Compound, where
the British had hung Jewish freedom fighters in the days before Israeli
independence.
     Nadia, Ruthy and I were interrogated, body searched, and charged
with illegal assembly.  The law states that a group of up to 49 needs no
permit to demonstrate and we were definitely fewer than that.  Ruthy was
also charged with hitting a policeman with her pots.  The pots became
exhibit A and B during our interrogation and Ruth was asked if she could
identify those pots!  We were told that we were to be held for 48 hours.
     At ten o'clock that night we regained our freedom, but the question
remains: Why are they so afraid of us?  -- Y.A.

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                           POST-ZIONIST JUSTICE

     On 14 February 1995, scores of Israeli police smashed in the door of
60-year-old, American-born grandmother Miriam Levinger of Hebron, carried
her away and then physically carried her into a Jerusalem courtroom for a
hearing on a 4-year-old "disturbance" charge.  The judge expressed her
shock at the police action.  If the Israeli police had done the same to
an Arab woman of any age, there would have been mass rioting in the
streets.

*************************************************************************

                       ESTI -- JUST AN ORDINARY JEW?

     In 1994, Esti Hanukkah Noeh, 60, returned to Israel to help save our
country from the post-Zionists.  Esti was born in Jerusalem in 1935, the
daughter of Iranian Jewish immigrants who had walked for a year to reach
Israel.  Esti's father died when she was only 7 and she and another
sister were put in an orphanage because her mother was too sick to care
for all 12 children.  Esti eventually worked in that orphanage, then at a
school for the deaf, and later as a nanny in Switzerland.
     After returning to Israel, Esti joined the Women in Green and takes
part in many of their demonstrations.  She also spends an hour every week
standing on a street corner with a protest sign against the government. 
Esti works twice a week at the settlers' cafe near Jerusalem's Central
Bus Station.  Here those waiting for a bus to their villages in Judea and
Samaria can come and get a free hot drink and light snacks.  Esti also
gives generously to various charities and visits the sick and the
elderly.  She devotes all of her enormous energy to helping others, and
considers herself just an ordinary Jew. -- Y.A.

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Preparing for the Next Stage of "Peace":

                          JEWISH AND ANTI-JEWISH

                               Ariel Sharon

     If the IDF withdraws from areas in Judea and Samaria on government
orders, the Jews living there will know how to defend themselves.  They
will stay on, and they won't be alone.  Hundreds, even thousands, of
volunteers will come to the aid of the 141,000 settlers -- of whom 82,000
are children -- to join in their self-defense.
     And should the government, in agreement with its murderous PLO
allies headed by Yasser Arafat, order the IDF to evacuate Hebron, the
Jews there, who today number 500, will remain, as volunteers from all
over the country stream there.  If Hebron's Jewish Quarter is abandoned
by the government, its area will expand; and when there are 5,000 Jews in
Hebron, things there will be quiet.  The opposition's duty today is to
organize these volunteers.
     When a Jewish national government arises, its first mission will be
to increase the number of Jews in Judea, Samaria and Gaza to half a
million.  Then the danger of a second Palestinian state west of the
Jordan will no longer exist.  The opposition must prepare detailed plans
to settle these people.  It mustn't waste any time, not even a day.
     For me, the Jewish cause transcends everything.  Israel is the
Jewish state; Jerusalem is Jewish and exclusively Jewish; Hebron is
forever Jewish.
     Those on whose head lies the blood of the 134 Israeli citizens
murdered since the Oslo Agreement are anti-Jewish.  Those for whom
Jericho is "the tomb of Rahab the harlot" and the Cave of the Patriarchs
"the burial place of an Arab sheikh" are against everything Jewish.
     Anyone planning to hand over Beit El and Shiloh is against Jews and
Judaism.  Those who gave official status to non-Jews on the Temple Mount
are anti-Jewish.  Whoever grants Israeli funds to the PLO -- whose
leaders transfer the money to their own bank accounts or use it for anti-
Israel purposes including incitement of Israel's Arab citizens -- is
anti-Jewish.
     Anyone emotionally closer to the PLO assassins than to the settlers
in Hebron, who warmly shakes hands steeped in Jewish blood but turns in
disgust from shaking a Jewish hand holding a prayer book in the Machpela
Cave, is against everything Jewish.  Inciters against Jews, indifferent
to their blood being spilled, are anti-Jewish.
                               *     *     *
     Ariel Sharon is former Defense Minister of Israel.  (Excerpted from
_Jerusalem Post_, 31 Mar 95, p. 5)

*************************************************************************
The Temple Mount is Ours:

                 EQUAL RIGHTS FOR JEWS ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT

     One of the most absurd situations in this time of absurdities is the
fact that Jews are forbidden to pray on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. 
At the site of the Temple of the Jews from the time of the First and
Second Jewish Commonwealths, there stands two major buildings.  The best
known is the Arab Dome of the Rock -- a monument, not a mosque, built
over the site of the Jewish sanctuary.  Off to one side is the Al Aqsa
mosque.  Arabs praying there bow toward Mecca with their backsides toward
the spot where the Holy of Holies of the Jewish Temple once stood.
     Today, if a Jew wants to pray on the Temple Mount s/he must sneak up
there with a group of Christian tourists or otherwise disguise the fact
that s/he is planning to pray Jewish prayers on the Temple Mount.  Once
the Jew is discovered s/he is forcibly made to stop praying and is
manhandled off the Mount by Arab guards and Israeli policemen.
     At the Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs in Hebron, Jews have
equal rights with Arabs in terms of access to this holy site.  Why don't
the same equal rights apply to the Temple Mount?  What is so provocative
about a Jew praying at the holiest site of Judaism?  Where are the
Israeli human rights activists when their fellow Jews need them?  Where
is justice? -- Y.A.
  
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             FORMER PRISONER OF ZION ARRESTED ON TEMPLE MOUNT

                Yosef Mendelevich interviewed by Ruth Matar

     Yosef Mendelevich is an inspiring, loyal, knowledgeable, pious and
magnificent Jew who spent 11 years in jail in Russia for his Zionist and
Jewish activities.  On 29 November 1994, he was part of a group arrested
and jailed for daring to go up to the Temple Mount during Hanukkah to
pray Hallel -- the Psalms of Thanksgiving.
     "I went up to the Temple Mount on Hanukkah because it is the most
natural and logical act for a Jew to do on this national holiday.  We
light candles on Hanukkah to celebrate the historical fact that Judah
Maccabee went to the Temple Mount to light candles there.  The true
meaning of Hanukkah is to be courageous in the struggle for the
independence of our country.  Yehuda HaLevi said in his book _The Kuzari_
back in the 11th century that the Temple was the heart of the Jewish
nation, and if the Temple Mount is not in our hands, the heart will be
sick."
     "On the morning we were to go up to the Mount, we all went first to
the Mikveh [ritual bath].  We also put on shoes or sandals without
leather, just as we do on Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av.  We arrived by car
through the Lion's Gate, which is the same gate that the Israeli
paratroopers used when they recaptured the Old City in 1967.  Close to
that gate was the Gate of the Twelve Tribes which leads to the Temple
Mount.  I was the first to enter, and walked slowly forward, always
keeping in mind to stay within the area on the Mount which had been added
during the time of Herod; it is recognized by even the most pious of Jews
that there is no restriction whatsoever for Jews to go on this portion of
the Temple Mount and to pray there.  I stopped while still well within
that area, and the other Jews who were with me joined me there and we
began saying Hallel."
     "Within a matter of minutes, many Arabs descended upon us, running
to where we were.  They were yelling and screaming that we did not belong
there, that this was an Arab place, and they began shoving and pushing us
violently.  We answered them that, on the contrary, this was a Jewish
religious site and that we had every right, according to Jewish Law and
according to history, to be praying here.  Moments later, additional
Arabs appeared on the scene, together with several Israeli policemen.  We
told the policemen that these Arabs were physically attacking us, and
asked for protection.  Instead of affording us protection, the policeman
from whom I asked for protection pushed me violently to the ground.  I
got up and we continued to say the Hallel, notwithstanding the police's
disappointing attitude.  By this time, great numbers of more violence-
threatening Arabs appeared, including among them one of their important
religious leaders, wearing a red hat, whom I recognized to be the
so-called Mufti of the Temple Mount appointed by Arafat.  The Mufti was
using the umbrella he was carrying to slash at us and beat us for praying
there, until one of our Jews took it away from him.  Even the unfriendly
police tried to prevent this Mufti from continuing to hit us with this
umbrella."
     "There were 9 of us, and by that time there were over 100 Arabs
surrounding us.  They apparently had been summoned to the spot by an
elaborate electronic walkie-talkie network which we witnessed them using.

They were calling for an Arab mob to prevent us from praying on the
Temple Mount.  Since we were requested by the police to leave, and did
not want to engage in a physical confrontation with the police, and
because the police were obviously not going to give us protection if we
continued to pray there, we decided to withdraw to outside the Tribes
Gate and to continue the Hallel prayers there."
     "While we completed our prayers, the policemen were busy forcefully
trying to close the gate to prevent the worked up Arabs from reaching us
with intent to kill.  The police were finally able to lock the gate,
keeping the Arabs inside the Temple Mount.  Then they turned to us and
arrested us."
     "We were taken to the Russian Compound, then transferred to the
Central Prison.  We were told that we would be held for 48 hours and then
the Court would be asked to extend our detention.  We were fingerprinted
and photographed, as if we were criminals, and it was all very unpleasant
for me.  I had been through all this before with the KGB, and here it was
happening to me all over again, this time in my own beloved country, for
wanting to be a Jew and practice my faith here in Israel."
     "Eight of us were placed in a crowded cell with four others for the
night, with not enough beds, so that two of us had to sleep on the floor.

There was also a deranged person in the cell who harangued us all night
and threatened to kill us, so we did not sleep at all that night. 
Nevertheless, we were all exhilarated about what we had done.  We were
sure we did the right thing by going up to pray there on Hanukkah and
felt very privileged to have done so.  We realized we were making a very
important contribution to our Jewish People in their struggle to regain
control over the Temple Mount."
     "The police were prepared to let us go if we would sign a commitment
not to go up to the Temple Mount for six months.  Each of us felt that it
was improper for the police to ask any Jew to commit himself to such an
improper deprivation of his basic and historical right, even for one day.

Accordingly, we all rejected this proposal."
     "Thereafter, we were told that the police were insisting that we be
brought into Court in handcuffs, just like dangerous criminals.  We
refused, but our counsel advised us that the police could thereby delay
our appearance before a judge.  Since we wanted to go before the Court as
soon as possible, we consented to going in handcuffs, and were brought
there in this disgraceful manner.  When we arrived, a group of the Women
In Green and others began singing "Am Yisrael Chai" (The People of Israel
Live).  This boosted our morale tremendously and reminded us that we were
not alone, that many, many Jews, both here and abroad, appreciated what
we did on behalf of our People."
     "When we were brought to Court, the Prosecutor, among other
distortions, claimed we had illegally trespassed on the Temple Mount,
that we went there not to pray but as a provocation to the Arabs, and
that we attacked the police and Arabs there.  The judge nevertheless was
prepared to release us if we would agree not to go up to the Temple Mount
for six months.  Yehuda Etzion told the Court he would be prepared to
sign such a commitment, if the Court would agree to remove the menorah
from the insignia in the courtroom of the State of Israel.  The message
he was trying to deliver to the Court was that just as the insignia in
the courtroom of the State of Israel has an essential element -- the
menorah -- so too prayer on the Temple Mount was an essential part of the
Jewish soul and could not be prevented even for a day.  The Court decided
to release us on nominal bail, but on the following day ruled that we
would be barred from going up to the Temple Mount during the holidays of
Purim and Pesach."
     Yosef Mendelevich's famous struggle for religious freedom apparently
did not end with his arrival in his homeland, Israel.  He continues to
struggle for Jewish possession of the Temple Mount, the holiest site of
the Jewish people.

*************************************************************************
The Face of Peace:

                             NO JOY IN JERICHO

     Some Israeli leaders have expressed their intention to give over
control of more towns in Judea and Samaria to the Palestinian Authority
by 1 July 1995, ignoring the results of the "Gaza-Jericho First"
experiment.  Gaza has now become as dangerous as the Lebanese border,
with daily shootings and bomb attacks against Israelis, as well as
suicide bombers crossing from Gaza into Israel even after the
construction of an electronic border fence.  Nadav Haetzni reports here
on the Jericho side of the experiment (from _Maariv_ Shabbat, 24 March
95).
     One thousand Palestinian troops, including hundreds brought in from
Iraq and Lebanon, have dispersed throughout the sleepy town of Jericho,
whose civilian population does not exceed 12,000, and who now rule in a
manner reminiscent of the worst Soviet dictatorship.  Wherever you turn,
you can't help but notice the military presence -- trucks full of troops,
police on every street corner, and stolen Israeli cars packed with agents
of the secret service.
     Most of the town's residents are terrified.  In less than a year a
government of oppression and menace has taken control of the town.  At
least two local residents have been beaten to death in Jericho prison and
scores of others terrorized.  Local residents tell repeated stories of
thievery, rape, and beatings by the new rulers of Jericho -- the
Palestinian military forces -- and there is no one to turn to for
justice.  One Arab lawyer from eastern Jerusalem, when asked about the
matter, replied: "No one would dare represent anyone arrested by PLO
secret service chief Jabril Rajoub.  The court in Jericho is not a real
court and if I opposed Rajoub they would come and burn my house even here
in Jerusalem."
     One Sunday, a few weeks ago, Victor Elias, 22, from Bethlehem, went
to support his local soccer team who were playing in Jericho against a
team from Ramallah.  He never imagined that he would return home with
every bone in his body crushed after the special treatment he received at
the hands of the Palestinian enforcers of the law.
     By chance Victor was standing near a disturbance that broke out at
the edge of the soccer field.  The red-bereted military police of Jericho
intervened to restore order and began firing in the air, an action that
made the situation worse.  Young Victor Elias stood on the side the whole
time, next to one of the troops who was firing.  In his innocence, he
asked the soldier: "Why are you shooting?  You're just causing panic in
the crowd.  Even the Israeli soldiers would never shoot in a situation
like this."
     That was his great mistake.  The soldier who was shooting called to
his friends and together they dragged the youth off to a nearby truck and
began beating him with truncheons.  Elias was brought to Jericho jail,
thrown into a cell, and then the full treatment began.  "They broke three
truncheons beating me," he would later report.  "Every time I fell after
being beaten, they would kick me, pick me up, and begin to beat me again.

During the beating my shirt was torn and they saw the crucifix that I
wore around my neck.  Then they became even more violent.  One said, 'We
came here from Lebanon especially to teach the Christian dogs a lesson.' 
Then between blows they forced me to repeat three times: 'There is no God
but Allah and Mohammed is His prophet.'  After I had said this, they told
me: 'Now you are a Muslim, and we'll teach you what it means to be a
Muslim,' and then began to beat me again."
     After hours of this nightmare, Victor was finally released from jail
after the Mayor of Bethlehem requested Yasser Arafat's intervention. 
Victor was hospitalized in Bethlehem, suffering from broken bones and
bruises in every part of his body.  He wasn't able to stand up for days.

*************************************************************************

                         THE BURDENS OF AUTHORITY

     In February 1995 the Palestinian Authority in Gaza took delivery of
10 new Pontiac Grand Prix cars for its leaders, at the same time it is
begging for money throughout the world for its destitute people.

*************************************************************************

                              TWO PEACE MYTHS

                            Gerald M. Steinberg

     Myth: Economic growth, resulting from the peace process, will lead
to moderation and an end to support for terrorism among Palestinians.
     Reality: This theory lacks any factual support.  There is no causal
link between economic conditions and the willingness to use violence to
reach nationalist, ethnic, or religious goals.  The close economic links
and integration in Yugoslavia did not prevent the Serbs from attacking
their neighbors to achieve nationalist objectives.  The Serbs were
willing to accept tremendous economic losses in order to achieve these
ideological objectives.  Since 1967, the standard of living in the West
Bank has increased steadily, but this has not led to a decrease in
terrorism or hatred for Israel.  Similarly, there is no reason to believe
that an economic transformation of the Palestinians will lead to
moderation.
     Myth: There are no alternatives to the Olso Declaration and the
current "peace process."
     Reality: 90 percent of the Palestinian population in the West Bank
(Judea and Samaria) is concentrated in three urban areas.  These can be
formed into cantons, with full internal autonomy, but without an armed
police force.  Transportation corridors between these areas (and with the
Gaza Strip) can be created, with all movement along these corridors under
strict Israeli military control.  This option is not dependent on
negotiations or Palestinian agreement.  The physical separation of
Palestinians from Israelis will make terrorism more difficult, and will
provide the most important form of protection, and it can be implemented
unilaterally.
     (Dr. Gerald Steinberg is a Senior Research Associate at the BESA
Center for Strategic Studies, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.)

**********************************************************************
Jewish Heroes:

              REMEMBERING ELI COHEN -- ISRAEL'S GREATEST SPY

     In January 1965, Syrian radio announced the capture of an Israeli
spy in Damascus -- Eli Cohen, an Israeli citizen born in Egypt -- thus
revealing one of the most daring spy episodes in Israel's history
     Eli Cohen was born in Alexandria in 1924.  After Israel's 1956
campaign against Arab terror bases in Egyptian-controlled Sinai and Gaza,
Egypt deported most of its Jewish community and Eli came to Israel, where
he was recruited into Israel's Intelligence service.
     In 1961 Eli was sent to Argentina to mingle with Syrian emigrants in
Buenos Aires.  From then on he was known as Kamal Amin Tabot, a
businessman from Syria and a Syrian patriot.  He quickly absorbed into
the Syrian community of Buenos Aires and impressed all who met him.  It
was there that he made the contacts that were to become so valuable in
the future.  There he befriended General Amin El-Hafez, who later became
President of Syria, as well as prominent Syrian radio announcer Salim
Sayif.
     In 1962 Eli was sent to Syria where he continued to act as a rich
and generous businessman and Syrian patriot.  After the Baath party took
control in Syria, Eli's position grew in importance due to his earlier
contacts with leading party members.  He threw lavish parties for Baath
VIPs and gave them presents and favors.  He befriended the colonel in
charge of the Golan Heights and several times visited Syrian
fortifications there, the only civilian allowed to do so.
     Eli freely wandered the corridors at the headquarters of the Syrian
high command without anyone questioning him.  In a short time he had
become so close to the government that they enlisted his personal
assistance, for example, sending him to Jericho to convince a former
president to return to Damascus and recognize the current regime.  Eli
was responsible for raising money outside of Syria and he was almost made
a minister in the government.
     Because of his contacts, Eli was able to pass on to Israel a wealth
of information.  After his visits on the Golan Heights he transmitted the
Syrian fortification plans to Israel, information which proved vital in
the Six-Day War of 1967.  He obtained the Syrian defense and attack
plans, details of their material and maneuvers, and information on army
movements and the type and number of personnel.  He also transmitted to
Israel detailed information regarding the Baath party takeover, the key
people involved, major party and government decisions, and even Syrian
plans to divert the waters of the Banias and Jordan Rivers away from
Israel.  He also found Nazi war criminal Franz Radmacher and liquidated
him.
     Even at the end of 1964 when the Syrian regime began to suspect that
there was a spy in Damascus, Eli kept delivering information about
various changes in the army and about plans to establish Palestinian
terrorist groups including El-Fatah under Syrian auspices.  Then Eli was
caught and suffered terrible torture without telling his interrogators
what they wanted to know.
     Thirty years ago, Eli Cohen -- Israel's greatest spy -- was hanged
in Damascus on 18 May (16 Iyar) 1965 in Damascus.  The Syrians refused to
transfer his body to Israel.  He died as he had lived -- a Jewish hero
and an Israeli patriot. 
     [Translated and adapted from _Great Eras in the History of the Land
of Israel - 1956-1967_ (Hebrew), p. 59.]

*************************************************************************
The Zionist Dream Lives On:

                            CAN'T STOP AN IDEA

     The left-wing politicians are in an uproar.  Two years ago they had
pushed through a government decision to halt all state support for
construction in Jewish villages in Judea and Samaria, believing this
would "dry them out" and cause their residents to leave.  Now, to their
consternation, they realize that the Jewish population has continued to
grow by the thousands, even in the face of official opposition.  Private
construction has replaced government support.
     They don't realize that no government can stop the idea of the
return of the Jews to their homeland -- the very idea that created
Israel.

************************************************************************

                        THE PIONEERS OF MAALE HEVER

     Maale Hever is a Jewish village in the south Hebron Hills southeast
of Hebron, one of a line of villages established at the edge of the
Judean Desert to guard Israel's eastern border.  Today, Maale Hever is
home to 20 pioneering families, couples with young children, who welcome
newcomers to join them.
     Fourteen new houses were completed many months ago but utility
hookups had been blocked by the government.  Now water and sewage
connections are complete and work on electricity and telephone hookups
will begin shortly.  The village is seeking young couples who are still
idealistic to come join them.  For more information, call Haim or Gadi,
Tel. (02) 9961981; outside Israel, 972-2-9961981.
     (From _Yesh Iton B'Gush Etzion_, 6 Jan 95)

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A letter to Judea Magazine (reprinted with permission):

                        I FELT LIKE I HAD COME HOME

     I just wanted to write you after reading the latest newsletter, how
much I really enjoy it.  The latest one, however, had an article that
particularly struck home -- "Robin Higgins Moves to Israel."  My story is
similar to hers, in that I am in the U.S. Air Force, am a Major (LtCol
select) and was extremely fortunate to have been able to visit Israel a
few years back.
     Like Robin's experiences, I am usually the "token" Jew in my units,
a responsibility I take seriously.  I try to educate people I run into
that being Jewish is not a bad thing, just that I believe different from
them.  This past year was particularly trying for me as I just took over
command of a maintenance squadron and had to face the squadron Christmas
party business.  The lack of knowledge and understanding sometimes
frustrates me, but I can honestly say I have never run into blatant
prejudice, except for being a woman in the military.
     Also parallel to her experience of visiting Israel, I felt like I
had come home as soon as the plane set down.  I too didn't feel different
but part of everyone who lived in Israel.  It was a wonderful feeling to
have so much in common with so many.  But, as the time came to leave, I
realized that I really couldn't come to live in Israel, tho some day that
may change. I am too much American, and enjoy my American conveniences. 
This, however, does not negate my sense of connection to the land of
Israel.
     Just wanted to thank you and tell you how much that article touched
me. Keep up the outstanding work!
     (signed) Rivkah Simchat -- Major Rebecca Joy Garcia

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     JUDEA Magazine is an academic-oriented bi-monthly electronic
magazine produced and transmitted from Judea, Israel.  Its focus is the
rebuilding of Jewish communities and Jewish life in Judea.
*************************************************************************

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