Judea Magazine, No. 7.1
Hebron Etzion
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"Rebuilding Jewish Life in Judea, Israel"
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JUDEA ELECTRONIC MAGAZINE Vol.7, No.1 Tevet-Shvat 5759/Jan-Feb 1999
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Website: www.virtual.co.il\clients\judea
Contents:
After the Wye Agreement:
* The Zionist Answer to Wye / * The Most Important Job in Yesha /
* The Settlements: Israel's Shield / * The First City in Judea /
* Careful! Wet Paint / * The Solution is to be Strong /
* Don't Give Up Area B / * Who is a Collaborator? /
* The Face of Peace /
Jewish Heroes:
* The Battle of Tel Saki / * In Memoriam: Shlomo Baum /
* Vengeance and Salvation: The Jewish Brigade
Jerusalem: Exploring the Tombs of the Kings
Special Needs Children at Bat Ayin
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After the Wye Agreement:
THE ZIONIST ANSWER TO WYE
The Wye Agreement puts 40% of Judea and Samaria into the hands of
the Palestinian Authority. The agreement means the expansion of Area A
(fully autonomous PA areas) including an even larger Bethlehem and the
isolation within the Arab Autonomy of Har Gilo which overlooks Jerusalem.
Much of the government land around Meitzad will be turned into Area B
(where Israel has final security responsibility).
In the face of spreading Arab control, communities of the Etzion
bloc have begun to further expand within their natural boundaries by
starting new farming communities with government assistance. Alon Shvut's
agricultural community Givat Hachish was established more than a month
ago. Hirbit Atwain, a sheep-raising community under the direction of a
family from Beit Haggai, is located on the southern slopes of Bat Ayin,
parallel to the Beit Shemesh road.
(_Voices_ (Efrat), 4 Dec 98, pp. 1+)
* * *
Shilo Gal, Head of the Etzion Bloc Regional Council, reported on
further efforts. In addition to the Youth Village "Sadeh Bar" (see Judea
Magazine 6.4) near El David, a new neighborhood has begun next to Maale
Amos [for Breslaver hasidim]. Coming next is a return to the original
Migdal Eder south of Migdal Oz, and two agricultural farms near El David.
(_Gushpanka_, Feb 99, p. 3)
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THE MOST IMPORTANT JOB IN YESHA
Efie Meir
Shimon Einstein, a resident of Efrat, is the head of Rural
Construction in the Ministry of Housing, responsible for all building
outside the big cities. He believes it is time that supporters of the
settlement of the Land of Israel warmed their hearts from a few positive
developments. "If once we built in groups of 10-20 units in a village, we
now push to build in much greater quantities. If you want 100 units or
more, we'll talk." Today, we're also preparing the infrastructure for
many more units than is currently under construction."
"At Givaot in the Etzion bloc, we are planning to establish a non-
religious village that will be very attractive from a real estate
perspective. It will be a huge town with lakes. We took the best
architects in the country who were just looking for a piece of land on
which to be creative."
"The beauty of all this is that it is real, economically; it is
occurring under normal market conditions. An entrepreneur comes and
invests as he would invest in Tel Aviv. Today, practically all the
construction in Judea and Samaria is done by private entrepreneurs."
"Today there is a trend among the Israeli people to move out of
apartment blocks into single-family houses and this is working to our
benefit."
Einstein lives in Givat Hazayit in Efrat. In fact, he conquered the
place: "After the Oslo Agreement I saw this hill about to be lost. We
were the first family that moved in and established the trailer park
there. Perhaps because of the effort I made to live in a trailer with 8
children, and to organize the families to deal with all the difficult
conditions there, God later granted me the most important job in Yesha."
(_Makor Rishon_ Yoman, 1 Jan 99, p. 16-17)
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THE SETTLEMENTS: ISRAEL'S SHIELD
Commenting on the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria,
Justice Minister Tzachi Hanegbi noted that "if the settlements hadn't
existed since 1967, neither Netanyahu, Begin, nor even Jabotinsky would
have been able to preserve one grain of our homeland under Jewish
sovereignty. This is what has prevented capitulation of governments until
now, and has ultimately assured the existence of the State of Israel."
Hanegbi stressed that "before completion of the final status agreements,
we must reach a total of 250,000 Jews in Judea and Samaria. This will
change the picture entirely, and will allow us to stand by all of our
essential interests." He said that people must not be "brainwashed by the
Israeli media: the settlements are not just fighting for their own lives,
they ensure the very security of the State of Israel, providing it with
the ability to withstand an attack of any Arab military alliance."
(From Arutz 7 News Service, 3 Nov 98, http://www.a7.org)
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THE FIRST CITY IN JUDEA
Ma'aleh Adumim, the first city in restored Judea, is located just
east of Jerusalem. This young, vibrant city has won the environmental
award and has been named "the most beautiful municipality" three times.
According to the mayor of Ma'aleh Adumim, Benny Kashriel, "Today there
are over 25,000 people living in Ma'aleh Adumim. In the next two years we
will grow to over 27,000. We are building a new neighborhood and when it
is completed within the next 5 to 6 years, our population will soar to
about 50,000."
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CAREFUL! WET PAINT!
Nadia Matar
Two days ago, I received a call from a resident of Efrat, who told
me to urgently read a just published story. The local Jerusalem newspaper
_Kol Ha-Ir_ reported "The Palestinian Authority is planning the
establishment of an agricultural farm within the municipal territory of
Efrat. Signs were erected last week -- one on the Dagan hill, and the
other on the main road connecting Jerusalem with Gush Etzion, close to
the entrance to Neveh Daniel. The land is in Area C [under total Israeli
control], in which the Palestinian Authority has no powers. Sources
within the Authority said that work will begin shortly, funded by the UN
and Japan."
My first response was to find out what the Israeli establishment had
done about this. After a few phone calls, it transpired that both the
Local Council in Efrat and the Civil Administration knew about the signs
but had not acted. The normal response of the Council should have been to
immediately pull out and destroy the signs, but this was not done.
The newspaper account continued: "The heads of Efrat, who were
surprised to find the signs on their doorsteps, said that they would
demand that the Civil Administration clarify if any permission had been
given to place signs or to establish the farm. The Civil Administration
stated in response that the signs had been erected by the Palestinians
without any permission or coordination. The Administration had spotted
the signs after they were erected, and will act in the coming days to
remove them."
The local newspaper _Yerushalayim_ also reported about the signs,
citing the response of Shilo Gal, Head of the Etzion Bloc Council, who
filed a complaint with the Civil Administration on the subject. He said
"We are astounded by the Authority's taking control in Area C, compared
with the powerlessness of the Civil Administration to act against the
Authority, which is operating in these areas in complete contravention to
the accords."
In the wake of this shameful powerlessness by our establishment,
that did not deal promptly with these signs -- since erecting a sign
someplace is a symbolic announcement of ownership, and in addition to
seeing that they will not actually begin to build there, these signs had
to be removed immediately to signal to the Arabs that we are not giving
in to their provocations -- I contacted an acquaintance on the Efrat
Action Committee. We purchased dark brown paint and brushes, and we set
out to "take care" of these signs. We completely covered them with paint,
and we even succeeded in totally uprooting one sign. When we returned
home we also issued a press release reporting on our action.
(Nadia Matar is Co-Chairperson of the Women In Green. From Arutz 7
Radio, 3 Jan 99. See also www.womeningreen.org.)
* * *
The Efrat Action Committee (Va'ad Peulah) was originally formed in
1990 in response to the intifada and Arab violence in the area. With the
rise of the Labor government to power in 1992, the Committee began taking
an active role on the political front, including demonstrations,
attempting settlement on Efrat's northern hills, public information, and
other activities. When the national camp returned to government, our
activities slackened in the belief that our actions were no longer
necessary. Now painfully aware of the dangers that Oslo and Wye have
brought upon us, we have reawakened, and we hope to revitalize the active
spirit of Efrat for the benefit of the entire community.
The Committee may be contacted at: vpefrat@hotmail.com or at Va'ad
Peulah, PO Box 1269, Efrat.
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THE SOLUTION IS TO BE STRONG
Interview with former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir:
Q: In the negotiations with the Arabs, what would you do?
A: We should not give them one millimeter of our homeland. We have a
tiny country. It's ours and that's it.
Q: But how will this stubbornness solve the never-ending war of
Israel with its enemies?
A: There will be war anyway. When we give them something, do they
change their relationship toward us to one of friendship and love? They
hate us anyway. We made peace with Egypt and returned Sinai to them. Do
we see any sign of cordiality from the Egyptians? They hate us. Did we
have to pay them in land just for non-belligerency? Our land is ours. I
was prime minister for many years and negotiated with the Arabs and never
gave them any of our land.
Q: So in your opinion the solution is...
A: There is no solution. The solution is to be strong. Every side
guards its land. There are many states and not one of them gives its land
away to someone else. The fact that there are those who hate us is a
problem, but that doesn't mean we must give the Arabs presents for peace.
The Zionist idea is that this entire land is ours, period. No one has the
right to give it to someone else.
(From Miri Ben-David, _Makor Rishon_ Magazine, 16 Oct 98, p. 7)
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DON'T GIVE UP AREA B
Elyakim Haetzni
It is unacceptable for us to relate to Area B [Israel retains
security control] as if it was Area A [total Arab control]. These areas
will be lost only if we give up and stop fighting. At this point,
Arafat's gangs have total control of only 6 percent of the area of Judea
and Samaria as Area A. From this point, we have to make every effort to
stop the erosion.
(_Makor Rishon_ Yoman, 25 Dec 98, p. 16)
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WHO IS A COLLABORATOR?
During a debate in the Knesset in early December, MK Rehavam Zeevi
charged that the father of [Arafat advisor and Israeli citizen] Ahmed
Tibi had collaborated with Israeli intelligence. This week Zeevi revealed
that the uncle of outspoken Arab MK Darawshe was also a collaborator. "I
said this," Zeevi explained, "because Tibi and Darawshe are shouting all
the time that collaborators deserve to die."
There was no surprise at the revelations among other Arab MKs. Said
one source, "we know that Tibi's grandfather and father sold land to
Jews. In my opinion, Darawshe's extremist stance comes from an effort to
remove the stain on his family."
Ahmed Tibi, fearing serious damage to his image, demanded that the
Israel Broadcasting Authority not report the story, even threatening to
ban their reporters from entering the territories. The story was never
reported.
I asked Zeevi about his sources and he was insulted. "I was chief
regional intelligence office, head of the Central Command, and advisor to
the prime minister on terrorism. Do you think I would make such a
statement if it wasn't substantiated?"
(From Amnon Shomron, _Makor Rishon_ Journal, 11 Dec 98, p. 4)
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THE FACE OF PEACE
(Hebron, 6 February 1999): A family of six, including a 7 month old
baby, was attacked by Arabs in Hebron tonight. The Aimis family, Yitzhak
and Tali, were on their way home from Shabbat in Hebron, missed a turn
and found themselves ambushed by a group of Arabs who began hurling rocks
at their car. The father slammed on the brakes, managed to turn around,
and escaped, returning to his host's home in Hebron. He was slightly
injured and treated in the Hebron medical clinic.
The family, originally from Russia, have been in Israel for almost 7
years. For the past two years they have lived in Beit Haggai, a community
several miles outside of Hebron. They have four children, all of whom
were in the car when it was attacked. Their automobile was badly damaged.
The entire front windshield was smashed and a front headlight was
destroyed.
(Hebron Press Office, http://www.hebron.org.il)
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Jewish Heroes:
THE BATTLE OF TEL SAKI
If anyone ever tells you that he doubts the existence of G-d, tell
him the story of the battle of Tel Saki. Hallie Lerman's book _Crying for
Imma - Battle for the Soul of the Golan Heights_ is the story of Tel
Saki.
Five paratroopers were sent to a small lookout post called Tel Saki,
two kilometers from the Syrian border, on the day before Yom Kippur in
1973. The next day, 250 Syrian tanks and 1,000 soldiers began rolling
across the Golan.
The squad was ordered to stay and delay the Syrians as much as
possible. By the time they received permission to withdraw, it was too
late. They shot from behind one rock and then another. They crawled over
to a third and shot from there, all to convince the Syrians that they
were many. During the critical initial hours of the war, a major Syrian
force was preoccupied with five Jewish soldiers.
When their ammunition ran out, four of the original five and the
survivors of the missions to rescue them took refuge in a tiny bunker.
The Syrians were everywhere, continuing to shoot at the soldiers and
throwing grenades into the bunker. Every soldier was either seriously
wounded or killed by the shrapnel. The living lay together with the dead.
They were kept alive by the lie of their commanding officer, Yaya
Yoram, who had stayed behind in hiding when the army evacuated the main
base in order to remain in contact with his men. Menachem Amsbacher, the
troop's 20-year-old leader, whispered into his radio, "Please. Please
rescue us." Yaya whispered, "Stay alive for only 20 minutes....I am
coming with the entire IDF. Don't give up now." This continued every 20
minutes for more than 24 hours. His lie gave the men "incredible power
and strength to stay alive." Had they known that they were completely
isolated on the Golan surrounded by thousands of armed Syrians with no
Israelis even close by, they would surely have died. Their tenacity to
hold on to life and the hardships they endured in the longest 72 hours of
their lives until finally rescued by the IDF are beyond our imagination.
The book's author is a cousin of Jacob Rayman, a combat medic killed
in a failed attempt to rescue the soldiers at Tel Saki.
(From _Voices_, Efrat, 5 Feb 99, p. 10-11)
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IN MEMORIAM: SHLOMO BAUM
Yuri Milstein
Shlomo Baum has earned a place as one of the top ten military men
who contributed to the survival of Israel in the Zionist period. Together
with Arik Sharon, who is also among the ten, Baum helped bring about the
revolution in the IDF after the creation of the legendary Unit 101
commando force in 1953. The fruits of this revolution were seen in the
two wars after the War of Independence -- Operation Kadesh in 1956 and
the Six-Day War in 1967.
Baum was the brains of the revolution -- and there is no revolution
without a revolution in thinking. Baum estimated the impact of Unit 101
thus: "Ben-Gurion and the rest of the politicians believed at the
beginning of the 1950s that with the end of the War of Independence, the
wars against the Zionist enterprise had ended. Because of this blindness
by the 'founders,' the best of the commanders left the army. The results:
every retaliatory action failed and the Arabs had the upper hand.
"The height of this failure was at Tel Motila in May 1951 when the
entire Golani brigade failed to remove 60 Syrians dug in on the hill
north of the Sea of Galilee in the Korazim valley where Moshav Almagor is
located today.
"Unit 101 proved to the people living in Israel that it was possible
to strike at the enemy, and to do this there was no need for large units
but rather small groups of good men, with freedom of action, determined
to achieve the objective, and imbued with a fighting spirit. We returned
the IDF to its basic principles which had been forgotten. Arik gathered
around him the best fighters and commanders and motivated them. The
advancement and standing of the men in the unit was based on their will
to fight, their abilities, and their actions. At its height, the unit
numbered only 70 people, most of whom were support personnel." (For the
story of another Unit 101 veteran, see Judea Magazine 6.5 on Meir Har
Zion.)
(_Makor Rishon_ Magazine, 5 Feb 99, p. 6+)
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VENGEANCE AND SALVATION: THE JEWISH BRIGADE
Moshe Kohn
More than 30,000 Palestinian Jews volunteered for service in the
British armed forces in World War II, fighting in Greece, Ethiopia,
Libya, Syria, and Italy, and serving in Palestine and throughout the
Middle East.
From September 1939 until September 1944, World Zionist Organization
President Chaim Weizmann and other Zionist leaders, with the moral
support of numerous Jewish and non-Jewish figures and groups in England,
the U.S. and other lands, had been lobbying for the establishment of a
"Jewish army" fighting under the Jewish flag in the war against Germany.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill frequently expressed support for the
idea, but it was only in 1944 that he finally overrode the objections of
his foreign and war secretaries and approved the formation of a Jewish
Brigade.
On September 28, 1944, Churchill told Parliament: "There are vast
numbers of Jews serving with our forces and the American forces
throughout all the armies, but it seems to me indeed appropriate that a
special unit of that race which had suffered indescribable treatment from
the Nazis should be represented in a distinct formation among the forces
gathered for this final overthrow." The slogan of the original Jewish
Brigade recruiting post was: "Vengeance and Salvation."
The Brigade fought with distinction, particularly against the
Germans at the Senio River line in the winter of 1944-45.
One of the major tasks the Brigade men undertook when not engaged in
battle or other official tasks was the rehabilitation of the Holocaust
survivors they met or, whenever possible, they sought out. Lisa Derman, a
survivor found by the Brigade, said: "We cried. We screamed. We jumped.
We kissed one another. Can you imagine, from the ghettos and the fires,
to see Jewish soldiers?"
Eventually, men of the Brigade also formed vengeance squads, seeking
out and eliminating known Nazi war criminals. They "liberated" British
arms and equipment and smuggled them to Eretz Israel. They also organized
groups of Holocaust survivors in various parts of Europe and smuggled
them across European borders to boats heading for Eretz Israel.
The magnificent documentary film _In Our Own Hands_ tells the saga
of the Jewish Brigade as a major part of the saga of a people that
emerged to new, invigorated life from flames that were intended to
exterminate it. We should see it to gain inspiration as to what human
beings are able to achieve through unstinting devotion to a good cause,
love of one's people and country, love of liberty, resourcefulness, and
courage.
For ordering the film on video ($40 plus shipping), please contact
Chuck Olin Associates, tel. 312-822-9552, email: info@olinfilms.com,
website: www.olinfilms.com/brigade; in Israel, tel. 03-6428279.
(_Jerusalem Post_ Magazine, 15 Jan 99, pp. 26-27)
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JERUSALEM: EXPLORING THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS
Just off the road leading north from the Old City toward Shechem is
the largest and most beautiful of all the burial caves in Jerusalem. Even
today, almost 2,000 years later, the chamber so skillfully carved out of
a Jerusalem hillside is quite impressive. But what we see today is
nothing compared to what visitors saw long ago, before the ravages of
time, man, and nature took its toll. The beauty of the place was such
that second century CE Greek historian Pauzanias wrote: "In the land of
the Hebrews, in the city of Jerusalem, there is the tomb of a woman of
these people, named Helene," a tomb second only to the Mausoleum in
Helikaransus, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Indeed, entering the compound from Salah-a-Din St. you enter another
world. From ground level, beautiful rock-hewn steps descend to an ancient
gate. On the other side of the gate is a giant courtyard (about 25 sq.
meters), all of which was cut out of bedrock to a depth of 8 meters! On
one side of the yard is a huge entranceway with stairs leading into the
depths of the earth. At the bottom of the stairs is an underground room
from which secondary rooms branch off. In these rooms are burial niches,
artistically carved from the rock. From these rooms you can descend into
other rooms which were carved out below the upper rooms. In the room
directly below the entranceway the sarcophagus (stone coffin) of the
"owner" of the complex was found.
The French researcher, De Soulcy, cleaned out the caves in 1863.
Among his finds was a beautiful sarcophagus decorated with pomegranates,
citrons (etrog), olive branches and grape clusters, carved in stone.
Etched into the sarcophagus were two lines of words: "Tzadan Malkata" and
"Tzada Malkata."
Based on the ornateness of the burial caves, De Soulcy thought that
he had discovered the tombs of the kings of Judea from the First Temple
period. He thought that the name Tzada Malkata (the queen) was the wife
of the last king of Judea, Tzedekiya. As a result, the Arabs began to
call the place the tombs of the kings or tombs of the sultans.
This romantic notion is still preserved on the sign at the entrance
to the caves, but it has been disproved by subsequent research. According
to the Hebrew Bible, the graves of the house of David are to be found in
the City of David, while these burial caves belonged to a different royal
family.
As noted, the historian Pauzanias had written of the tomb of Queen
Helene in Jerusalem. Yosef Ben Matitiyahu (Josephus Flavius) wrote at
length about the incredible story of the royal family of Khadayev (in
present-day Iraq), who converted and then settled in Jerusalem during the
first century CE. Their actions are praised several times in the Talmud,
noting that Helene and her son Munbaz were known to have given gifts for
the Temple. According to Josephus, Queen Helene built this magnificent
grave complex with its three pyramids approximately 3 "risim" from
Jerusalem, and there she was buried together with her sons. Josephus'
description fits the burial caves we see today. It is also possible that
the name Tzada was the Hebrew name of Helene, or the name of another
woman from the family.
The entire complex was bought by a Jewish woman in the 19th century
and afterwards was given to the French government, which owns it to this
day. The site is open to visitors. Tours of this and other little-known
sites of Jewish Jerusalem may be arranged through Kedem Jerusalem, 02-
5321828.
(From _Makor Rishon_ Yoman, 1 Jan 1999, p. 2)
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SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN AT BAT AYIN
When the founders of the Bat Ayin Integrated Workshop see a speech-
delayed Down syndrome child guiding visitors through the animal shelter,
it is a dream come true.
Special needs students are integrated into regular classrooms at the
Bat Ayin Talmud Torah. In addition, each child receives individual
attention outside of the classroom. An animal shelter was built in order
to help boost these children's self-confidence. The children participated
in clearing the grounds, building fences, and painting. Now they maintain
the center by feeding, cleaning, and cuddling the animals. They also
serve as guides for visitors.
Along with the traditional forms of therapy, a Therapeutic Horseback
Riding Center was opened. Horseback riding has been shown to vastly
improve motor skills, coordination, balance, and stability in special
needs children. Learning to control large animals also greatly improves a
child's self-confidence.
Over 60 families live in the community of Bat Ayin in Judea,
established in 1989. The founders, all of them "ba'alei teshuva" (people
who have returned to Judaism), sought to create a life of profound
religious commitment and a home for Jews finding their path back to
Judaism. They combined this with agriculture and building construction.
The therapeutic center, with its goals of discovering and developing
hidden abilities of special needs children, is an extension of the
founders' dreams.
(_Yesha Report_, Dec 98-Jan 99, pp. 12-13)
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FROM OUR READERS
Dear Editors of Judea Magazine,
I just wanted to thank you for the fine publication you send free to
your e-mail subscribers. One true blessing for me is the "gap" you all
fill in the news services I receive. Your "magazine" provides wonderful
insights into the history and heart of the "sons of Zion" who are
striving to maintain the Jewish presence and sovereignty over Jerusalem
and Judea and Samaria. Your personal stories of modern Israeli heroes,
and your telling of the history of the State of Israel is very
enlightening and enjoyable.
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