Media Releases – August 2000
August 2000
August 1, 2000 Message to President Moshe Katzav
August 7, 2000 Walking Around the Walls of its Old City – Together We Will
Save Our Beloved Jerusalem!
August 10, 2000 “Mah Nishtanah – Why Is This Night Different from All
Other Nights?”
August 10, 2000 August 10, 2000 A Resurgence Of Jewish Pride
August 15, 2000 Moses, Where Art Thou?
August 21, 2000 Letter to Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert
August 24, 2000 A People Aroused
August 27, 2000 Nadia’s Response to Maariv Article
August 27, 2000 Rabbi Shimon Golan’s Response to Maariv Article
August 28, 2000 Why Barak’s Peace Efforts Are Doomed To Failure
August 29, 2000 Women of Valor
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Jerusalem, August 1, 2000
Message to President Moshe Katzav
The following is the text of a message that Women In Green faxed to
the newly elected President of Israel, Moshe Katzav:
“How good and pleasant are thy tents, O Israel”. Your
election to be Israel’s next President is magnificent news! We worked
along with many others to accomplish this wonderful result. It is not
often that the fruits of ones labors can be realized, but yours is an
excellent example of why it is worth striving for goals that will
benefit all of our People.
May the Lord bless you and your family with the ability to
unite our People. May the seven years of your service to them
bear the fruit of such unity which we all so desperately need, in order
to properly resolve our difficulties with our enemies.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, August 7, 2000
WALKING AROUND THE WALLS OF ITS OLD CITY
[Mayor Ehud Olmert will lead the Walk of thousands of your people
who are observing this old Jerusalem custom]
TOGETHER WE WILL SAVE OUR BELOVED JERUSALEM!
Tisha B’av evening — Wednesday, August 9, 2000 — A Tisha B’av
you will always remember!
At 7:30 pm — We will read Eicha near the American Consulate on
Agron Street. Bring Israeli flag, Megilat Eicham and a
flashlight or candle to help you follow the reading.
At 9:00 pm — Our Walk will begin. We will pass the New Gate,
Damascus Gate, the Flower Gate. At the Lion’s Gate we will hold
a short ceremony to honor the soldiers who entered the Old City
through this gate during the Six-Day War of 1967, and recaptured
it. We will end our Walk at the Dung Gate (near the Western
Wall). We have a police permit for the event. Come with your
whole family, friends, neighbors, and relatives. The Walk itself
will take less than 45 minutes.
Even if you have heard Eicha in your own synagogue, there will
still be plenty of time for you to participate in the Walk.
Nadia and Ruth
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Jerusalem, Tisha B’Av — August 10, 2000
“Mah Nishtanah – Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?”
(Speech by Nadia Matar, Chairperson of Women in Green, on the eve of
Tisha be-Av, during the march around the walls of the Old City of
Jerusalem)
Why is this night different from all other nights?
It is interesting that the eve of Tisha B’Av always falls on the
same day of the week as the Seder night, and accordingly, this night
as well, I wish to ask: “Why is this night different from all other
nights?” My intent is not to all the nights of the year, but rather,
why is this Tisha B’Av eve different from all the Tisha B’Av eves
of previous years?
Let us think about this together for a second – and so, my friends,
there is no doubt that in past years we mourned over the destruction
of the Temple, we wept because the Temple is still not rebuilt, we
fasted, we took care to observe all the laws of Tisha B’Av – but,
deep within ourselves, or at least, speaking for myself, deep within
myself – these matters always sounded remote. Because we were here,
in unified Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people.
Although the Temple has not yet been rebuilt, it was clear to all of
us that the State of Israel constituted the foundation for the Third
Temple – the beginning of the Redemption; the Exile ended – the
people of Israel returned to its land and established its state in
the inheritance of its fathers; there were even some who thought it
possible to forego some of the mourning practices on Tisha B’Av.
But this year, one’s heart is shocked and torn. This year, we cry,
not only for the past, but mainly for the present. In one of the
laments we read this evening: “Look and see our disgrace, for our
inheritance has become that of aliens, our home, that of foreigners,
woe, for what befell us!” This year is the first time since the
people of Israel has marked Tisha B’Av, already for thousands of
years, this year is the first time that we are commemorating Tisha
B’Av while at the same time the leaders of the Jewish people in
Israel are plotting, together with our enemies, another Exile and
another destruction for the Jews. There is no other way to describe
what the Israeli government is planning: the destruction of the
settlement enterprise in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, the deportation
of tens of thousands of Jews from their homes, the entry of hundreds
of thousands of enemies into the country, the partition of Jerusalem,
and the handing over of the Temple Mount, that is the holy of holies
to the Jewish people, to a foreign conqueror. As the prophet Isaiah
said: “Those who ravaged and ruined you shall go forth from you”
(49:17), or in the Haftorah this Shabbat: “Alas, she has become a
harlot, the faithful city … your rulers are rogues and cronies of
thieves, every one avid for presents and greedy for gifts” (Isaiah
1:21-23).
The whole and united Jerusalem is in our hands, but despite this, our
leaders are placing it on the operating table, and of their own free will
are planning to hand it over to the enemy, an Arab enemy who never
took an interest in Jerusalem, and whose books make no mention of the
city. Jerusalem, whose sanctity to the Jewish people began with the
Binding of Isaac at Mount Moriah 3500 years ago; Jerusalem, that
served as the capital of Israel since the reign of King David;
Jerusalem, that is linked to the innermost heart of every Jew, and
that accompanies him every day, whether in the prayers, three times
each day, in Grace after Meals, under the wedding canopy, by the
rivers of Babylon “there we sat, sat and wept, as we thought of
Zion,” and there we swore “If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right
hand wither”; the Jerusalem for which so many Jews have given their
lives … is now endangered by Jewish leaders.
We, the generation that after two thousand years of exile had the
merit of establishing our capital in the whole Jerusalem, will not
allow anyone to harm its wholeness and integrity!
It is very important to understand the people at work here. We are no
longer dealing with leaders who, nebech, are weak and therefore make
concessions, as happened with the ten spies who slandered the Land
on Tisha B’Av. These leaders did not possess sufficient trust in the
Holy One, blessed be He, and they simply were afraid of the enemy:
“and we looked like grasshoppers to ourselves, and so we must have
looked to them” (Numbers 13:33).
Today we have gone to another phase – today we are dealing with
Jewish leaders who IDENTIFY with the enemy and his demands, leaders
who have lost faith in the justness of our way, in the justness of the
way of Zionism and of the State of Israel as a Jewish state. As Amnon
Lord wrote in his book We Have Lost All That Was Dear, “The left is
engaged in an attempt to change the State of Israel itself, mainly to
bring about a de-Zionization and to strip it of its Jewish identity.
The negation of Judaism is the common denominator of the different
sources of the left in Israel.”
Until recently, the fateful struggle was with our Arab neighbors, who
did not cease their activity for the elimination of the State of
Israel, and who are still active toward this same goal. Any
intelligent person knows that the Arabs do not want peace with us,
and will eternally seek to destroy us. Our strength against them was
in our unity. The real struggle today, my friends, on Tisha B’Av
5760, is between the Zionist Jews and the anti-Jewish post-Zionists
who are in power and who willingly submit to the dictates of the Arab
enemy.
The Rabbis established three types of remembrance after the
destruction of the Temple: the remembrance of Eretz Israel, the
remembrance of Jerusalem, and the remembrance of the Temple. These
three pillars – Eretz Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple – are the
three mainstays of Judaism. And whoever desires to attack Judaism and
the Jewish existence in the Jewish state will first attack all three
of these places. Thus did the Romans. Thus do the architects of the
Oslo accords today. First, they relinquish Eretz Israel and bring the
enemy into it, in Judea, in Samaria, and in the Gaza District. They
divide Jerusalem and bring the enemy into it. And then they want to
fly the palestinian flag over the Temple Mount. These “concessions”
are not made “with great pain,” as they seek to convince us. To the
contrary: these are steps made necessary by the ideology of the left,
who does everything in order to be rid of the yoke of the Jewish
state, aspiring to establish here, in its stead, a state of all its
citizens.
The good news is that the majority of the people of Israel opposes
these steps. The majority of the Jewish people opposes this
anti-Jewish post-Zionist ideology. The people is not willing to
commit suicide. We will not follow those leaders. “Upon your walls,
O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen, by day or by night” (Isaiah 62:6) –
my friends, we are the watchmen. The majority of the people of Israel,
thank God, loves its land, loves its homeland, loves its heritage, and
we will guard Eretz Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple Mount against
enemies from without and enemies from within!
As Rabbi Hayyim of Volozhin explains: “Whoever mourns for Jerusalem
merits and sees it in its rejoicing” – not “will merit” and “will
see,” in the future tense, but “merits” and “sees,” in the present
tense? If, after thousands of years, Jerusalem has still not been
forgotten and we do not cease mourning for it, then, “merits and sees
it in its rejoicing” – this mourning itself is consolation and
rejoicing, and is proof that Jerusalem did not, Heaven forbid, die
for us, for it is not forgotten in our hearts!
This is fine that it has not been forgotten, but in order to prevent
another destruction and another exile for the people of Israel, that
Clinton, Barak, and Arafat are plotting for us at present in their
secret counsels, it is not sufficient to simply remember. We must
also do something. This evening, we are doing something. This evening
we are continuing an ancient Jerusalem practice – we will march
around the walls of the Old City, and thereby take an oath of
allegiance to Eretz Israel, to Jerusalem, and to the Temple Mount.
Just as a bride walks around the groom under the bridal canopy, we
walk around Zion and encompass it, and we will tell the entire world:
We will not allow you to destroy either Zion or Zionism and Judaism!
The march this evening is a march of allegiance by the people of
Israel to the Torah of Israel and to the Land of Israel.
Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, August 10, 2000
A Resurgence Of Jewish Pride
Yesterday, on Tisha B’av evening, there was a massive turnout for Women
In Green’s Annual Walk Around the Old City Walls. One Hundred Thousand
Jews joined in this ancient custom on Tisha B’av, which the Women In
Green have revived. The Walk was preceded by Evening Prayers and the
traditional reading of the Book of Lamentations (Eicha) at Independence
Park across the street from the American Consulate on Agron Street in
Jerusalem. From all parts of Israel, including Judea, Samaria and the
Gaza Strip, they descended upon Jerusalem, joining their fellow
Jerusalemites and many tourists for the occasion. It was an inspiring
show of unity and fellowship clearly showing how much Jerusalem still
means to the Jewish People, and how Jerusalem’s unbroken historical
Jewish chain continues to unify and bind all Jews together.
This Tisha B’av, Nadia Matar pointed out to the throngs present, is
different from the Tisha B’av of previous years. Heretofore, we mourned
and fasted over the previous destructions of Jerusalem and our First and
Second Temples, and the fact that our Holy Temple still has not been
rebuilt. This year we cry not only for the past, but for the present as
well. The horrendous concessions that our present leader made at Camp
David to Arafat, in effect is a destruction of the settlement enterprise
in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the deportation of tens of thousands of Jews
from their homes, the entry of hundreds of thousands of enemies into
Israel, the partition of Jerusalem, the sharing of it with the murderer
Arafat, handing over the Temple Mount to foreigners, and allowing the
Palestinian flag to fly on the Temple Mount, and making Hebron, the
ancient capital of Israel, JUDENREIN. As the prophet Isaiah
prophesized: “Those who ravage and ruin you, shall go forth from you.
(Isaiah: 49:17)
Today we are dealing with Jewish leaders who identify and sympathize
with our enemies’ demands. Such leaders have no love of, or pride in,
their Jewish heritage, and are therefore willing to make extraordinary
concessions which virtually insure the destruction of a Jewish State.
These leaders do not represent the feelings and convictions of the large
majority of the People of Israel. Unfortunately these present leaders
are aided and abetted by those who tightly control the media in Israel.
That is why the massive turnout of Jews on this past Tisha B’av evening,
has immense significance and meaning. Through their Walk via eastern
Jerusalem, they showed the present leaders of Israel, and the world at large,
how much an undivided Jerusalem and the Temple Mount still mean to the
Jewish People. Mayor Olmert stressed this fact in his impassioned talk
to the masses who gathered during the Walk at the Lion’s Gate. It was
there that a brief ceremony was held, commemorating the recapture of the
Temple Mount and the Old City during the miraculous Six-Day War of 1967.
In an impressive candle lighting and Shofar blowing ceremony that
followed, each one present held a lit candle while pledging their
eternal allegiance to Jerusalem. Each stated aloud in one big chorus,
the famous Psalm in its entirety: “If I Forget Thee O’ Jerusalem, let
my right hand forget its cunning….” None of this was reported in the
newspapers the following day; not the impressive 100,000 turnout,
nothing of Mayor Olmert’s important message; not the wise words of
Nadia; nor those of President of Emunah Women, Rachel Sylvetsky: not the
cogent words of former Russian Refusnik, Rabbi Joseph Mendelevich; nor
the vivid description of former MK Moshe Peled, recalling his active
role in 1967 as a paratrooper in the recapture of Jerusalem; and not
that of Moshe Feiglin telling us that the Temple Mount was no longer in
our hands as it had been after the 1967 war. The respective messages of
these important Jewish leaders, and the “Event” itself, was not
considered “fit to print” by the newspapers.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, August 15, 2000
Moses, Where Art Thou?
There seems to be no end to the disclosures of what Barak was willing to
do at Camp David in his desperate attempt to reach some kind of final
accord with Arafat. Of course, the proper thing to have done upon
Barak’s return to Israel was to candidly give to the Jewish public he
claims he represents, a full report of what went on there. He did not
do so for the simple reason that he has no close relationship whatsoever
with the flock who elected him, and is not capable of sharing or
explaining what went on at Camp David. All his actions consistently are
patterned in a way which demonstrate that he has little regard for the
feelings or judgment of his constituents and utter contempt for their
wishes or aspirations. He acts at all times as if he knows best what is
good for them, a trait that is quite common in dictators.
His responses to inquiries from a non-probing media, are for the most
part stereotyped, and consist of generalizations. One gets the distinct
feeling that his responses are supplied to him by the Carville public
relations team that made his election victory possible. It would simply
be out of character for Barak to reveal what went on at Camp David. We
are therefore left with gleaning crumbs from here or there as to what
actually occurred at this “Summit.” One of the more recent tidbits was
supplied to us by Arafat’s side. They recently revealed that Barak had
agreed with them to evacuate the Jewish Community in Hebron. What is
even more disturbing about this grotesque revelation is the fact that
Barak never denied this disclosure.
Instead, we are being fed articles by HaAretz, which usually precede
what the Barak government intends to do, which defame the heroic Jewish
Community of Hebron. In typical Sturmer style, we are told that Hebron’s
Jewish girls deliberately provoke the Arabs to molest them so that
Jewish vigilantes can then take revenge. The perversions of that
newspaper lay the groundwork to support the ridding of these “Jewish
troublemakers” from Hebron. Then we will have “peace!” We are being
prepared with the kind of propaganda which places the guilt for all
occurrences on the Jews, and completely ignores Arab provocation’s. The
precedent of a prior major Arab Pogrom in the area in 1929, and
continued Arab provocation’s led up to and caused the tragic Goldstein
incident several years ago. Now to justify Barak’s contemplated
uprooting and abandonment of the Jewish Community of Hebron, we are
being falsely told that it is this Jewish Community which instigates the
incidents that occur there.
The ethnic cleansing that is involved in the removal of Jews from
Hebron, the ancient capital of Israel, and the place where our historic
ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are buried, is mindboggling. No
other nation on this earth is privileged to have such a rich moral
heritage as do the Jews. To abandon crucial parts of our history and
heritage to the care and supervision of foreigners and strangers would
not be tolerated by any other People on this earth. A man like Barak,
who was prepared to allow a Palestinian flag to fly on the Temple Mount,
is barren of any Jewish pride, and lacks fundamental understanding of
Jewish treasures, and the values, hopes and aspirations of this special
People. Nor does he comprehend that the act of abandoning Hebron to the
Arabs, would destroy the morale and pride of the Jewish People and spell
disaster for our survival. Yet Ehud Barak is nevertheless prepared to
do just that! Ironically, there is no chance that Israel, by reason of
the abandonment of their ancient treasure Hebron, will receive “peace”
in return from the immoral murderer Arafat. Barak is not the kind of
strong moral and loyal Jewish leader our People require during these
crucial times in our history. He must be replaced by a knowledgeable
Jewish leader. Moses, where Art Thou?
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, August 21, 2000
The following is a letter written to Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert, thanking
him for his inspirational talk, and leading the Walk around the Old
City Walls on Tisha B’av evening, in which more than 100,000
participated.
August 20, 2000
Honorable Ehud Olmert
Mayor of Jerusalem
Dear Mayor Olmert:
Approximately 10 days have passed since our highly successful
Annual Walk Around the Old City Walls on Tisha B’av Evening, in
accordance with an old existing Jerusalem Custom on Tisha B’Av. This
year we had the honor and privilege of having you, as the Mayor of
Jerusalem, at the head of the Walk, which we believe contributed greatly
to the massive turnout. We are now in a good position to evaluate the
Walk and the meaning of such a large turnout. Most of all, we wish to
thank you for your participation, and the meaningful and moving address
you delivered to those assembled at the Lion’s Gate.
We continue to believe, although we have not been able to
convince you so far, that this annual Walk is a natural event which the
City of Jerusalem should formally fully participate in each year. It
has an immense potential of naturally drawing our Jewish People to
Jerusalem from throughout Israel and the Diaspora. The accompanying boon
for the Jerusalem hotels, merchants and restaurants, both before and
after the fast, is self-evident.
Moreover, in walking past the historic Gates to the entrance
to the Old City, many are afforded the opportunity on this occasion of
visiting in parts of eastern Jerusalem, which they normally do not do.
This alone is a basis for encouraging the joining in such a Walk.
However, in addition, it affords the opportunity to demonstrate over
world television that Jerusalem is peacefully united, and under
exclusive Jewish rule. The Event also reveals that masses of the Jewish
People from throughout Israel and the Diaspora are still bound up with
the historic tragedies that befell Jerusalem thousands of years ago.
More than anything else this Walk can be used as a unifying
force in bringing our People together. By participating in this old
Jerusalem custom of walking around the Walls of the Old City, we become
united by sharing in the common tragedies of our People. The massive
turnout also proved that when it comes to Jerusalem, people will come
out to show their loyalty and commitment to it remaining exclusively the
Jewish capital of Israel.
You have shown astute judgement in encouraging the participation in
this Walk. Women In Green thank you for your help and assistance. This
Event has brought both honor to you and to Jerusalem. May it be the
forerunner of even greater turnouts, in future years, for such Walks.
Cordially,
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, August 24, 2000
A People Aroused
Ehud Barak continues to negotiate with Arafat and is prepared to make
further concessions concerning Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the Gaza
Strip, all without any Mandate from the Jewish People.
That will be the subject of this week’s Women In Green demonstration
during the scheduled weekly Cabinet Meeting between the hours of
8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sunday, August 27, 2000, at the
Rose Garden in Jerusalem, opposite the Prime Minister’s Office.
Barak is usurping his power of Prime Minister to force upon the Jewish
People the abandonment of parts of their capital to the immoral murderer
Arafat. Ehud Barak never would have been elected had he announced these
intentions prior to the last election. He has no majority today,
neither in the Knesset nor among the Jewish People. His acts of
desperation are increasingly arousing the Jewish People against him.
100,000 concerned individuals turned out recently for the Women In Green
Walk Around the Old City Walls on Tisha B’av. That is but one small
indication of the growing dissatisfaction with the policies of Ehud
Barak concerning Jerusalem and his version of final status talks.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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Jerusalem, August 27, 2000
Response to the Article by Sari Makover in the “Maariv” Newspaper
The following is the text of Thursday’s (August 24, 2000) program by
Nadia Matar, the chairperson of Women for Israel’s Tomorrow (Women in
Green), on Arutz 7.
Good morning to all our listeners!
This is Nadia Matar speaking –
This week as well we will have a short program, and, God willing,
next Thursday, on the eve of the opening of the school year, we will
return to the regular hour-long program.
This week I had intended to speak about a certain topic, until by
chance I happened to receive a copy of the “Sof Shavua” supplement of
“Maariv,” that will be in the stores tomorrow, on Friday, but that is
already received by subscribers on Wednesday or on Thursday.
“Sof Shavua” of “Maariv” contains an article on the self-defense courses
for women that we are organizing for the women of Judea, Samaria, and
Gaza, and I want to take advantage of today’s program on Arutz 7 in
order to respond.
As you may recall, a few months ago we held a conference of the women
of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza in Netzerim. We came forth from there
with a strong and clear Proclamation that since then has already
been signed by tens of thousands of Jews. We wrote in the
Proclamation that we would not allow any government to uproot us or
to give us over…. Eretz Israel belongs to the people of Israel….
Inter alia, we also added that “We call upon women to practice
self-defense and the use of arms, and to purchase weapons, that are
approved by the law. This is the hour of pikuah nefesh – the saving of
life. The new reality mandates that we be an integral part of the
defense system of the settlements against the Arab enemy.”
Since then, dozens of self-defense courses for women have been held
in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. The sole goal of these courses is to
impart to women basic knowledge to enable us, on the one hand, to
continue our regular lives as much as possible, and, on the other, to
be more alert to the dangers and more confident in ourselves during
times of distress. I will not repeat in detail what we learn in these
courses, because I have already done so in another program. In short,
however, for anyone who did not hear, these are courses of contact
fighting, basic knowledge of how to respond in an automobile if we
are attacked on the roads, and a basic course in the use of firearms.
Since we began these courses, the matter has leaked to the media. I
received at least 50 requests from the international and Israeli
media to be interviewed on the subject. A journalist from Yedioth
Ahronoth even requested to accompany me for three days from morning
to night in order to write an article on our activities. I totally
rejected all of these requests,
(a) because they all insisted on coming to photograph us during the
courses – which is something that I will never allow. It doesn’t take
much imagination to guess what they would do with pictures of the
weapons practice by women of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza;
and (b) as a matter of principle, I told them that I do not know
them, and I suspect that their articles – as can be expected – will
be extremely tendentious and negative.
And then Sari Makover, a journalist from Maariv, came to me.
She, too, asked to interview me on the topic of self-defense
courses. In contrast with the other journalists, Sari Makover did
not insist upon photographing the course, and said that she
understood our fears regarding this. I discovered that she is a
religious woman. In addition, I recalled an extremely positive
article that she had written about the Council of Jewish Settlements
in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (Moetset Yesha) and that I had been
surprised at the time to see such a favorable article in Maariv. I
was undecided for quite some time whether to agree to her request to
be interviewed, until I decided to go for it. Here, we bemoan that
we have no opportunity to express our views in the hostile state
media, and it was very important for me to receive a forum to
explain in a serious manner the situation in our region and our
positions. In light of the few positive things that I had heard
about Makover I decided to try and give her a chance.
What can I tell you, my listeners – the disappointment was great. The
article is superficial, not professional, full of inaccuracies, lies,
and quotations that I presumably said, that I never said. The article
also includes the words of Daniella Weiss, the head of the Kedumim
council, one of the heroines of Israel whom I admire – I did not have
a chance to speak with her, but I am certain that Sari Makover, just
as she distorted and falsified what I said, also distorted Daniella’s
words. The same is the case regarding the other women quoted in the
article, Anita Finkelstein, a Women in Green activist, and Urit
Struck, the spokesperson of the Jewish community in Hebron, with whom
I also did not speak yet.
The entire orientation of the article is to show that we are a group
of bizarre women who are happy to use weapons and wait for the moment
that we can shoot Arabs in the head. Makover does not relate with any
seriousness to the tangible threats to our lives, and all that
interests her is the “action” behind the course. In addition to the
negative tendentiousness, when I read what she wrote I see that
despite my sitting next to her and her supposedly writing every word
on her computer, she simply did not listen, but published
inaccuracies and falsehoods.
I would like to cite several examples: an extremely minor example:
she notes that we founded the Forty Mothers movement, when I clearly
told her that this was 40,000 Mothers. Another example: she asked me
when did I begin with this idea of self-defense courses for women. I
replied that this happened when I heard that Rebbetzin Raanan from
Hebron told someone that when the murderer entered their mobile home
and murdered her husband, even if she had had a pistol, she would not
have known how to use it. I learned from this story the importance of
women learning to use firearms. It was crystal clear from what I said
that Rebbetzin Raanan did not have a pistol, and she was speaking of
a hypothetical situation. But Makover preferred to change what I had
said, and the reality, and wrote: “When Rebbetzin Raanan’s husband
was murdered in Hebron, it was said that she had a pistol in the
drawer, but she did not know how to use it, in order to drive away
the murderers.”
Another example: Makover asked me: How many women in Judea, Samaria,
and Gaza have a personal weapon? I remember well that I answered her
that most of the women in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza do NOT own a
personal weapon, and that, in addition, I indicated the
discrimination that exists between women and men in Judea, Samaria,
and Gaza, in that women in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are forbidden to
receive long-barreled weapons. I noted that I hope that the article
would convince more women to at least purchase a personal weapon …
but Makover, being consistent, asked in the article: “How many women
in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza possess a personal weapon?” and she
decided to answer in my name that “most of the women and also a large
portion of girls above the age of 20 have a personal, licensed
pistol.” This is an example of a sentence that, not only did I not
say it, I said the exact opposite.
In another question I spoke of the wickedness of the Israeli
governments who equipped the PLO Authority with weapons and
ammunition, knowing that they will be directed against us – but Ms.
Makover resolved to protect the Israeli governments, and every place
where I said “Israeli governments,” she wrote – in my name, of course
– “the IDF”: “the IDF gave the weapons to the Arabs….”
I could go on with additional examples of sentences quoted in my name
that I do not recognize at all – I will save you the heartache, and
will only quote the last section of Makover’s article. If until now –
after 4 pages – the reader has not yet been convinced that we are
crazy, Makover ensures that at the end of the article the reader will
be convinced otherwise. During the entire course of the interview,
Makover was insistent that I relate to her a short anecdote about
something amusing that happened during these self-defense courses. I
told her that I simply did not have any funny story, because the
entire matter was extremely serious. She persisted and persisted …
until I remembered and told her that sometimes when the women who
took the course meet in the grocery store, they recall the course and
practice one with the other, and they remember some of the moves they
learned in contact fighting.
Makover apparently was disappointed that I did not provide her with a
sufficiently funny and juicy anecdote, so she concluded the article
with a completely fictitious, wicked, and disgusting story, that only
a sick and wild imagination could fabricate. This is what she writes
– in my name, of course:
“The subject of self-defense caught on to such an extent that women
speak about it everywhere. Even when I meet my women friends in the
grocery store we stage attacks of one against the other with the
cheese and the bread [emphasis added]. We turn the items in the
grocery store into rifles and machine guns. We raise them with our
hands, fire, shout, are wounded, bleed, and fall to the ground. And
then Makover asks: “And the people who are standing around?” and she
answers in my name: “They think that we are insane.”
I already hear the listeners who tell me: “You deserve it,” “You
shouldn’t have talked with her” … and this is probably correct. I
learned a lesson, and despite Ms. Makover’s being religious, and
despite her having written a positive article on the Council of
Jewish Settlements in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, this does not mean
that she would publish an article about us that is at the very least
objective.
I will undoubtedly write a sharp response to “Maariv,” but in the
meantime, if something negative has already happened, then I always
attempt to find the positive aspect even in the negative. And perhaps
the publication of such an article that describes us in this manner
was even good. You know, the Arabs call the settlement of Bat Ayin in
Gush Etzion by the name “Jabl Majnun” – the hill of the mad. Why?
Because proud Jews live there who are not afraid, who do not enclose
themselves within fences, but, to the contrary – they walk about
freely in the hills and the fields. The truth be told, the Arabs
don’t enter the settlement there. So then, in our times, when to be
“normal” in Israel in the eyes of the media is to belong to the group
of Israelis who want to leave Israel, to flee and to establish the
“New Israel” in Australia – it is a great honor to belong to a group
that in the eyes of the Israeli media is majnun (crazy) !!
We plead guilty – we are crazy about this land, our land; we are
crazy about this people, the people of Israel; and we are crazy about
our heritage, the Torah of Israel – and we will not allow anyone to
harm these pillars.
In these difficult times, in which the Israeli Prime Minister
represents only himself and Ahmed Tibi, is not only willing to give
over all of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, and Jerusalem to the enemy, but
also proclaims a secular revolution, that is, new decrees of
Antiochus, antireligious decrees that have the purpose of
delegitimatizing the State of Israel, we advise Ehud Barak to join
those several dozen of so-called “normal” Israeli academics to
Australia and become the Prime Minister of “New Israel” (maybe there
he’ll finally get a majority). We, the “crazy ones,” are remaining
here, and we will guard our land and our heritage with great
devotion!
*******************************************************
Friday, 24 Av 5760
August 25, 2000
To the Editor, Maariv
Re: Response to the Article by Sari Makover on Women’s Training in
Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, Maariv Sofshavua, Friday, 24 Av 5760, August
25, 2000
In the self-defense course we learned, among other things, to be
careful of the stratagems of the Arab enemy. We did not learn that
we also have to be wary of the stratagems of Jews, especially
journalists. Sari Makover taught me an instructive lesson. She
proved that Jewish women are capable of masquerading as “professional”
journalists of pleasant demeanor, pretending that they are truly
interested in your story – when their entire intent is to stab a
knife in the back of the community of women who live in Judea,
Samaria, and the Gaza District.
The article by Ms. Makover is a shallow and unprofessional article,
replete with inaccuracies, lies, falsifications, distortions, and
presumed quotations that are a figment of the writer’s imagination.
And all this, instead of describing in a serious vein the daily
threat to the lives of the inhabitants of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza by
the Arabs. The transparent intent of the article is to portray the
women who participate in a self-defense course as bizarre creatures
who are happy to use weapons and wait for the moment that they can
shoot Arabs in the head with live ammunition.
If, until the end of the article, the reader has not yet been
convinced that the women of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are crazy, then
Makover concludes the article with a completely fictitious, wicked,
and disgusting story, that only a sick and wild mind could fabricate:
as if the women of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza who participated in the
course “turn the items in the grocery store into rifles and machine
guns. We raise them with our hands, fire, shout, are wounded, bleed,
and fall to the ground..”
Ms. Makover’s shallow, cheap, and unprofessional article constitutes
additional proof that the media is hostile to broad strata within the
Jewish people. Just don’t live with the illusion that such an article
will harm us. To the contrary, the more extreme the article is in
its hostility, the more it exposes the intent of those behind it and
arouses the revulsion of intelligent readers.
Nadia Matar,
Co-Chairperson of Women in Green
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*******************************************************
Jerusalem, August 27, 2000
The following translated letter was sent (in Hebrew) to Nadia Matar
by Rabbi Shimon Golan of Efrat. The letter was sent after a nasty
article appeared in the “Maariv” newspaper describing the
self-defense courses for women in Judea, Samaria and Gaza in a
negative way.
Rabbi Golan relates in the first paragraph to that “Maariv” article.
The rest of the letter relates to the halachic point of view towards
the question of whether women could carry guns for self-defense.
———————————————————————
RELIGIOUS COUNCIL – EFRAT
BS”D
Sabbath eve,
the portion of Re’eh, 5760
(August 25, 2000)
Efrat Rabbinate
Rabbi Shimon Golan
To Nadia Matar
Efrat
Nadia, shalom!
I read today the article in the “Sof Shavua” supplement of the “Maariv”
newspaper regarding weapons training for women. It seems to me that
the reporter attempted at a certain point to sting, and possibly to
wink to the reading public of “New Israel,” but this is no reason to
become upset, Balaam also attempted to curse and in the end he
blessed….
Essentially, I would like to draw your attention to the responsum by
R. Moshe Feinstein, may the memory of the righteous be for a
blessing, that he wrote to his granddaughter’s husband, Rabbi
Shabbetai Rappaport, may he live long, and that was printed in his
book of responsa Iggerot Moshe, Orah Hayyim 4:75:
“As regards the fact that in the settlement of Gush Etzion and in
other such settlements that are in proximity to Arabs, where there
are many haters of Israel and murderers, may their name be blotted
out, it is necessary for every one of Israel who goes forth to bear a
weapon with him, [the question is:] whether to permit women, who are
forbidden by the prohibition of a man’s implement on a woman to bear
arms … in such a situation, to bear a small weapon, that is called
a pistol?”
In his response he writes:
“The simple law is that in places that are close to the murderous
Arabs who, as a matter of course, do not fear the government, women
are permitted to bear weapons, not only to save themselves from
actual killing, but also to save themselves from plain beatings. In
such small battles, women are in a situation of compulsion.
Consequently, it is not relevant to draw a distinction between men
and women as to what they must do to be saved. They are to take the
most effective measures; in everything regarding weapons, both men
and women are to be considered equal, even if in actuality the women
have no experience in this, because of their weakness and their fear
they are not capable of saving themselves, this is what should be the
case [that women bear arms]. It is not relevant to draw a distinction
in this matter. Additionally, it is evident that this is a question
of pikuah nefesh [the saving of life]. Nor it is relevant to order
women not to travel where they want, and even if she were to travel
with a man, both are to bear arms, because this is more effective,
and is it also possible that both will fall [i.e., two are better
than one]. It is only to go forth to [actual] war that this is not
for women, who are forbidden [to bear arms], and also in locations
where there is a presumption of peace, they are forbidden [to bear
arms]…. In any event, they [women] must learn how to use a pistol,
which is more essential for them, and to carry it in a place that is
accessible.
R. Moshe Feinstein was already preceded by the author of
Sefer ha-Hinukh, who wrote on Commandment 425, “To place a ban on the
Seven [Canaanite] Peoples,” that, as is well-known, is a condition
for the conquest of Eretz Israel. He emphasizes: “This commandment
applies to men and women,” even though women generally do not engage
in warfare, because the conquest of Eretz Israel is different.
Combat and killing are certainly not desirable, and the Torah of
Israel is in principle opposed to this, as in the words of the
prophets Isaiah and Micah: “And they shall beat their swords into
plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not take
up sword against nation; they shall never again know war” (Isaiah
2:4; Micah 4:3). This, however, shall happen, God willing, when the
first part of this prophecy also will be fulfilled: “In the day to
come, the Mount of the Lord’s House shall stand firm above the
mountains and tower above the hills; and all the nations shall gaze
at it with joy. And the many peoples shall go and shall say: ‘Come,
let us go up to the Mount of the Lord, to the House of the God of
Jacob; that He may instruct us in His ways, and that we may walk in
His paths.’ For Torah shall come forth from Zion, the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:2-3; Micah 4:1-2).
When all the non-Jewish peoples will know and acknowledge that “the
Mount of the Lord’s House” is “the House of the God of Jacob,” we
will be able to set aside our sword and turn it into a plowshare and
a pruning hook. When, however, the Mount of the Lord’s House is the
mount of the Wakf – it is extremely difficult to fulfill this
prophecy.
May it be His will that we attain in our generation, by the merit of
righteous women, the complete Redemption!
Shabbat shalom,
Rabbi Shimon Golan
*******************************************************
Jerusalem, August 28, 2000
Why Barak’s Peace Efforts Are Doomed To Failure
And Simultaneously Endanger The People Of Israel!
The news that Ehud Barak met Jordan’s King Abdullah in Tel Aviv, while
President Moshe Katzav refused to meet the King except in Jerusalem,
says it all. Another Barak meaningless concession which does little to
promote peace. Sadly, one must conclude that If Ehud Barak has any
convictions, moral or otherwise, they are negotiable.
The fact of the matter is that he is as uncertain about there being a
God of Israel, as he is that the Jews have a right to a Jewish State.
Since he does not cherish his Jewish Heritage, and has little belief in
the eternal values of Judaism, he will abandon anything and everything
of what is traditionally important to Jews, in his quest for a
“practical” solution to problems.
His military training did not prepare him for negotiations with the
Arabs, nor does he truly have any natural abilities in that regard. He
appears quite often as simplistic, and as a novice in any such peace
undertakings. All concede that he is no match for wily Arafat. The
wealth of his ancestor’s wisdom with regard to human relations are
thought by him to be of little use and value. Barak’s various rushed
attempts to resolve differences with the Syrians, Lebanon and Arafat
have repeatedly ended in failure, yet he still is at a loss to
understand why.
Faced with a King Abdullah who acts out of his own and Jordan’s
self-interest, Barak is self-effacing and in a humiliating manner, acts
without any Jewish pride. Jordan’s Abdullah makes adverse Arab claims to
Jerusalem, but Barak is silent, and thereby encourages such tactics. He
did not require King Abdullah to come to Jerusalem, as Abdullah’s
father King Hussein had done. Barak was his wishy-washy self once
again; as a result they met in Tel Aviv. We make concessions even to
this non-entity in the Arab World. The pattern of Camp David continues.
It is all a consistent exercise in futility, but Barak is not even
astute enough to understand that he has achieved no substance in the
totality of all his various peace efforts.
Barak’s singular claimed achievement in Lebanon is falling apart.
Neither the Lebanese Government, nor the UN, act to prevent the daily
provocation’s when the Syrian induced Hizbullah daily humiliate our
soldiers and threaten our northern borders. Barak’s instructions not to
take any retaliatory measures, is rationalized by him as not wanting to
upset a “peace process.” which is, in fact, non-existent. Barak’s
refusal to face the facts, is no less an overriding consideration for
him,as is his desire to remain in power at all costs.
We have learned that whenever the Arabs consider us weak, that is an
inducement for them to attack us. Barak’s actions have threatened our
security. His wide range of concessions are misinterpreted by the
Arabs. We are not thought of as being reasonable in order to reach a
peace agreement, but rather it is an indication that we are weak. It is
an encouragement to them to prepare for war! Barak’s Chamberlain
concessions are thus detrimental to the very peace effort he claims is
his prime objective. He not only misleads us all, but himself as well.
Ruth and Nadia Matar
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*******************************************************
Jerusalem, August 29, 2000
We thank Murray Kahl for forwarding us a translation of the “Maariv”
article, not including the nasty or false sentences.
“Maariv Sof Shavua” – Friday August 25th
The introduction by Sari Makover: “During the past three months,
many Yesha women underwent gun training and crash courses in
self-defense. The idea that women settlers can be trained for the
chance that violent clashes take place on the West Bank was first
broached by Nadia Matar from Efrata, the founder of Women in Green.
Her message was distributed throughout Yesha, largely welcomed by the
rightist leadership in the region, and soon became the new trend of
Yesha women.” “Weapons training for women materialized when
the road was paved for the peace talks, peaked with the Camp David
summit, and did not stop when the summit ended. The women undergo a
course in which they study theoretical facts on a variety of weapons,
including the Uzi submachine gun, the M-16, and handguns. They
practice in a shooting gallery and learn how to operate and maintain
firearms.” “Weapons training for women was designed to
provide an answer to the settlers’ greatest fear that, when the time
comes, the IDF would pull out of the territories and leave them alone
to their fate. We are not afraid of the uprooting of settlements,”
Matar said. “We are much more afraid of a devilish situation in which
the government would decide to pull the IDF out of Yesha. We want to
be ready for a situation in which our humanistic government stops
killing the fish, but only pulls the plug on them and let the water
out.” “We do not want to act Rambo-like, nor do we intend to
be a women’s army,” Matar clarified. “Our intention is to learn how
to defend ourselves in times of distress, when the husband is away
and the army does not show up. For example, parents and children
travel a lonely road in Samaria. A group of Arabs attacks them with
rocks, one hits the driver and he loses consciousness. What does the
wife do? She takes her husband’s Uzi and immediately fires in the
air. If she sees Arabs approaching to finish the family off, she
should aim her gun at their heads and eliminate them on the spot.”
“When Rabbi Ra’anan was murdered in Hebron, they said he had a
gun in the drawer, but his wife did not know how to use it to chase
the murderers away. Another woman who lives in Qiryat Arba, on the
other hand, chased away two Arab robbers. She simply took her
husband’s gun and waived it in their faces. They panicked and fled.”
The first group to practice firearms was formed in mid-May by
some 20 women from Efrata, Qedumim, and the Etzyon Bloc. The story
spread by word of mouth and accelerated, thanks to Matar’s radio show
on Arutz 7, during which she called on her enthusiastic female
listeners to go for their guns. So far, some 20 groups of 20
women each were trained in dealing with weapons and in self-defense.
That is a total of 400 warrior women in the Yesha territories. More
women are presently signing up for groups in Alon Shevut, Bet El, and
Teqo’a. “The women come to the shooting gallery and bring the
ammunition they and their husbands receive from the settlement
armory,” Matar explained. “Many women here have a license to carry a
gun and some even own one. They have a permit to buy 100 rounds a
year. For practice, they bought as much as they could and brought it
over.” Matar said that the classes that take place in her settlement
are held in an IDF shooting gallery in the Etzyon Bloc with the
army’s permission. The Yesha women’s shooting practice and
self-defense courses break down into four lessons. The first lesson
is devoted to self-defense. In it, the women learn to box, judo,
wrestle, and hand to hand combat. In the same class, they are also
taught rules of caution that help them stay alert and notice things
that might turn out to be hostile.” “If, for example, we see
an Arab in the settlement,” Matar explained, “then if he works in the
garden, he is alright; but if he is just walking down the street, he
is a suspect immediately. If he looks nervous, we should take our
weapon, walk up to him and ask what he is looking for. If he acts
strange, we need to call the security officer right away.”
The modest Yesha women are also taught about the more sensitive spots
in the body of an average Arab. “In other words,” Matar said,
blushing, “how can a woman, who is normally weaker than a man, make
him run? She can hit him in, eh, a sensitive spot. She can punch him
in the nose or…in the balls. The ears are also a great place to
punch.” “If you are facing an Arab and he has a knife in his
hand, what you need to do is slap him across the face with both
hands. This way, you actually slap him on the ears. Believe me, a
punch like that can knock him off his feet. He will be shocked for a
few minutes, which is the perfect time for you to make a run for it.”
The women also learn how to pull wounded people out of a hit
car and how to identify a roadblock made of stones. “The trainer told
us about this woman from the settlement of Nahli’el,” Matar said,
“who drove her car until she came across a roadblock of rocks. She
got out of the car and started removing the rocks, when she realized
the Arabs really ambushed her and, once she was out of the car, they
started pelting her with rocks. The trainer told us that when you
come to a place like this, and you have no weapons, and the army is
not around, it is not shame to reverse the car immediately.”The other
two lessons deal with weapons. In the first of the two, the women
learn weapons from a theoretical angle.” “We learn how to
take down guns, clean them, hold them, and learn the differences
between the various types of weapons,” Matar elaborated. “Most women
brought their own guns. Most women in Yesha have a license to carry
handguns, [this is an example of an untruth: I told Makover that most
women do NOT have a license. Nadia] but none of them may carry a
long gun, that is a rifle or a submachine gun, because the army does
not issue such permits to women. So we brought the husbands’ rifles
from home and the trainer brought some more from the armory and we
practiced with them too.” Matar added that “in the past, when
I drove through desolate areas, I used to be very scared. Now I am no
longer afraid. I used to lock my gun in the safe at home. Now I carry
my gun everywhere I go, and it gives me a sense of great confidence.
When we first started training, we felt very bad for even finding
ourselves in such a situation where we, Jewish women, must learn to
defend ourselves from hostile elements. Our hands were shaking, our
hearts were pounding hard, some women had to rest a few minutes
before they could hold a gun. But after the first 20 rounds were
fired, we knew that Yesha women can handle a gun real well.”
Nadia Matar also said: “We will let no one disturb our orderly life
in the settlements. If our neighbors should decide to make our lives
hell, come up to the settlement gate, throw rocks and throw boiling
oil at us, we will call in the IDF and watch it handle the rioters.
But, if the army fails to arrive on time or to react according to the
circumstances, we will react instead.” “However, We will use our guns
only in a life threatening situation.” When Nadia was asked:
“Would you turn your gun at our soldiers?,” she responded: “We are
against the Arab enemy and not, God forbid, a Jewish enemy. The army
is made of our husbands, brothers, and the children of Yesha. We
would never harm even a fingernail of an IDF soldier.” Today,
Jewish women in Hebron are sexually abused two to five times a day,
in broad daylight. Where are the soldiers? Where are the police? No
one would protect us. The police would not even spare a female
investigator, and the poor girls who complain must detail the sexual
incidents to an amused investigator.” Matar adds: “If anyone
attacks my daughter, Jew or Arab, and I yell for help and no one
hears me, I would take my gun and shoot him. It is only natural.”
“Shooting practice in the territories is our smashing answer to
the defeatist Four Mothers. The true four mothers — Sara, Rebecca,
Rachel and Leah — were settlers who lived in Judaea and Samaria. It
is a shame that they used their names to relay a message of cowardice
and surrender to our enemies. The message they delivered was that
because our soldiers are attacked in Lebanon, we must flee there.
This was a defeatist message that was perfectly received by the Arabs
in Yesha and worldwide.” “The greatest shame was the way the
army fled Lebanon, leaving their gear behind. I heard that some
soldiers ran away so fast, in such fear, that they even forgot their
prayershawls and tefillin. What about the computers they left
behind for Hizballah? What about the secret military information they
contained? And our tanks? Are you aware of the image this portrayed
to the Arab world? Israeli soldiers running with their pants down and
Arabs rejoicing over the loot. “But we, unlike the Four Mothers,
contrary to the IDF forecasts, will never run. We will train and
fight bitterly. Thank God, many are interested in the shooting
practice we offer. Women sign up all the time.”