Media Releases – January 1999
January 1999
January 4, 1999 Careful! Wet Paint!
January 6, 1999 Green Light for Terror!
January 6, 1999 Reply to “Closing the Ranks”
January 10, 1999 The Truman Show
January 12, 1999 Women in Green March for Hebron
January 19, 1999 Shimon Peres, Once Again
January 19, 1999 Jonathan Pollard
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Jerusalem, January 4, 1999
Careful! Wet Paint!
The following is the text of yesterday’s program by Nadia Matar, the
chairperson of Women for Israel’s Tomorrow (Women in Green), on Arutz
7. Nadia speaks every Sunday after the 12:00 noon newscast.
Shalom to all our listeners!
This is Nadia Matar speaking –
Two days ago, on Friday morning, I received a call from a resident of
the settlement in which I live, Efrat in Gush Etzion. She was very
irritated and angry. She explained to me that I had to urgently read
page 29 of Kol ha-Ir. Kol ha-Ir is a newspaper like Yerushalayim,
that is published every Friday on affairs concerning Jerusalem and
its environs. Naturally, these two newspapers express an extreme
leftist, antireligious viewpoint, and I generally refrain from
purchasing both so as not to spoil Shabbat, but because of this call
by a resident of Efrat, I ran in the middle of preparing the cholent
to buy Kol ha-Ir.
There, to my amazement, I read on page 29 the following, and I quote:
The Palestinian Authority is planning an agricultural farm on the
Dagan hill in Efrat. The Palestinian Authority placed signs announcing
the establishment of an agricultural farm on the spot 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 signs
state that the Palestinian Authority designates the area, which is
defined by the Oslo accords as Area C, in which the Authority has no
powers, for the establishment of an agricultural farm. Sources within
the Authority said that the works for the establishment of the farm,
which will be funded by the UN and Japan, will begin shortly.
My first response, of course, was to find out what the Israeli
establishment had done regarding this. After a minor clarification,
it transpired that both the Local Council in Efrat and the Civil
Authority know about the placing of the signs, but had still done
nothing about this. The normal response of the Council should have
been to immediately pull out and destroy the signs, but this was not
done.
As it was written in Kol ha-Ir (and I quote):
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 people in the field of the Administration had
spotted the signs after they were erected, and will act in the coming
days to remove them. (end of quote)
The Yerushalayim newspaper also reported about these signs – I
impatiently began to read the article, in the hope that they might
report there that the Council or the Administration had removed the
signs immediately, and had announced that they would act forcefully
if and when the Authority would actually begin to work there…. But
no, in the Yerushalayim newspaper they cite the response of Shiloh
Gal, the Head of the Gush Etzion Council, who filed a complain with
the Civil Administration on the subject (!), and says (I quote): “We
are astounded by the Authority’s taking control in Area C, compared
with the powerlessness of the Civil Authority to act against the
Authority, that acts in these areas in complete contravention to the
accords.” Gal added “that it apparently is the Palestinians who are
implementing the appeal by Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon, who called
upon the settlers to go up on the hills and settle them.”
In the wake of this shameful powerlessness by our establishment, that
did not make haste to deal with these signs – since erecting a sign
someplace is a symbolic announcement of ownership, and besides 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 who also
belongs to 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 in which we reported on our action, and also added,
humorously, that “the Efrat Action Committee thanks the Kol ha-Ir
newspaper for having published the violations by the PLO Authority,
and hopes to continue the fruitful cooperation with the newspaper.”
I am relating this entire story to you, dear listeners, first, to
give you an example of the powerlessness of the establishment, but
second, in order to tell you about something small, but very
significant, that happened to us when we went to paint the signs. We
came to the first sign, which is located alongside the main road
between Jerusalem and Gush Etzion, facing Neveh Daniel. When we
arrived, we saw that two Jews were already there. We got out of our
automobile, certain that these two men had beaten us to destroying
the signs. It transpired that this was not the case, and that they
were there to repair the eruv. And indeed, right behind the sign of
the PLO Authority is the pole on which the eruv is erected so that
the people of Gush Etzion may walk about in the area on Shabbat.
When the two Jews realized that we intended to paint the sign, and,
actually, to destroy it, one of them said to us: “Why are you doing
this, don’t do that…. If, because of the destruction of the sign
the Arabs will destroy our eruv, then you come next week to repair
it….” His words simply stunned me. “What do you mean?” I said to
him, “because you are afraid that they will destroy our eruv, we have
to give in and let them erect signs on lands belonging to us, and
maybe even let them build here?” The Jew did not answer and he went
on his way, but his words stayed in my mind the entire Shabbat.
Actually, what he said sums up in a single sentence the mentality of
many Jews here in Eretz Israel. In their heart of hearts, people
oppose the handing over of areas of Eretz Israel to the Arabs … but
in the end they accept the Oslo and Wye agreements, because … “if
we do not give in, then, woe! what will the Arabs do….”
If we think about this a bit, then we could possibly say that this
little story about the placing and painting over of signs in Gush
Etzion actually sums up the entire tragedy of the Oslo accords. And
about this, many have already said that “it is easy to take the Jew
out of the Exile, but it is much more difficult to take the Exile out
of the Jew.”
Have a good week, and let us not forget to continue our struggle for
the release of Jonathan Pollard and for the return of our MIA’s: Ron
Arad, Zechariah Baumel, Yehudah Katz, and Tzvi Feldman.
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Jerusalem, January 6, 1999
Green Light for Terror!
The recent shootings in Jewish Hebron are a mere forerunner of what
will happen tomorrow in Tel Aviv and elsewhere!
We will not be intimidated! Let us join together now and put an end
to these ugly and unacceptable Arab tactics.
We will demand better protection from our police and army. Moreover,
Israel can no longer accept Arab double talk and inaction. Arab
terrorists are permitted by Arafat to operate from within Palestine
Authority Areas, and no serious effort is made to root them out, or
even to condemn them.
Men, women and children will march together along the same route of
the latest attempt to murder Jewish women. We will walk from Kyriat
Arba to the nearby Beit Hadassa in Hebron (where the nursery is
located in which the women who were wounded work)
The date of the march is
MONDAY, JANUARY 11, 1999.
The march will start at 10:00 am from the Kyriat Arba gate (next to
the gas station).
We have chartered buses (roundtrip 20 NIS) leaving from the Laromme
Hotel in Jerusalem at 8:45 am. Pick up at Gush Etzyon intersection at
9:15 am. Return at approximately 1:30 pm.
PLEASE MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS EARLY FOR A SEAT ON THE BUS.
Women For Israel’s Tomorrow (Women in Green)
tel: 02-9932083
fax: 02-9932595
e-mail: nmatar@netvision.net.il
POB 7352 Jerusalem
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Jerusalem, January 6, 1999
Reply to “Closing the Ranks”
The following is my reply to a letter (see below) from one of our list members. I
felt that the subject discussed was important enough to pass on to all of you.
Nadia
————————–
Dear Friend,
First of all I want to apologize for not answering earlier.
Three days ago I finally finished my community service that I had to
do over a period of 2 and a half months. This community service was
the “punishment” I got from the court for being the organizer of the
Dagan hill take-over, a few summers ago. Life was so busy during
those months that I hardly had any time to answer letters , especially
not those who deserved a long and serious answer.
And now to your letter:
There is no doubt that I agree with most of what you say. We are now
in very confusing and complicated times, and indeed it was much
simpler and easier during the previous government. Everything was
black and white, they were the bad guys , we were the good guys…
Where we obviously disagree is what you call “the dumping activity”
against Bibi Netanyahu, or the “blaming”. Let me first tell you that I
would have done everything not to have to criticize him. As you very
well know, we worked day and night to bring him into power and hoped
not to ever have to demonstrate against him. But our organization is
an extra-parliamentary organization and our obligation is to stay
loyal to the ideology and the principles, and not to a certain person.
I see our job as being the conscience of any government and yes,
criticizing Bibi when he deceives us and betrays his promises, is one
of my obligations.
Saying that the “dumping activity” is what led to the split in the
national camp is incomprehensible to me…exactly the opposite is
true. When Bibi was strong and did not cave in to the pressures of the
world and of the Arabs, the national camp was united with him, but
when he decided to go to Wye and basically continue in the path of
Peres-Beilin, that is when HE split and destroyed the national camp-
and our criticizing him was our job and our obligation. Criticizing
him is not a “destructive practice” as you call it…on the contrary,
it is a CONSTRUCTIVE practice! Thanks to the immense criticism we voiced
after the Wye agreements, Bibi came back to his senses and stopped the
further implementation of Wye. Had he not gone to Wye, he would not
have lost his government. Had we not criticized him bitterly after
Wye, he would already have withdrawn from all the areas. You say
you are quite tired of everyone dumping on him. To tell you the truth,
I am quite tired of those people in our camp who refuse to criticize
him and always rationalize his mistakes by saying: “Well, everybody is
dumping on him….” or “Is it fair to put all the blame on Bibi?” or “He
had no choice…the pressures…” Why are so many people so forgiving
when it comes to Bibi? Only because we have no real alternative??? Had
our representatives in the Knesset made it clear to Bibi that we would
not be forgiving of his mistakes-betrayals, then who knows…he might
not have abandoned Hevron.
I agree with you when you say that Bibi’s greatest failure was that he
did not address the issues of the courts, the media, etc… But an even
bigger mistake of his was that he did not “makir tov”(appreciate) the
people who brought him to power and basically spat in their faces the
minute he got elected. He refused to meet with big activists who had
worked for him day and night, refused to receive phone calls from donors
who had helped him all the way to the premiership, basically turned
his back on his constituency, trying to please “the center” if not the
“center-left”. Had he been grateful to his constituency and had he
asked them to join him in his struggle against the courts, the media
etc.. he would have had an eager public willing to demonstrate for him,
with him. We did not “disappear” after the elections, we were there to
encourage him (we organized so many demonstrations where the message was
not one of criticism but one of encouragement with signs saying: “Bibi,
be strong” “Bibi, the people are with you, don’t cave in…”- do you think
he EVER came to show his gratefulness, his support…did he ever send his
right hand man with a message of “thank you, I appreciate your demonstrations
of support”- NOTHING. So please don’t tell me that “perhaps it is even our fault
that Bibi failed- cause we took a break.” The Women in Green certainly
did not take a break.
I agree with you though that putting the blame on Bibi will not solve
all the problems, of course not. But when we criticize him we
basically define not only what we do NOT want but what we DO want in a
real leader. I believe that our WIG activities always had a
POSITIVE attitude, working for a better Israel and for a better
leadership (it is known that criticism is supposed to improve
character) and I certainly do not agree with you when you say that
the enthusiasm, the vision and the force have disappeared. I
believe that the enthusiasm, the vision and the force have
disappeared from a great deal of our leaders, starting with Netanyahu,
continuing with Sharon, Livnat and others. But not by the grassroots
people. There are tens if not hundreds of thousands of people who are
there with their enthusiasm, their vision and their force, yearning
for a leader…the problem is that there are no leaders willing or
able to guide and lead them.
Therefore what is crucial now is to rebuild the national camp so that
all those hundreds of thousands would feel that somebody represents
them in the Knesset. We have to have a new list or party or federation
-whatever you want to call it- that will unite all those who are still
loyal to the national ideology. And if we do it well, we can have at
least 15 seats in the Knesset, if not 20-25. With such a force we can
even vote for Netanyahu again, for lack of any other alternative, and
yes, as you say that will be sufficient to make a new person out of
him.
So basically, if all those who have been “blaming and dumping on
Netanyahu” unite, we can still change the situation and turn Netanyahu
into the person he promised to be in ’96. This would be all for the
best and the people to be thanked would be those who you accuse
of “dumping on him” and of playing the “blame game”.
Sincerely,
Nadia Matar
—————Original Message—————
Re: Closing the Ranks (see January 22, 1998)
Dear Nadia,
Let me first state that I am a firm supporter of your causes. I admired your
activism when you and Zo Artzeinu appeared in the public eye, and it filled
me with hope. So, please be assured that we have no differences on the
ideological front.
Also, I am not a supporter of Bibi by any means. I disagree very strongly
with his policies, actions and positions that he has taken on many
occasions. But frankly, I am quite tired of everyone dumping on him. This
dumping activity contributes greatly to what you in your own speech below
blame him for – the split of the national camp. What is even worse, it
trivializes the problem that we are all facing. And while some in the left
camp might be interested in such trivializations and blaming, I am really
surprised why so many people in the national camp, whom I respect very much,
are also engaging in this destructive practice.
What used to fill me with hope in the past about the ZA and WiG activities
was the positive attitude, stemming from the grass roots. It was not just
the naive “we shall be saved” and idle talking and blaming, but actual
doing everything in one’s power. The democratic and religious/national
principles, were lived by, they shone and drove the activities without any
apparent internal contradictions. It seems that this enthusiasm, vision and
force has weakened. In great part this is because the crises has deepened
and the situation became much more complex – few years ago we all knew what
must be done.
Today’s crisis is a lot deeper than the problems with Bibi’s actions.
Perhaps, he has contributed to the crisis. But we can’t ignore or – even
worse – trivialize the problems Bibi is facing. In some sense, this is
perhaps our payment for the simplicity (no matter how tragic) of the
situation a few years back, at the peak of ZA and WiG activism.
It seems to me that the main question should be what is our position, what
are the principles, and what are the ways we can take to achieve these. It
is indeed unclear to a lot of people what is the right course of actions,
given the situation at hand, both externally and internally.
Israel had for a long time lived under the pressures of today, quite real
and urgent pressures. As a result many of the “longer range” questions were
put aside, including many democratic principles, like press, police,
government style and principles. It is exactly these that come to haunt us
now – the police, courts, media, “Knesset-members’ kiseology”, etc. came all
to haunt us in the previous government, when police beat up perfectly
peaceful demonstrations, courts were used to harass people for political and
ideological reasons, media deligitimized the most reasonable of the views,
and the Knesset members sold out the mandates on which they were elected for
ministerial chairs. The greatest failure of Bibi, in my humble opinion, was
that he failed to build on his success in the elections and address these
problems, esp. the media and courts. But Begin had a similar failure before
that, perhaps even in an easier situation and with more time and less
pressures. And is it fair to put all blame on Bibi? Yes, he was elected, but
in some sense he remained in opposition even after his victory – the whole
Israeli establishment, all systems were still under the control of people
who would rather kiss Arafat than shake Bibi’s hand. I remember how, shortly
after the election, the media was seriously discussing the possibility of a
military putsch against Bibi. But even more important question is: will
putting the blame at Bibi’s feet solve anything? Let us FIRST formulate our
position, and only then we can argue whether Bibi or someone else is best
qualified to press this agenda. Than an alternative to Bibi may be selected
not because Bibi is so bad and is the root of our problems – he is not – but
because we there may be a better option. Perhaps, having such a position and
even more – having a leadership representing this position, will be
sufficient to make a new person out of Bibi – I still believe that the man
has the heart in the right place.
Perhaps, it is even our fault that Bibi failed – after all we simply
disappeared to a large extent after the last election, instead of
capitalizing on the momentum that was gathered by the election time. And
while we took a break, the left fought without any reservations nor
scruples. Perhaps, were we there to encourage Bibi to go forth, he would
have felt that his position is a lot stronger and would have acted
differently.
In the euphoria of the last election victory I made a prediction that,
similarly to Kennedy’s election, a short time later the number of people
claiming they voted for Bibi in that election will be much greater than the
actual statistics – because a lot of people will wake up from the
intimidation and the lies of the left. I was terribly wrong. Bibi and
ourselves failed to stop the intimidation and the lies… And I am not sure
that finding where to put the blame will help us any, be it at Bibi’s or our
own feet. The difficult questions remain. And they will keep coming back to
haunt us if we keep playing the blame game.
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January 10, 1999
The Truman Show
The following is the text of today’s program by Nadia Matar, the
chairperson of Women for Israel’s Tomorrow (Women in Green), on Arutz
7. Nadia speaks every Sunday after the 12:00 noon newscast.
Shalom to all our listeners!
This is Nadia Matar speaking –
Last week we saw an excellent movie that I warmly recommend. The
movie is called The Truman Show. The plot of the movie is actually
the biography of a young man named Truman. The beginning of the movie
appears to be strange, but as it progresses, we understand what it is
all about and we especially understand the depth of the thought
behind the idea of the movie.
Truman is a married man who lives, since he was a baby, on an
isolated island in the United States and conducts his everyday life
in a routine manner. He gets up in the morning, goes to work, comes
home to his wife, spends time with friends, visits his mother, etc.
But what Truman does not know is that he is actually starring in a
movie that is watched throughout the world. The movie is entitled The
Truman Show. In other words, some movie director found Truman when
he was a baby who had been abandoned by his parents, built for him an
entire island that functions like a real city, paid thousands of
actors to play as if they are residents of the city, paid other
people to function as if they were Truman’s family, paid a woman to
be his wife, positioned thousands of concealed cameras throughout the
city that film Truman since he was a baby, and the pictures are
broadcast to the entire world, 24 hours a day, without Truman’s
knowledge. The director’s idea is that this will be a movie in which
the star plays in the most natural manner, because he does not know
that he is being photographed. All the people around him, his mother,
his wife, his best friend, and so on, do know that they are actually
being filmed and that they are being watched throughout the world.
It’s true that this sounds crazy, but what the movie actually wants
to show is the power of the media: how the media is capable of taking
control of people’s lives as it dominates Truman’s life. The
director of the movie decides for Truman who to meet, who not to
meet, the director sends actors to influence Truman and whispers in
their ear how to talk to Truman, what to tell him, and so on…. At
the end of the movie I really felt that the movie brilliantly
reflects our condition here in Israel. Truman is the State of Israel
which is dominated by external forces – the United States and the
state and international media that photograph us 24 hours a day, and
dictate to us how to think and what to do. And so it happened that
they forced us to think that the process of murders and the
abandoning of the homeland is called the “peace process,” that the
archmurderer is a “partner for peace,” that an extreme leftist party
is a “center party,” that to be Israeli is to be secular-leftist,and
to be Jewish is to be an extremist, that black is white and that
white is black.
I greatly identified with one girl in the movie. This was a girl with
whom Truman fell in love, but the director especially did not like
her because she, in contrast to the other actors, sought to arouse
Truman and tell him the truth: that the entire world in which he
lives is a fictitious world and that he has become a tool of the
media that exploits him for its own purposes. When Truman finally
begins to listen to what she is saying and to ask questions, the
director sends people who kidnap this girl and throw her out of the
island, so that she will not be able to continue the relationship
with him, since his telephones, the mail, and all other means of
telecommunications are under the control of this director.
Just like this girl, we in the national camp have been trying
for 5 years, since the signing of the Oslo accords, to arouse the
public, and this task is not an easy one when the media is so
biased.
We, the public of the national camp, are so accustomed to the
one-sidedness of the media that it is already very difficult to
surprise us. Nonetheless, the hatred of the media reached a new high
this week. On Thursday I heard someone on the radio who was amazed
that the entire media was mobilized to find the child Ro’i from Ramat
Hasharon. This person said that he was so proud of the fact that here
in Israel attention is devoted to every Jewish child. Every child who
is an entire world, and when he is missing, everyone searches for
him, is worried about him, speaks only about him, and so on….
The sharp question that I want to ask is, is this really the
situation, or perhaps the entire media rallied around Ro’i only
because he was from Ramat Hasharon? How would they respond if this
had been a Jewish child from Judea, Samaria, or Gaza?
The same day that Ro’i was kidnapped, an event at least as important,
if not much more important, than this kidnapping took place: the
shooting attack against the women of Kiriat Arba on their way to work
in Hebron. Did you pay attention to the indifference of the media to
this event? And I want to ask: if the opposite had occurred, and a
Jewish child from some settlement was missing, and Arabs had fired on
an automobile from Tel Aviv and wounded Tel Aviv women, would the
media in that instance as well have reported almost exclusively about
the child, the little missing settler, with our finding the report of
the wounded women on pages 11 or 12 in Maariv and in Yedioth
newspaper, and at the end of the television newscast? We all know the
answer to the question.
We heard and saw about Ro’i from Ramat Hasharon day and night, even
after he was found safe and sound, thank God. Interviews with the
father, the mother, friends, etc. … and I am not complaining about
this. This is how it should be. What cries to Heaven is the
indifference regarding the shooting attack in Hebron, that happened
the same day and that should have received at least the same
attention that was afforded to the kidnapping of the child from
Ramat Hasharon. Did we hear anything about Fanny and Flori, the
kindergarten teachers who were injured in the shooting attack? Did
anyone from the state media take the trouble to follow up and examine
what their condition was? The discrimination between blood and blood
in the state media is intolerable.
In response to the severe shooting attack in Hebron and in response
to the media apathy to the incident, the Women in Green movement,
together with other organizations, are organizing a march from Kiriat
Arba to the infants’ nursery in Beit Hadassah in Hebron in which the
kindergarten teachers who were injured work. The march will take
place, with God’s help, tomorrow, Monday, January 11th. We will set
out from the gate of Kiriat Arba, next to the gas station, at 10:00
a.m.
This event is being held in the morning so that we will be able to
visit the nursery. I know that it is not always easy to leave the
everyday routine to participate in a demonstration, march, or any
other nonroutine event, but I am turning to you, my listeners, and I
call upon you to come and participate in this important march. We
must not be silent when our brethren in the front lines are being
shot at.
The march is intended to arouse the idea of our forefathers to walk
about Eretz Israel, through its length and breadth – in security. The
march is intended to arouse the issue of the government’s obligation
to protect all its citizens and to pursue to the bitter end all who
attack them, anywhere, and to fully prosecute them. The march is
intended to graphically express the solidarity of the Jewish people
with our courageous brethren dwelling in the Kiriat Arba/Hebron front
on our behalf, and on behalf of future generations. Details
concerning busses from Jerusalem can be received by calling
(02)993-2083.
At the end of the movie, Truman wakes up and shakes off his operators
who misused him. With God’s help, the people of Israel also will
succeed in shaking off all the malicious plans that are being hatched
against them.
Have a good week, and let us not forget to continue our struggle for
the release of Jonathan Pollard and for the return of our MIA’s: Ron
Arad, Zechariah Baumel, Yehudah Katz, and Tzvi Feldman.
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Jerusalem, January 12, 1999
News from Hebron
The Hebron Press Office
January 11, 1999
1. Women in Green March for Hebron
Over 100 people, led by Nadia Matar and the Women in Green marched from
Kiryat Arba to Beit Hadassah in Hebron. Nadia Matar said at the outset of
the march, “We are here to give strength to the residents of Hebron and
Kiryat Arba, and to show them that they are not alone.” They walked through
the streets holding a long ribbon joining all together.
—————————————————
See pictures of March: http://www.hebron.org.il/pictures.htm
—————————————————
When they reached Beit Hadassah the group was joined by Mrs. Flori Hofi,
who was shot in both legs during last week’s terrorist attack. She received
a gift from Nadia Matar and the Women in Green. The group heard speeches
from several people, including Hebron spokesman David Wilder and Kiryat
Arba attorney Eliyakim HaEtzni. Later they visited children at the Hebron
nursery school and then walked back to Ma’arat HaMachpela before traveling
back to Jerusalem.
2. Hebron curfew lifted
At 4:00 this morning the week-long curfew was lifted in Hebron. The curfew
had been in effect since the terrorist attack last week. Hebron’s Jewish
Community demanded that the terrorists responsible for the attack be
apprehended and jailed in Israeli before lifting the curfew.
Surf the Hebron Web Site: All you want to know about Hebron
http://www.hebron.org.il
Visit Hebron
Call Moria at: 972-2-9962323
For details: http://www.hebron.org.il/visit.htm
Make your opinion known:
The Hebron Forums HomePage
Vote for Prime Minister and a Political Party
Did you ever visit Hebron: If so, add a comment: I Visited Hebron
http://www.hebron.org.il/forum.htm
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Jerusalem, January 19, 1999
Shimon Peres, Once Again
The following is the text of Sunday’s program by Nadia Matar, the
chairperson of Women for Israel’s Tomorrow (Women in Green), on Arutz
7. Nadia speaks every Sunday after the 12:00 noon newscast.
Shalom to all our listeners!
This is Nadia Matar speaking –
You remember what kind of response greeted the sentence that the
Prime Minister whispered in the ears of Rabbi Kaduri when he said:
“They have forgotten what it is to be a Jew” – and when he said
“they,” the Prime Minister referred to the leftists. For days on end
we heard objections and denunciations of this sentence, which,
unfortunately, reflects a painful truth.
In contrast, it is very interesting that we have heard nothing about
the truly serious statement by the darling of the media, Mr. Shimon
Peres, when he spoke in Ramallah in favor of the establishment of a
Palestinian state. Only this Shabbat in Hatzofeh did I find this, and
for those who still have not read or heard, the following is Shimon
Peres’s speech in Ramallah, in which he praises his host, Yasser
Arafat (I quote):
“He [Yasser Arafat] has headed the Palestinian struggle for 35-40
years. He did not remove the Palestinian issue and the distress of the
Palestinian people from the world agenda. Some criticize the way in
which he did this, but no one disagrees with the goal for which he
fought.”
His statement is so shocking that I feel obligated to repeat it once
again, so that we will again hear what Shimon Peres said about
Arafat:
“He has headed the Palestinian struggle for 35-40 years. He did not
remove the Palestinian issue and the distress of the Palestinian
people from the world agenda. Some criticize the way in which he did
this, but no one disagrees with the goal for which he fought.”
And as this is interpreted by the editor of the Hatzofeh newspaper,
Mr. Gonen Ginat:
“There are some who level criticism” Oh? No, not Shimon Peres, of
course. He has no criticism of Nahariyah, not of Maalot, nor of the
hijacking of airplanes or of the Achille Lauro. “There are some who
level criticism”? These are certainly those who do not want peace, the
sweaty primitives from the right.” (end of quote by Gonen Ginat)
Peres also said that “no one disagrees with the goal for which
Arafat fought.” Just what is the meaning of this pronouncement? We
all know that Arafat’s goal is the elimination of the State of
Israel…. You don’t have any problem with this, Mr. Shimon Peres?
As Dr. Plaut says in his daily Internet commentary: “Suppose-just
suppose- that Eva Braun’s boyfriend had not killed himself in his
Berlin bunker in 1945. Suppose he had been jailed for all these years
and was still alive. Then without a doubt Shimon Peres, the man who
will go down in history books as responsible for the destruction of
Israel, would have congratulated him for decades-long efforts to find
a solution to the Jewish problem. (end of quote by Plaut).
Peres’s statement is so serious that, in consequence, the authorities
must adopt one of the two following solutions regarding him: either
he is to be declared senile and insane, and he is to be committed to
an insane asylum; or he is to be placed on trial on the charge of
collaboration with a murderer and encouraging acts of murder, with
him being thrown into prison for the rest of his life – one of the
two. One thing is clear: this person cannot continue to fill any
government post. If there is anyone who is dangerous to the State of
Israel, it is Shimon Peres – not only that he “has forgotten what it
is to be a Jew,” he is also acting energetically against the state of
the Jews and collaborates with Israel’s enemies.
It was the leadership of the left that should have fled from him as
from the plague, but, as usual, this is not the situation. Are we to
understand from this that everyone agrees with his words? Apparently
so, for we also heard that Barak “understands” the Palestinian
fighter.
And so, my listeners, Shimon Peres’s words, a few months before the
elections, are a good reminder to all the Jewish people what is the
meaning of a return to power by the left, Heaven forbid. I do not
want to agree with Hagai Segel, who wrote in Maariv that there will
be no difference if Bibi is elected, or Barak or Shahak.
I still want to believe that we can bind Bibi and force him not to
continue to implement the terrible agreements, but this can happen
only if all the remnants of the national camp will unite in a single
list. As I have said many times before, united we can have a
tremendous power of 20 seats in the Knesset. Twenty mandates that say
NO to Oslo, NO to Wye, NO to a Palestinian terrorist state. The
politicians must rise above themselves and not think about their own
private seat, but rather of rescuing the people of Israel from the
various “Shimon Peres’s who are lurking at the door.
We hear that there are difficulties in the unification of forces,
and that we are likely to miss the propitious moment and, Heaven
forbid, repeat the error of ’92, when the national camp ran split and
divided. In the name of the hundreds of thousands of Jews belonging
to the national camp, I turn to our representatives in the Knesset
with the demand for unity and a tightening of the ranks, and if not,
we will never forgive them.
Have a good week, and let us not forget to continue our struggle for
the release of Jonathan Pollard and for the return of our sons: Ron
Arad, Zechariah Baumel, Yehudah Katz, and Tzvi Feldman.
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*******************************************************
Jerusalem, January 19, 1999
Jonathan Pollard
Letter to the Editor
URGENT- mitzvah of Pidayan Shvuyim
Re: Yonason Rosenblum – “Send Jonathan Home” Yated Ne’eman Jan 15, 1999
Yonason Rosenblum did the religious community a disservice in the above
article by calling into question whether or not Jonathan Pollard’s case
is considered the mitzvah of pidyan shvuyim. Below is the response of Ha
Rav Mordecai Eliahu,shlita on the issue, as writtten to Larry Dub,
Jonathan Pollard’s attorney. For further information on this issue, see
the JEWISH UNITY page on the Justice for Jonathan Pollard web site at
http://www.interlog.com/~abrooke/jp/unity.htm
On that page, see the “Urgent Appeal from the Great Rabbis” for a list
of Gdolei Ha’Dor in America who have made the ruling that this is a
mitzvah of pidyan shvuyim that devolves upon every Jew. (Originally
published in a full page ad in Yated Ne’eman in October 1993!) They are
joined by Gdolei Ha’Dor in Israel across the full rabbinical spectrum.
Mr. Rosenblum consulted with Pollard’s attorney on the above article. It
is a shame that he never sought to clarify this issue with Mr.Dub rather
than misinforming the public. We implore you to publish the letter below
to clarify this urgent issue at once.
Yours truly,
Mrs. Jonathan Pollard
P.S. For your convenience, copy of the Urgent Appeal From the Great
Rabbis follows after the letter below
________________________________________________________________
HaRav Mordecai Eliahu on Pollard and The Mitzvah of Pidyan Shvuyim
October 28, 1997
B”H
Mordecai Eliahu
Former Chief Rabbi of Israel and Rishon Letzion
B”H The 3rd day of the sidra “And he sent forth the dove”
Tishrei 27, 5758 – October 28, 1997
(Translated from Hebrew)
To The Dear and Honorable Gentleman, Attorney Larry Dub, who is occupied
with and engaged in seeking the release of The Honorable Gentleman
Jonathan Pollard, may G-d watch over him and protect him.
In response to the question that others have asked you, namely whether
the mitzvah of Pidyan Shvuyim (the redemption of a captive) is relevant
in the case of the above-named (Jonathan Pollard).
Those who ask, should themselves be asked how it is that they could have
any doubt. It should be clear that this is a great mitzvah and it is the
obligation of all the nation of Israel no matter where they may be, to
do eveything that they can to assist and to aid with all of their
strength and all of their means to work to extricate and free the
Honorable Gentleman Jonathan Pollard, may G-d watch over him and protect
him, who sacrificed himself, for the good of, and in order to
save, all of the nation of Israel.
The mitzvah of Pidyan Shvuyim devolves upon him and it is obligatory for
all of the nation of Israel, both in the land of Israel and in the
Diaspora, to exploit every way to influence those who have the power to
release him from prison and set him free.
May it be that we shall merit to see him here in the land of Israel
speedily and soon. Amain Ken
Yihi Ratzon!
With Blessing,
(signed)
Mordecai Eliahu
_______________________________________________________________
An Urgent Appeal From The Great Rabbis
Re: “Pidyan Shvuyim”: Redemption of a Captive
October 21, 1996
To all our Jewish brethren, wherever they may be:
The difficult plight of Jonathan Pollard is well known and publicized.
He is enduring an usually harsh and severe sentence.
It is a mitzvah incumbent upon every Jew to make efforts to free him
from his imprisonment; those who can should write letters to the
government, and whoever can intercede on his behalf should do so.
In the merit of this great Mitzvah of “Pidyan Shvuyim” (Redemption of a
Captive), may all who take part be abundantly blessed by the One Who
Frees the Imprisoned.
Signed,
Rabbi Ahron Moshe Schecter: Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva R. Chaim Berlin
Rabbi Alter Chanoch Henoch HaKohen Leibowitz: Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivas
Chofetz Chaim
Rabbi Aryeh Malkiel Kotler: Rosh Yeshiva, Beis Medrash Gedola, Lakewood
Rabbi Avraham Ya’akov HaKohen Pam: Rosh Yeshiva, Mesivta Torah Vodaas
Rabbi Moshe Stern: Rav of Debrecin
Rabbi Ya’akov Perlow: Nominsker Rebbe
Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky: Rosh Yeshiva, Talmudical Yeshiva of
Philadelphia
Rabbi Shmuel Berenbaum: Rosh Yeshiva, Mirrer Yeshiva
Rabbi Ya’akov Weinberg: Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva Ner Yisroel, Baltimore
Rabbi Simcha Bunim Ehrenfeld: Matesdorfer Rav
Rabbi Reuven Feinstein: Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva of Staten Island
Rabbi Z. Hirsh Tevel: Rabbi, Congregation Siach HaSadeh
Rabbi M. Gifter: Rosh Yeshiva, Telshe Yeshiva
Rabbi Zacharyah Gelley: Rav, Av Beis Din, Khal Adas Yeshurun, N.Y.C.
Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok, Feigelstock: Rosh Yeshiva, Mesivta of Long Beach
Rabbi Leib Baksi: Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva Ateres Mordechai
Rabbi Ahron Zelif Halevi Epstein: Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah
of Gorodna
Rabbi Avraham Chaim Levin: Rosh Yeshiva, Telshe Yeshiva, Chicago
Ha Rav Mordecai David Reuvin: The Admor of Sasaragen
Rabbi Menashe Klein: Rosh Yeshiva, Bais Shearim, Av Beis Din Ungar
Rabbi Elyn Svei: Rosh Yeshiva, Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia
Note: This appeal shows that amongst the great rabbis of the generation
in the US, there is unanimity that Jonathan’s case is a mitzvah of
Pidyan Shvuyim-a mitzvah so great that it is pemitted to sell a sefer
Torah to carry it out. Indeed the Sabbath may be violated to carry out
this mitzvah, so great a precept it is.
Six long, harsh years have passed since the Great Rabbis issued this
urgent appeal on behalf of Jonathan Pollard in a full page ad published
in Yated Ne’eman on October 15, 1993.
Jonathan Pollard entered his thireenth year of a harsh life sentence on
November 21, 1997.
He is ill, worn out and heart-broken that he has been left to languish
all these years.
It is incumbent upon the entire Jewish community worldwide to respond at
once to the urgent appeal of the Great Rabbis. Every Jew has a share in
this great mitzvah.
Every Jew has the responsibility to act now. There is no doubt that the
Jewish community has both the means and the ability to act upon the
Rabbis’ appeal. It is simply a question of will. HaShem will surely
bless.