Erev Shabbat, parshat Vaere 5770
Friday, January 15, 2010
The struggle for Shdema in Gush Etzion is starting up again.
After a relatively quiet period at Shdema of ongoing cultural activity, those coming to Shdema this morning were shocked to discover that all of the base’s buildings had been spray painted by leftist activists and Christian anarchists.
The graffiti consisted of verses from the Bible and slogans of “love and peace.” From the quantity of graffiti on the walls, it was obvious that they had spent hours at the base without the army interfering.
During the course of the lecture by Dr. Tzipi Rainey on the author Naomi Frankel and her writing, the Shdema Youth organized and repainted the entire base, expunging all the graffiti.
The question arose among the audience of the permissibility of expuning verses containing the name of G-d. The Committee for a Jewish Shdema argued that since this was a hostile invasion – despite the “love and peace” slogans – of sovereign Israeli territory and a challenge to the Jews: “You don’t belong here,” this was undoubtedly an attack on Jewish honor. Any thinking person realizes that just as we wouldn’t let a stranger into our living room to draw on the walls – not even verses from the Bible – this certainly applies in this case.
In the atmosphere of capitulation that reigns in Israel at present, the Arabs and their supporters are raising their head.. We therefore were forced, not only to remove the graffiti, but to respond in the same manner. At the end of the morning, Shdema activists went down to the illegal compound that the Arabs built at the foot of Shdema, in Area C. a building against which destruction orders exist from the Civila administration but of course arent implemented.
They went in and sprayed all of the Arab illegal buildings, inside and out, on the walls, on the doors, and on the floors.
An IDF officer who was present there, promised “payback” – against the Jews, of course – and said: “I will personally see to it that you won’t go up to Shdema any more.” It’s a pity that this determination is revealed only against Jews, and not against the enemy. In light of this, the Committee for Jewish Shdema and Women in Green call upon all the people of Israel to come next Friday, January 22 (the eve of parshat Bo), and demonstrate a massive presence at the site. Israel must stop self-restraint and go over to the offensive in the struggle for Eretz Israel.
Planned for Friday next week, at 9:00 a.m.: a lecture by Dr. Haggai Ben-Artzi on the subject: “Eretz Israel in the Literature of the Kabbalists.”
the The Committee for a Jewish Shdema and Women in Green
for details:
Yehudit Katzover – 050-7161818, Nadia Matar – 050-5500834
for pictures by Rivka Ryback
http://www.yeshabulletin.com/FIGHT%20BACK/FightBack.htm
In addition we are attaching pictures of the desecration of Shdema and of Israel’s honor
by the anarchists this past Friday and in the past months when:
* they drew the male organ on the Israeli flag that is painted on Shdema’s watertower
*they burnt down a room, a storage and a wooden ark ( to hold a Sefer Torah)
*they spraypainted Shdema’s walls with graffiti
*when some 20 of them came to Shdema , took down the Israeli flag on the watertower and broke the stick that holds the watertower
*in addition we include a link to one of their sites in which they proudly portray pictures of their trespassing into Shdema
and behaving as if it is theirs
*We also are including 3 pictures of anarchists whom we caught roaming around Shdema on a Friday that we were there
*Lastly we include pictures of the Shdema youth painting over the graffiti and cleaning up
attached photos are by Abigail Browning and others are from Women in Green’s archive
The Commitee for a Jewish Shdema and Women in Green
for details: Nadia Matar 0505500834 Yehudit Katzover 050-7161818