Sunday, August 31, 2008

ACTION ITEM! URGENT...Breaking News: .Latest from Rav Perlow, Rosh Moetzet Gedolei Hatorah of Agudath Yisroel

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Dear List, amv"sh

Please forward to your lists:

Motzei Shabbos Parshat Reeh 5768.   Sunday, August 31st 2008

Rav Perlow was called tonight by a fellow activist who asked him politely what about the recent developments in negotiations of giving away 93 percent of Yesha and parts of Yerushalyim and our activist was told not to bother him.

Last Thanksgiving before the  summit in Annapolis, didn't Agudath Yisroel of America, after much nudging, finally make a resolution against dividing Jerusalem.  At the time we complained that they didn't mention Judea and Samaria.  Apparently at that time the State Dept. of American  was pushing for a Palestinian State so Agudath Yisroel  felt safe speaking out for a United Jerusalem but didn't have the courage to speak out against a Palestinian State.  Now that the State Department has gone one step further and  is speaking about dividing Jerusalem, why is Agudath Yisroel Silent?  Was the resolution simply to pacify those of us that were upset that the Moetzet Gedolei Hatorah weren't speaking out with clarity for Torah?.

Who else should we bother if not Rosh Moetzet Gedolei Hatorah whose every word is followed by hundreds of thousands of Jews when the expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Jews are in the making?.

If we daven to rebuild Yerushalayim and then agree to give it away when we have it, what does this mean?

Getting some annoying phone calls can not compared with the consequences of tragic proportions should these negotiations actualize.

Will tehillim rallies with the theme "We share in their Pain" be the extent of activism after the fact????? Or will we have to face our Creator on Yom Hadin because our Silence was the CAUSE of our brethren's pain?

Willl we be forced to look in the mirror and say it's because we Am Yisroel throughout the world simply couldn't care less about our birthright, our precious gift Eretz Yisroel did the tragedies happen to us and to the entire world? 

The Nations of the world, will chas vechalil mock us and say how come you were silent?  How full of shame we will feel but worse because our Silence put the entire world in danger.

ACTION ITEM:

Please call Rav Perlow the Noveminker Rav at 718-436-1133 home
Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky 215-477-1000 Yeshiva of Philadelphia 215-473-2798 home

Rav Perlow is Rosh Moetzet Gedolei Hatorah in Agudath Yisroel of America.  They have a Washington Office. They have a network of hundreds of thousands of caring Jews that can be mobilized. Simply making resolutions w/o putting the full force of the organization behind the resolution is of no real consequence.  Every school child can write a letter.  Every parent can pick up the phone to the White House.  Business as usual can be put on hold when the lives of our brethren are on the line.

Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky is the spiritual mentor of the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation that reaches over 50,000 caring Jews on TIsha Baav alone.  They are networked to thousands of locations, shuls and schools throughout the world.  They too can mobilze Am Yisroel to show their love for Eretz Yisroel with concrete action and not just in a world of inspiring lectures that are not implemented.

Please email me the responses of our Rabbanim to your cry for help so that it is documented.

Israel Kaplan writes:

PRAYING THREE TIMES A DAY FOR THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM.   GRACE AFTER MEALS WITH GREAT EMPHASIS ON THE REBUILDING OF JERUSALEM.  THE THOUSANDS OF YOUNG MEN IN 1967 THAT SELFLESSLY AND BRAVELY FOUGHT TO THEIR DEATH IN ORDER TO RECAPTURE JERUSALEM KNOWING THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ALIVE TO SHARE IN THE REGROWTH PROCESS . THE SLOGAN THAT HAS BEEN ON THE LIPS OF EVERY MAJOR JEWISH ORGANIZATION SINCE 1967 "JERUSALEM: THE UNDIVIDED CAPITAL OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. 
 
AND NOW THE NIGHTMARE OF NIGHTMARES:  THE HEADS OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL ARE NEGOTIATING IT AWAY IN FULL VIEW OF THE WORLD.  COULD THIS BE HAPPENING?  
 
IN SHUL TODAY A FRIEND APPROACHES ME AFTER READING THE ISRAEL NEWS AND REMARKS TO ME.   WHEN RABBI BEREL WEIN NOTED JEWISH HISTORIAN WRITES THE HISTORY OF THESE DAYS WILL HE MENTION HOW THE SHAS PARTY ALLOWED THE OLMERT GOVT. TO GIVE AWAY YERUSHALAYIM?
POINTING FINGERS AT THE POLITICIANS IS FAR TOO EASY AND LETS WORLD JEWRY OFF THE HOOK.   THE DEAFENING SILENCE OF WORLD JEWRY, MAJOR JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS, ZIONIST INSTITUTIONS PROVIDE THE GENERAL PUBLIC WITH REASON NOT BE CONCERNED.   MAY BE JUST TOO LATE TO CRY WHEN 30,000 IDF WEARING BLACK, ROBOTICALLY  REMOVE JEWS FROM THEIR HOMES AND YESHIVOT, THE SAME WAY THEY REMOVED THE JEWS FROM GAZA. 
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IZZY KAPLAN
416 824 2858
416 256 2858
Check out my new blog http://israelonisrael.blogspot.com

Resolution Adopted at Agudath Israel's 85th National Convention

November 26, 2007

agudah12.jpgWHEREAS, the American government is convening a conference later this week in Annapolis, Maryland in an effort to promote Middle East peace, and particularly to move Israel and the Palestinian Authority toward a final peace agreement; and

WHEREAS, the American government is reportedly urging the parties to proceed to the "final status issues" that remain to be negotiated, including sovereignty over the holy city of Jerusalem; and

WHEREAS, the delegates to the 85th national convention of Agudath Israel of America, following the direction of Agudath Israel's rabbinic leadership, and for reasons relating to considerations of security as well as the singular place Jerusalem has always occupied in Jewish religious and communal life, are deeply pained and concerned about the prospect of Israel relinquishing parts of Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty.

NOW, THEREFORE, the delegates to the 85th national convention of Agudath Israel of America hereby resolve that Agudath Israel of America, under the direction of its rabbinic leadership, should communicate to appropriate government officials the organization's strong belief that, for the reasons set forth above, Israel should not relinquish parts of Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty, and the American government should not pressure the Israeli government into doing so.

(November 25, 2007 - Stamford, CT)

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Brachot and Klalot are a direct consequence of keeping or not keeping the Mitzvoth.  We have free choice.  Time for Cheshbon Hanefesh!  Did we do Teruma, Maaser, Vidui Maaser and Shemitas Kesafim as the Torah specified?  Let the Moetzet Gedolei Hatorah, focus on the words of the Torah and the implications of keeping the Mitzvoth of the Torah, which requires sovereignty of the Land, rather than on playing  politics!

Please forward to your lists!





Friday, August 08, 2008

Fwd: 8.5 x 11 poster b&w 4000-Prime Media-speak out

bs"d
 
Dear List, amv"sh
 
Attached please find the flier that we will distribute all over.  Feel free to download and distribute.  Thanks  Robin

 

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

5768.11.05 Israel the Land of My Possession Arieh Eldad speaking with strength. Mattot Arim, Soldier says I"m Sorry.

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5 Av 5768

Wednesday, 6 August 2008

1.  Using a decisive military option in Gaza rather than capitulating to terror.  Arieh Eldad

2. Mattot Arim newsletter.  Urgent Action items.

3. Soldier "indoctrinated" by govt to help them expel Jews, expresses remorse..

4. More on the Pollard Court Petition
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1.  Using a decisive military option in Gaza rather than capitulating to terror.  Arieh Eldad www.ynetnews.com*

Ongoing debate on Shalit prisoner swap diverts attention from military option

By Arieh Eldad

07.30.08

Gilad Shalit has been in captivity for more than two years now. The
media is replete with harsh descriptions regarding the conditions his
captors are holding him in – a cellar or a narrow tunnel, without any
daylight. I don't know what the source of these descriptions is and
whether they are based on intelligence information or imagination.
However, there is no doubt that we need to get Shalit back home.

The debate seemingly focuses on how many terrorists should be
released for him and how much blood we may accept on their hands. Is
it moral to free hundreds of terrorists when everyone knows that
anywhere between a third and a half of them will attempt to kill Jews
again?

In our cemeteries one can find hundreds of buried Jews who were
murdered by those released from Israeli prison in these types of
tainted deals. Yet the debate regarding the number of prisoners and
blood on their hands diverts it from what should be its main focus:
The military option.

The Gaza Strip is a terror hub established through the folly of
Israeli governments and by ignoring our national and security
interests. This terror hub can be dismantled, however. We can fix
what we ruined. Yet the
correction has to start from this point. Capitulation to Arab
terrorism in the form of Hamas' Gaza regime paves the way for a
complete Arab victory over Israel. What's hanging in the balance is
no longer Shalit's release,
but rather, the State of Israel's liberation. Israel is a hostage at
this time. Moreover, the Gaza Strip is within arm's reach; within
walking distance.

In the 1970s and 1980s Israel scored important victories against
terror; these triumphs often exacted a heavy human toll, as was the
case with the hijacked bus on the Coastal Road and the hostage-taking
in Maalot. We even went as far as Uganda in order to rescue our
hostages. Yet there is no doubt that had Olmert and his spineless
government were leading Israel at the time, we wouldn't even be
considering a military move: Because of the distance and risk.
Instead, we would have released thousands of terrorists. Yet during
those days, capitulation to terrorism wasn't an option.

Even when IDF soldier Nachshon Waxman was abducted, Israel's leaders
chose a risky military operation that ultimately ended in failure –
the captive was killed, as did Nir Poraz, a Sayeret Matkal officer
who died during the
rescue operation. Yet the message conveyed to terror groups was that
Israel does not capitulate to terror.

There is a military option There is a military option in Gaza. We can
issue an ultimatum to Hamas that Israel would assassinate one of its
leaders in Gaza or elsewhere every day if Gilad Shalit is not
released at once. We can embark on a targeted operation based on
existing intelligence information, or a broad operation if we lack
such accurate intelligence information. We can kill every terrorist
on the way, go from one house to the next, and while we're at it blow
up Qassam rocket workshops, arms caches, and tunnels. We can
pulverize Hamas in Gaza as we pulverized the PLO in the First Lebanon
War, and unlike what we did to Hizbullah in the Second Lebanon War
(the reason we didn't do it was not lack of power, but rather,
deficient political and military leadership.)

The alternative is not only capitulation to terror and the release of
thousands of murderers. The alternative is reconciling ourselves to
Hamas' military buildup and fortification, until its rockets reach
Tel Aviv and Dimona – then, we shall have to enter Gaza and pay a
much greater price because of our current cowardice, hesitation, and
flawed political considerations, which come in place of decisive
national considerations.

Gilad Shalit must not become the reason for avoiding a war on terror.
If this materializes and this is the way adopted by Israel, terror
groups will realize that they found the way not only to release the
murderers in our
jails, but also "their entire Palestine."

Tomorrow, more soldiers will be abducted for the sake of Mount Dov
(which they refer to as the Shebaa Farms,) and two days from now,
they will kidnap more troops and demand that we withdraw from Hebron.
They will demand Temple Mount in exchange for several abducted
civilians, and if, heaven forbid, they take over a kindergarten,
they'll demand Arab autonomy in the Galilee.

There is no logical reason for them to stop, unless we stop and say: No more.


Knesset Member Arieh Eldad, National Union-NRP

2. Mattot Arim newsletter.  Urgent Action items.

KFAR SABA-ites: PLEASE BE IN THE KFAR SABA COURTHOUSE WHILE RIVKA MEIRCHIK IS JUDGED TOMORROW!

Kfar Saba court-case of still-under-arrest Rivka Meirchik, dissident from an outpost. TOMORROW 6 August, 11:30 AM, Kfar Saba courthouse 3 minutes walk from Zomet Raanana. It's behind the police station -- ask any local person. Call  09-7474747 which is the Court switchboard, before you leave the house tomorrow morning,   just in case the time has changed. Afterwards, if possible, write your detailed impressions to sddym@bezeqint.net since this is sometimes useful for Honenu to have. Thanks.

TISHA BE-AV -- HERE'S A KINA FOR GUSH KATIF  Courtesy of Machon Meir. Thanks to Weizmann Institute's Clifford Felder for reminding us about this one. Print out 20 - 30 copies from here:  http://machonshilo.org/PDF/Machon_Shilo_Gush_Katif_Kinna.pdf and bring it to your Bet Knesset on Tisha beAv. Thank you. 

TISHA B'AV NITE (SAT NITE): WALK AROUND THE WALLS OF THE OLD CITY WITH WOMEN IN GREEN
Commemorating the destruction of the Temple; Yamit;  Gush Katif & Northern Samaria. This Sat. nite (Motzei Shabat Hazon), August 9
21:45: Eicha reading, Safra Sq. 22:30 Walk, led by Rabbi Israel Ariel, MK Prof. Arieh Eldad, Atty Elyakim Haetzni & Dudu Elharar, near the New, Damascus & the Flower Gates. Ending at the Dung gate near the Kotel. We have a police permit. http://www.womeningreen.org Women in Green 

WHAT TO DO IN YOUR VACATION -- Tours in English to historical Eastern Jerusalem & Kever Rachel. Come be inspired by the people that are keeping Jerusalem undivided. Tours last approximately 4.5 hours in the morning (9-1:30). Route: Inbal Hotel, Mt. of Olives, Kever Rachel, and the reclaimed neighborhoods. Suggested donation: 65 NIS. East Jerusalem and Kever Rachel Tours, www.jcdf.org 052-579-0958 reuven@jcdf.org
ALSO -- tours to the East of the Jordan (which is also part of Eretz Yisrael, just to refresh our collective memories) and Hebron thru the Gush Etzion Field School: 02-9935133 או http://www.k-etzion.co.il/.

THE JEWISH PARTISANS OF LITHUANIA -- LIKE THE YESHA SETTLERS -- ARE NOW BEING CRIMINALIZED
The double standard you see all the time in Israel (settlers are "criminal", Palestinians -- despite their 70% approval rating of suicide bombing -- are not), has now reached Europe. The Government of Lithuania has recently instituted judicial investigations into "crimes" committed by  Jewish partisans during World War II. Lithuania killed one of the highest proportions of Jews to population from all of Europe, but only three of these Nazi collaborators were ever tried. Instead, Jewish partisans, two from Lithuania and one from Israel, are being interrogated. "The murderers are now becoming national heroes and we, the few surviving victims who took arms and fought murderers, are under investigation as criminals," said former Yad Vashem chairman Yitzhak Arad, the Israeli partisan being investigated. 

Write to the Lithuanian Ambassador audrius.bruzga@ltembassyus.org, cc Rosian@Zerner.com (daughter of partisan Paul Bagriansky) demanding that all the charges against the partisans be dropped. Example text: "I am writing on behalf of Holocaust survivors, their descendants and others who consider the partisans of World War II as heroes.  We urge you to immediately cease the interrogation of Jewish partisans in Lithuania. This probe seems obviously anti-Semitic, against brave men and women who fought for the freedom of all Lithuanians from totalitarian Fascism." (name, address, if you are a Holocaust survivor please include your country/camps). 

MARK YOUR CALENDAR -- SEPTEMBER 1, 2008, BAGATZ TO STOP KNESSET PAYMENTS (!) to ACCUSED HIZBULLAH SPY: Arab Knesset member Azmi Beshara is suspect of spying for Hezbolla during the 2nd Lebanon war. The World Likud movement has appealed to the Israeli Supreme Court asking it to order the Knesset to stop all benefits and pension payments Beshara was entitled to as a former MK up until now. 1 September 2008 in the High Court of Justice in Jerusalem. Danny Danon from World Likud invites everybody to attend. Read more: World Likud Campaigns against Bishara (From the Jerusalem Post


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3. Soldier "indoctrinated" by govt to help them expel Jews, expresses remorse..

One of the soldiers who took part in the expulsion, a female now in her 20s, wrote a letter expressing her pain, profound remorse, and the need to share her feelings of guilt
for taking part in the government'Äôs uprooting of Jews from their home.

In an interview on Kol Chai Radio, the anonymous former soldier, now
in her 20s, explained how she was indoctrinated by the government,
bringing her to a level of insensitively which permitted her to act in
accordance to the government's, police and IDF orders. Today, she
seeks the forgiveness of those whose lives she helped to destroy,
calling on soldiers to disobey orders should there ever be a repeat of
the expulsion events chas v'sholom. She painfully recounted her
actions in Kfar Darom, explaining how the children cried and she tried
to understand why this was all happening.

She opened an email account and has asked people to write to her to
express their feelings regarding her legitimate effort to mend fences.

Imsorry6@gmail.com

(Yechiel Spira 'Äì YWN Israel) sent by rosewalk@ooncentric.net

4. More on the Pollard Court Petition

Israeli agent, Jonathan Pollard, who is completing his 23rd year of a
life sentence in the United States for his service to Israel, on
Monday, filed a lawsuit in Tel-Aviv District Court seeking
Declaratory Relief.

Pollard's lawsuit aims to set the record, once and for all, that he
and his wife, Esther, have never received any money whatsoever from
the State of Israel, from the day of his arrest to the present.

In his lawsuit Pollard states from the outset, that neither he nor
his wife are interested in receiving money from the State - that his
sole purpose in bring suit against the Government of Israel is to put
an end to the lies it disseminates, lies which have been severely
undermining the public struggle for his release.

In an unprecedented move Pollard turns to the Tel Aviv District Court
today in order to refute the state's allegations, according to which,
Jonathan and his wife Esther have been getting money from Israel for
years. Pollard demonstrates in his lawsuit that the Government is
lying to the media, to the public and the to the Courts when it
states, repeatedly and in every public venue imaginable, that it
supports him and his wife, that it makes resources available to them
and that it provides them with funds. Pollard states unequivocally
and offers proof that neither he nor his wife has ever received a
cent from the Government of Israel.

Pollard's lawsuit demonstrates that the false statements and claims
of the State about the issue of money  are intended to obscure from
public scrutiny the fact that the State has not made the most minimal
effort to secure his release from prison; and that they are also
intended to blacken his reputation and that of his wife, Esther
Pollard, in the eyes of the public, by portraying them as people
whose sole motivation is a desire to elicit monetary support from the
State - which is patently false. In defaming him this way, Pollard
states, the State of Israel is effectively preventing him from
galvanizing public support to help secure his release from prison.

Pollard is represented by attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director
of "Shurat HaDin - Israel Law Center", and attorney Roy Kohavi.

According to the lawsuit, Pollard has done everything he possibly
could to get the State of Israel to stop lying, by claiming that it
helps him financially or in any other way. He has turned to the
Supreme Court, which refused to help on the grounds that the issue is
political. He has turned to the State Comptroller, who told his
attorney that he is not empowered to investigate this issue, that his
mandate from the Knesset limits him only to expressing an opinion,
not to investigating. Again in order to try to stop the lies, Pollard
(via his attorney) turned to the State and asked for a detailed
accounting of the funds they claim they are providing to him and his
wife.  The requests for information made to the Prime Minister's
office were declined based on bizarre excuses such as "the
individual's right to privacy", "sensitivity issues", and "for fear
it will harm Pollard's own good and Israel's efforts to assist him".

The lawsuit maintains that Pollard and his wife, Esther, have been
abandoned by the State. It points out that they live in grave
distress, both financially and in general. All of their expenses are
funded by what little money Pollard's wife, Esther, has, and with the
support of a few close friends.

The lawsuit reveals, for the first time, a letter from then-Prime
Minister and Defense Minister Ehud Barak to MK Rechavam Ze'evi, which
states unequivocally that the State of Israel does NOT give any money
to Pollard and does not have a bank account for him.

According to Pollard's attorney, attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner,
"the State is throwing sand in the public's eyes and is shamelessly
lying to the court when it claims it financially supports Pollard and
his wife. The state cannot go on deceiving the public by making it
believe that it does anything for Pollard. Not only did the State
abandon Pollard for 23 years, it also has the audacity to lie about
it. If the State ever gave one shekel to Pollard or his wife - let it
prove it! We know the truth, and it will come to light in the
courtroom."

According to Esther Pollard, "This week, it is Jonathan's 54th
birthday. Had the State of Israel made the slightest effort, Jonathan
would be here, celebrating his birthday at home in Jerusalem.
Instead, he is "celebrating" by being forced to sue the State of
Israel to try to stop the campaign of lies it is waging against him."

(Yechiel Spira ñ YWN Israel)

http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=21876


5768.11.04 Israel the Land of My Possession, Failure of Orthodox Jewry, OU's Tisha B'av Programming, Women in Green, Israel Police use Arav Provocateu

The purpose of this email is not vindictive. It is preventive. Unless the major established Jewish Organizations like Agudath Yisroel of America and the OU and the Young Israel etc recognize that they failed Am Yisroel with their silence before the destruction of Gush Katif and resolve that such a thing not repeat itself in other parts of Eretz Yisroel, we are facing a disaster of astronomic proportions Chas Vechalila. (Teshuva is Charata al HeAvar and Kabbala Al HeAtid) G-d knows that I am far from perfect and that these organizations do unbelievable good. But I did live in Kiryat Arba from 1981-1987 and the strength of these words are coming from having lived close to Hebron. May all of our zedonoth (sins) be transformed into zechuyot (merits).

4 Av 5768
Tuesday, 5 August 2008

1. THE FAILURE OF ORTHODOX JEWRY Israel Kaplan
2. Hypocracy of the OU
3. Women in Green Activities Update
4. ISRAELI POLICE USE ARAB PROVOCATEURS IN AMBUSH OF JEWISH HIKERS
5. Tisha Baav Flier to be posted in your shul


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1. THE FAILURE OF ORTHODOX JEWRY Israel Kaplan

According to Rav Yisachar Shiomo Teichtal, a Torah giant, the Holocaust, to which he himself fell victim, was very much a consequence of the failure of Europe's orthodox Jewish leaders to heed the teachings of the Prophets and the Sages to redeem Eretz Yisrael when even Gentiles—recall the Balfour Declaration and the League of Nations—supported the return of the Jews to their ancient homeland. He blames rabbis who, by denouncing secular Zionism and opposing immigration to Israel—aliya—discouraged Jews from fulfilling their sacred obligation to return to and rebuild the Land of Israel and thereby sanctify God's Name.

Fleeing from the Nazis, and writing in 1943 without books and while Jews were perishing around him, Rav Teichtal composed an extraordinary work entitled Eim Habanim Semeichah (A Joyous Mother of Children)2 There he cites an incredible number of Torah, Talmudic, and post-Talmudic sources showing that "the purpose of our afflictions is to arouse us to return to Eretz Yisrael." These sources all speak of the crucial importance of the Holy Land. They show that the redemption of the Jewish people can only take place in the Land of Israel.

Rav Teichtal goes further. Contrary to what he had learned from contemporary rabbis and had himself believed prior to the Holocaust, he shows that the secular Zionists were deserving of great praise; for even though they denied the Torah, they were fulfilling the commandment to return to and rebuild the Land of Israel. What is more, further research on his part revealed that many of the great halachic authorities—experts in Jewish law— predicted that secularists would restore the Holy Land! How is it possible, therefore, that learned orthodox rabbis failed to heed the teachings of Torah masters—Rav Teichtal cites Maimonides (the Rambam) and Nachmanides (the Ramban)—regarding the mitzvah of settling in and rebuilding Eretz Yisrael?

To begin with, let us be fair and recall that, in the closing years of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth, the venerable beliefs and customs of the Jewish people had come under the ideological assault of the Socialist and Communist movements along with that of secular Zionism. The defections from tradition, especially in urban areas, were massive. On the surface, therefore, orthodox rabbis had good reasons to oppose the shallow secular Zionism initiated by Theodore Herzl's The Jewish State. They saw in this Zionism the denial of the Sinai Covenant and the chosenness of the Jewish People. Secular Zionists, influenced by the egalitarianism of the Enlightenment, regarded all nations as equal. They rejected the idea that the Jews were "a nation apart." And yet, had not Jews lived and died for their apartness? Did not the deepest instincts of the Jews call for difference and distance? In contrast, the Zionists envisioned a state in which the Jews would become a "normal" people. No longer would they suffer the scourge of anti- Semitism, of pogroms and humiliation. The dignity of the despised Chosen. People would be restored—note the paradox—and at last they would live in peace and security.

To become a "normal" people, however, the Torah, which had sustained and inspired the Jews for thousands of years, would have to be relegated to the home and the synagogue. Jews would then have a new national identity. Judaism would be divorced from public law, would cease to be an all- comprehensive way of life. This was anathema to the rabbis. Besides, they believed that a Zionist state based on non-Torah law could not possibly succeed or endure.

Now it so happens that, three decades before Herzl's pioneering work, certain rabbis did in fact encourage aliya. In 1864, Rabbi Tzvi Kalischer published a book, Derishat Tzion, which was praised by various halachic authorities for its proposed "Organization for the Settlement of Eretz Yisrael." Mention should also be made of the Chofetz Chaim, Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaCohen, one of the greatest Torah scholars of modem times. (His unparalleled halachic work, the Mishnah Berura, is the definitive compendium of Jewish law.) Even in the aftermath of the 1929 Hebron massacre, the Chofetz Chaim encouraged aliya. He held that "there is no Torah like the Torah of Eretz Yisrael, and there is no wisdom like the wisdom of Eretz Yisrael" (Bereisheet Rabbah, Numbers 16:7). Nevertheless, when Rav Teichtal wrote Eim Habanim Semeichah, so prevalent was anti-Zionism among European rabbis that he was compelled to cite the halachic authorities that had endorsed Kalischer's work in the hope of persuading other rabbis to encourage aliya and thereby save as many Jews as possible from the Nazi inferno.

Without wishing to malign these rabbis and thereby arm the wicked, Rav Teichtal nonetheless compared them to the Ten Spies, about whom it says in Psalms 106:24-25: "They murmured in their tents... They despised the desirable Land" and thus discouraged the Children of Israel from entering the Land promised to the Patriarchs. Although the spies were princes of Israel, Rav Teichtal cites various sources that explain their behavior as motivated by self-interest: they were afraid that in Eretz Yisrael they would lose the positions of leadership they held in the desert! (See the Zohar 3:158a.) "The same holds true in our times," says Rav Teichtal "even of rabbis, rebbes, and chassidim. This one has a good rabbinical position; this one is an established Admor [a prominent Torah master]; and this one has a profitable business or factory or a prestigious job which provides great satisfaction. They are afraid that their status will decline if they go to Eretz Yisrael. People of this sort [though otherwise meritorious] are influenced by their deep-rooted, selfish motives to such an extent that they themselves do not realize that their prejudice speaks on their behalf."

Rav Teichtal quotes numerous sources that extol the great merit of Eretz Yisrael. The Talmud: "He who dwells in Eretz Yisrael is like one who has a God, and he who dwells outside the Land is like one who does not have a God" (Ketuvot llOb). The Midrash: "It is preferable to dwell in the deserts of Eretz Yisrael than the palaces of Chutz LaAretz" (Bereisheet Rabbah, Genesis 39:8). The Zohar. "I will return in peace to my father's home, for there lays the Holy Land, there I will be perfected . . ." (l:150b).

Does it not say in Genesis 15:7: "I am the Lord who brought you [Abraham] out of Ur-Kasdim to give you this Land to inherit it"? The Talmud expresses this as follows: "The Land of Israel is an inheritance from our forefathers" (Avodah Zara 53b). Therein is the basis of the Jewish claim to Eretz Yisrael. Now, if Rav Teichtal, a man of extraordinary learning, courage, and love of the Jewish people, could question the motives of prominent rabbis who denounced secular Zionism and thereby discouraged Jews from leaving the fleshpots of Europe for Eretz Yisrael, what shall we say of the descendants of those who established the State of Israel and who now wish to abandon Judea and Samaria, the heartland of the Jewish people? Are their motives any purer?

2. HYPOCRACY OF THE OU - Tisha B'Av Webcast WITH
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb Executive Vice President, Orthodox Union


Why is the Tisha B'av Webcast sponsored by the OU hypocritical?

Is the expulsion of Gush Katif on Tisha Baav included?

Olmert was OU's Honored guest speaker at their convention in Yerushalyaim. Olmert's policies include "Unilateral Disengagement" from Gush Katif, negotiations towards the establishment of a Palestinian State which translates to the destruction of many settlements in Judea and Samaria, and giving away parts of Jerusalem and access or control over Har Habayit. Olmert and his corrupt administration is responsible for releasing live terrorists for dead bodies. Olmerts and his administration were responsible for Amona, the progrom on unarmed kids by Yassamnicks who went after unarmed kids and adults skulls and reproductive organs. ( I wish I didn't have to be so graphic). Under Olmert's administration the IDF turns a blind eye to the Kassam rockets of Sderot, turns a blind eye to the Arabs that throw stones at settlers and even collaborates with them (see below), http://www.israeljustice.com:80/news2.asp?key=143 , they harass the settlers and imprison those that attempt self defense. Rather than condemning these policies, the OU USA condemns Rabbi Wolpe for speaking out against Olmert's policies by twisting Rabbi Wolpe's words and unsuccessfully portrayed him as extreme. This backfired since the OU received hundreds of calls and emails yelling at the OU for tolerating Olmert and his evil policies. This fancy Tisha Baav programming reminds me of a pig that outwardly shows how Kosher he is by showing off his split hooves but is really treif. The OU show an expertise in memorializing the dead, like the dead of the Holocaust and the dead of Mercaz Harav Kook HY"D. Why haven't they been more proactive so that more dead need not be memorialized. Is memorializing the dead an end onto itself? Excuse the sarcasm but I suppose we should be reassured that if G-d forbid there are more terror attacks at least we'll get a fine memorial.

Maybe the forgotten souls are the ones that forgot our Covenant between G-d and the Jewish People and our entitlement to Eretz Yisroel. OU USA have missed the point of the lessons of Tisha Baav though they provide their audience with entertaining Tisha Baav programming..

________________________________

From: Orthodox Union [mailto:alerts@ou.org]
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 1
Subject: Register for the Tisha B'Av Webcast with Rabbi Weinreb - "Forgotten Souls"

Tisha B'Av Kinot on Sunday, August 10, 8:45 am.
WITH
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
Executive Vice President, Orthodox Union
Originating from the Orthodox Union main office, New York, NY.
"Forgotten Souls"

Rabbi Weinreb will recapture from anonymity heroes and victims of a variety of Jewish catastrophes including the Temple destructions, Pogroms of 1648-49, French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, and the Shoah.

Focusing on various aspects of the soul with song, poetry and explanations of the Kinot, he will also tell stories of very "soulful" men and women from Biblical times to the present, who have all but been forgotten, as well as reflections on forgotten facets of our own souls and how we can reclaim them.

In contrast to the OU, Bizchut Nashim Tzidkaniyot.....
3. Women in Green Activities Update

Dear Friends,

On this first week of the month of Av, entering the Nine Days of mourning until Tisha b'Av, lots of activities for the Land of Israel are taking place.

Open your calendar, write it all down and join.

Now more than ever we must act to protect the Land of Israel. Olmert's announcement that he is not running again does not necessarily mean he can do no harm. On the contrary. Some political analysts say that davka now, when Olmert has nothing to lose, he can be more dangerous than ever. It is our duty, as loyalists and lovers of the Land of Israel to make sure we safeguard our Biblical Homeland.

With Love of Israel,

Ruth and Nadia Matar

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1) SUNDAY, August 3, 2008 at 7:30pm
DEMONSTRATION remembering 30 days to the tractor terror attack.

Where: close to the place where the first tractor terror attack took place,
Jaffa street 208, at the parking lot of the old temporary Central Bus Station

Title:
We will not give them guns.
We will not give them tractors.
We will not give them jobs (parnassa)

Organized by: Komemiyut, Halev HaYehudi, Chomesh Tehilla, Virashtem Ota

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2) MONDAY, August 4, 2008, MARCH TO KEVER RACHEL
organized by the Youth of the Ichud Haleumi and others
5:00pm meet at Tsomet Gilo

For details call Simcha 054-816-0132

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3) WEDNESDAY, August 6, 2008 EVENING OF LECTURES in SHDEMA
organized by the Committee for a Jewish Shdema and Women in Green

The struggle to keep Shdema in Jewish hands continues.
Almost every day members of the committee for a Jewish Shdema and Women in Green go to Shdema to show a Jewish presence and to make sure the Arabs and anarchists do not take over.

Last week 150 youth for the Land of Israel spent the night in Shdema while residents of the area welcomed them with food and drinks.
This past Friday two full buses of Jerusalemites, mainly from Har Nof but also from other neighborhoods in Jerusalem came to Shdema to see the place, hear the story and join the struggle.

We call upon all to come this coming Wednesday to a fascinating evening of lectures (in Hebrew) "FROM DESTRUCTION TO REDEMPTION"

Program :
7:00 pm Arrival in Shdema
7:15 pm Minha
7:30 - 8:15 pm Mrs Geula Cohen, Israel Prize winner will answer
questions by Mrs Malka Pyotrokovsky
8:15 - 8:45pm David Nativ, famous teacher of Tanach will talk about
Yirmiyahu chapter 32 "Insane pre-destruction reality"
8:45 - 9:00pm Aharon Yukel, actor in the TAIR theatre will read from
Uri Tzvi Greenbergs songs
9:00 - 9:30 pm Rabbi Dov Zinger- head of the Makor Chaim yeshiva
'From destruction to Redemption, on a personal level
and on a national level"
9:30 pm Maariv

Buses will leave after Maariv, around 10:00pm

Transportation - Please order seats on the bus by calling 050-5500834 or 02-9961292
From Har Choma at 6:30pm
From Kiryat Arba Hevron at 6:00 pm
from Tsomet Gush Etzion at 6:30pm
from Efrat southern gate at 6:40pm
from Tekoa- Nokdim at 6:50pm

A Jewish presence in Shdema is of utmost importance! Please forward this email to all friends and family and join us

Thank you, the Committee for a Jewish Shdema

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4) TISHA B'AV EVENING, MOTSAEI SHABBAT CHAZON, AUGUST 9,2008
join the ANNUAL WOMEN IN GREEN MARCH AROUND THE WALLS OF THE OLD CITY


The Women in Green Tisha b'Av March around the Walls of Jerusalem's Old City in which thousands of Jews participate, religious and secular, young and old, both new olim and natives, all united in their love for our homeland.

This year, more than ever, when there is talk about giving away parts of our G-d given Biblical Homeland and our Capital, we must show the world and our own government that "For Jerusalem's Sake we will not be silent"! The Jewish People must continually defend the Land of Israel and Jerusalem.

For those who have not yet been part of this exciting Tisha B'Av event, we put up on our website a short movie about last year's March, to give you a feeling of the importance of this moving event. Click on http://www.womeningreen.org and then click on the movie to see it. On that same page you will see a copy of this years flyer.

We hope you can join us this year in person to take part in this unforgettable uplifting experience.

This year Tisha b'Av falls on Motsaei Shabbat, August 9th, 2008.

The flyer reads as follows:

Walking around the Walls
of Jerusalem's Old City

Protecting the Land of Israel! Protecting Jerusalem!

Commemorating 2594 years since the destruction of the First Temple; 1938 years since the destruction of the Second Temple, 26 years since the destruction of Yamit and 3 years since the destruction of Gush Katif and Northern Samaria.

TISHA B'AV EVENING

Motsaei Shabbat Chazon, August 9th, 2008
EICHA READING & MARCH AROUND THE WALLS

At 21:45 pm ­ Eicha reading at Safra Square. Bring a Megilat Eicha, a flag and a flashlight.

At 22:30 pm ­ Our Walk begins, led by Rabbi Israel Ariel from Machon Hamikdash, MK Prof. Arieh Eldad, Atty Elyakim Haetzni and Dudu Elharar.

We will pass the New Gate, Damascus Gate and the Flower gate. At the Lion's Gate we will assemble to proclaim, in the words of Eicha, that we will not allow "our inheritance to be turned over to strangers" and pray "to renew our days as of old". We will end our Walk at the Dung gate near the Kotel.

We have a police permit. Come with your family and friends and take part in a Tisha B'Av evening to be remembered!

Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green)
POB 7352 Jerusalem 91072
http://www.womeningreen.org/ wfit2@womeningreen.org

* * *

4. ISRAELI POLICE USE ARAB PROVOCATEURS IN AMBUSH OF JEWISH HIKERS

Sunday, August 03, 2008
http://www.israeljustice.com:80/news2.asp?key=143

JERUSALEM -- Israeli police, in what appears to be a new tactic to quell
Jewish nationalists, have begun to use Arab provocateurs in the West Bank.

Police have acknowledged that they used Arab stone throwers to stop
young Jews from hiking through the West Bank on July 29.

Police detective Aharon Yair told a Jerusalem magistrate that Israeli
security forces colluded with Arab provocateurs as part of an ambush to
arrest the hikers.

Yair, when questioned by defense attorney Naftali Wurtzburger, admitted
that special police forces, disguised in civilian clothes but wearing police
hats, hid in an ambush together with Palestinian Bedouin waiting for the
Jewish hikers to arrive.

W."I am telling you that most of these hikes end quietly."

Y. "The fact is that were police forces there. We understood that like last
week, when there was a violent incident when they [the hikers] came to them
[the Bedouin] with weapons, we were ready because we knew that this was a
place of confrontation. They [Bedouin] set up cameras and therefore the
police were there."

W. "If the police were there and watched the confrontation, what was the
problem of the police to stand openly and prevent them [the hikers] from
passing and if it was not permitted, to stop them. The situation, as I see
it, looks like an ambush. Somebody hides out like thieves in the night."

Y. "I'm not the one who decides. There are officers above me who decide what
is overt and what is concealed."

W. "You agree that special police forces were in the area at that time?

Y. "That's what I said."

W. "You said that they were in disguised civilian clothes?"

Y. "They wore a police hat and they shouted that they are police and
identified themselves as police. Some were in a hiding place and some waited
on alert."

Police arrested five Jewish hikers near the Jewish community of Kockav
Hashachar, including three adults, Netanel Kaufman, David Hai and Yitzhak
Yisrael Hai and two minors, as they passed by a Bedouin encampment, close to
the Jewish outpost of Maoz Esther. One of the armed escorts of the group of
about 100 hikers shot in the air to disband the Bedouin, whom they said had
thrown rocks at them, causing a rock-throwing melee. At least three settlers
were injured, including one who had to be hospitalized, after a Bedouin hit
him over the head with a stick.

Yair said that three Bedouin were arrested but were handed over to the
military prosecutor who had released them. None of the Bedouin were injured.

Leaders of the "Land of Israel Faithful" said the young hikers were
undeterred by the police ambush and continued on their four-day walk.

"All of sudden policemen disguised as civilians but with police hats
suddenly came out from behind a small hill and arrested the person who shot
in the air and some of the armed escorts," Daniella Weiss, a Jewish
dissident and one of the organizers of the hike," said.

Weiss said that the police intended to arrest the armed escorts so that
the group would have to abandon the hike but the youth continued and later
succeeded in circumventing police cordons outside Jerusalem.

"Police were surprised that to see how we managed to break through their
barriers and we appeared, 200 youths, under their noses," Weiss said. "After
that they let us continue."

Wurtzburger said that police knew of the hiker's route and hid near the
Bedouin encampment to ambush the young Jews.

"This incident is the direct result of a police provocation,"
Wurtzburger, said. "There is an outpost next to Kochav Hashachar where tens
or hundreds of people intended to pass by openly. The police were hiding out
in the place in collusion with the Bedouin when the Bedouin, at least that's
the version we have, began to attack verbally and physically the hikers
until they withdrew and defended themselves."

Despite the lack of formal charges or evidence, [Kaufman, a heart
patient is shown standing on the side in video footage], Jerusalem
Magistrate Shirli Rener sentenced all five to expulsion from Judea and
Samaria, apart from the area of their own homes.

"The respondents do not have any criminal past but we are talking about
a serious incident which could have ended differently," Rener said on July
30. "After I have considered all the actions that are attributed to the
respondents in the incident, I am heeding the words of the petitioner's
representative that other such incidents can be expected in the near
future."

Rener sentenced Kaufman and Hazut to expulsion from Judea and Samraria
for 20 days and Hai to 40 days and she imposed a 3,000 shekels [$882] on
each of them as well as on a third party guarantor. The two youths received
sentences of 20 days and five days expulsion plus a bond of 3,000 shekels
respectively.

On July 23, police arrested three Jewish hikers and a minor near the
Jewish community of Maalei Michmas in the West Bank. They were suspected of
vandalizing Bedoiun property. The three adults, Efrion Oppenheimer, Arieh
Davis and Alexander Ostrovsky, were sentenced to 90 days expulsion from
Judea and Samaria and a personal bond and the third party guarantee of
10,000 shekels [$2,942], despite the lack of a complainant or formal charges
and police testimony that the suspects did not perpetuate the vandalism but
were in the place at the time and were therefore responsible.

During the hearing before Jerusalem Magistrate Ilta Siskind, Yair
testified that the police did not have a complainant or any physical
evidence of charges of suspected vandalism of Bedouin property. The police
also failed to conduct identification procedures.

Over the last year, police and prosecutors have acknowledged in court
hearings human rights violations against Jewish nationalists.

However, Israeli courts have generally ignored these violations which
included arbitrary arrests, unprovoked assault of minors at peaceful
demonstrations and detention for long periods of time without formal
charges.

Israeli mainstream human rights groups refused to intervene in the
violation of rights of those deemed Jewish nationalists.

"As far as we know they haven't turned to us," Nirit Moskowitz,
spokeswoman for Association of Civil Rights in Israel, said.

The lions share of funding for most of these organizations has come from
the European Union and from the United States.

5. Tisha B'av Flier to be posted in your shul. Please cut and paste into a flier, make copies and distribute


THE TWO-STATE SOLUTION IS THE FINAL SOLUTION.

G-d gave the entire Land of Israel to the Jews. We have no right to cede any part of Eretz Yisrael. Do not follow in the footsteps of the Miraglim. Do not follow in the footsteps of mainstream American Jewry during the Holocaust.

SPEAK OUT!
ERETZ YISRAEL IS NOT FOR SALE!


This Tisha B'Av marks the 3rd Yarhtzeit for Gush Katif. The Disengagement destroyed Gush Katif and expelled its Jews, who had volunteered to live in Israel's buffer zone. Now Sderot, Ashkelon and the surrounding areas have become the latest war zone. Kassams have terrorized the region and have taken the lives of too many Jews.

WHERE WERE YOU WHEN GUSH KATIF WAS DESTROYED?

Do not stand idly by while more than 200,000 of your brothers and sisters in Yerushalayim, Yehudah and Shomron are currently threatened with eviction. Do not allow Netanya, Tel-Aviv, Haifa, Bnei Brak, and Yerushalayaim to become the next targets.

DO NOT REMAIN SILENT.

Let your voice be heard. Contact Jewish organizations, rabbinical leaders and Washington officials because simply lighting a Yahrzeit candle for Gush Katif won't do the job.

Say NO to Land for Peace initiatives!
Say NO to a Two-State solution!
Say NO to terror and releasing of terrorists!

CALL NOW:

* Agudath Yisroel of America
42 Broadway Suite 1400 New York, NY 10004
Tel 212-797-9000 Fax: (212) 254-1600

* The Council of Young Israel Rabbis USA: - CYIR,
111 John Street, Suite 450, New York, New York 10038
Tel: 212-929-1525 Fax: 212-727-9526

* The Orthodox Union
11 Broadway,
New York, NY 10004
Tel:: (212) 563-4000 ♦ Fax: (212) 564-9058

* Chabad Headquarters
770 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn, NY 11213
Tel: 718 774.4000 / fax 718 774.2718

MAIL President USA
president@whitehouse.gov
first.lady@whitehouse.gov
FAX: (202) 456-2461
PHONE: (leave a message for the President) (202) 456-1414



--------------------------------------------

Israel the Land of My Possession is also posted on
http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/

Friday, August 01, 2008

5768.10.27 Israel the Land of My Possession Sellout of Yesha Council and Rabbanim prior to Gush Katif, Rabbi Algaze speaks with clarity

bs"d

27 Tamuz 5768

Friday, August 1, 2008

1. Sellout of Yesha Council and the Rabbanim prior to Gush Katif.  Will the same thing happen for Yehudah and the Shomron?  A must see raw filmage video (in Hebrew with Hebrew subtitles)

2. Rabbi Algaze speaks out with clarity regarding the Halachic obligation to speak out for Eretz Yisroel.  Please distribute!!! Robin Ticker's comments follow.


Shabbat Shalom!

------------------------------------------

1. Sellout of Yesha Council and the Rabbanim prior to Gush Katif.  Will the same thing happen for Yehudah and the Shomron? 

In response to the previous post about the failure of our Religious Rabbanim and Leaders to lead the fight for Eretz Yisroel, this video "Trapped Leadership" is a must see.  It is raw footage of the days prior to Gush Katif up till the end.  It is not short and the subtitles are in Hebrew.

<pashra@netvision.net.il>,  writes (abbrev)

What you have written about is the real tragedy of the Jewish Nation. From my days at Gush Katif I recall the sellout of the Yesha council ( THREE YEARS TO GUSH KATIF JEWS' EXPULSION    Must See - Watch and Cry - "Trapped Leadership"

(H) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5590102746285413294

PS. In Memory of Katif (H) http://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/178

<pashra@netvision.net.il>,  continues
We are in most difficult times as the religious leaders and ultraorthodox and hareidim wait for Mashiach to declare that Israel exists and in the meantime be on the payroll of ANY government coalition  so they can study Torah and learn how precious the State/Nation of Israel is.  I discovered something very interesting in some reading. There is the 'GREEN LINE' expression that is used over and over again by everyone. Where did it come from. It comes from the Torah in that the Land Of Israel will only prosper when it is occupied by Jews otherwise it is barren. Witness Mark Twain's declaration in the late 1800's that he has never seen such a desolate land in all his travels. Then the Aliyah began and today we have a flourishing green country. But the British before the modern State of Israel was declared adopted the torah expression and declared the borders to be the 'green line' which today refers mostly to the pre-1967 borders. Thus even our enemy the British have based their statements and observations on the Torah recognizing the truth of the Torah by declaring that on the other side of the 'green line' where at that time it was mostly Arabs, it was still barren whereas those areas with the halutzim, Jews from all walks of life were, was green and flourishing with produce orchards etc and able to sustain the people.

 

BUT OUR RELIGIOUS AND SPIRITUAL LEADERS OF TODAY ARE SILENT AND IGNORE THE TEACHINGS OF TORAH. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE THE GREATEST SIN OF TODAY.  YET HOW EASILY WILL THEY SIT ON TISHA B'AV AND RECITE KINOT AND PRAYERS . SUCH HYPOCRISY IS LEADING US TO HAVE ROTTEN GOVERNMENTS AND AS THE MOVIE ABOVE NOTES, GUSH KATIF WAS A SELLOUT BY THE SO CALLED LEADERS.

 We must pray for the welfare of the Nation.

 pesach 

פסח

2. Rabbi Algaze speaks out with clarity regarding the Halachic obligation to speak out for Eretz Yisroel.  Please distribute!!!

Rabbi Algaze writes to a fellow Rav, (distributed with Rabbi Algaze's permission)
 
I had not expected such a lively and fast moving debate but I appreciate very much your input and promptness. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef's position is somewhat puzzling and I am not sure we can really construe it as a valid halachic position. His son, Rav Yosef Yosef, agrees with my opinion on this matter. To my knowledge Rav Ovadia has not published this opinion and for good reasons: to justify giving away the land of Israel is not justified. I do not agree that the halacha is that we may give up the land under some circumstances. The giving away of land is forbidden, but as in the case of all mitzvot (except three) they may be transgressed or ignored only for the sake of pikuach nefesh. The mitzvah is absolute, not relativist. In order to say that we may suspend the halacha--in order to give a practical psak for our times-- a responsible posek or beth din should write their arguments, quoting sources and facts in order that their opinion carry the strength of a valid pesak. Without written arguments, how do we know under which circumstances they applied this suspension of the mitzvah and how long should this suspension last?
 
To my knowledge, no other posek wrote about the permissibility of giving land away. In the Moetzes Gedole Hatorah of 1937 in Marienbad, the gedolim argued whether it was permissible for us to accept the partition plan which implied the renunciation of half of Eretz Israel. Although the majority voted in favor of partition, they did it because if we did not accept the plan. Israel would have gotten nothing. The situation today is not the same. Today we have the whole land and giving away any part of the land falls under the prohibition of "lo tehonem" (do not give them gifts) and contradicts directly the Ramban who says we are not allowed to leave the land in enemies' hands. If we cannot abandon the land, how much less we are allowed to actively giving away parts of the land. In any case, at that meeting in 1937, although the majority voted in favor of the partition plan, the resolution contained a clear declaration about the inalienable rights of the Jewish people to the entire land, " The foundation of the Jewish people's right to the Holy Land is based on the Torah and the prophets…A Jewish State not based on the principles of Torah is a denial of Jewish origin, is opposed to the identity and to the true stature of our people, and undermines the basis of existence of our people…Any relinquishment of the Holy Land given to the Jewish people by G-d has no validity" (HaPardes 11:6)
 
Rabbi Nebentzahl position is very confusing. If he agrees that negotiating with the current Arabs in Judea and Samaria is "foolish" (his words), what is the point of accepting the "land for peace" principle? If we cannot give away the land to these people, to whom are we going to give it away? And, if we cannot make peace with these people, why are we talking about "land for peace"? It seems to me that the two points must go together: if there is no one to negotiate peace with, then we should suspend the principle of "land for peace".
 
We have already agreed that the Oslo accords and the delusional "peace process" has brought only more tragedy and deaths to our people than before the Oslo agreements. To pursue policies that have failed in the past is madness (A. Einstein paraphrase). If the reasons for the suspension of the halacha are no longer tenable, we should simply revert to the original halacha. We should state it clearly and with conviction. Let the world hear what the Rabbis think of the  connection between Am Israel and Eretz Israel.
 
It seems to me that the problem here is not what answers or opinions are given but rather that we are hearing nothing from the Rabbis. That is the problem. To leave matters of such importance in the hands of non religious people, who have abandoned the Torah and our history in the altar of modernity and hedonism, is an egregious error. As Rav Teichenthal complained and campaigned, sadly in vain, against the leaders of his time during the Shoah, this is the time that good people should complain to the Rabbis and demand that they do more. " The Lubavitcher Rebbe said about this state of affairs, "Silence is a sin".
 
At that conference in Marienbad, the gedole Israel complained bitterly that the discussions concerning the establishment of the State of Israel did not include them. Today, living in a democratic society, when many people look up to our Rabbis for guidance, why aren't the Rabbis speaking up?  I firmly believe that if prominent rabbis would speak up even the government and the media would listen. In fact, if the gedole Israel spoke about our rights to the Land, if they did not mince words about our connection to the Land and all that follows from that principle, even the governments of the world would listen and respect us. I would even dare think that if the Rabbis of Israel spoke with the conviction that this is our land and we are not giving it away--even Arabs would begin to see reality in a different light and who knows perhaps even have a change in their thinking.
 
When Rabbi Steinsaltz says "he does not want to get involved in politics" he is wrong. His silence encourages the political leaders to do what they do and hence he is indirectly assisting them in their nefarious plans. To stand aside when someone needs help is not an blameless act. To refuse to act when action is called for carries a heavy responsibility. I would hope that the Rabbis of the Sanhedrin and especially the revered rabbis Steinsaltz and Nebentzahl have access to this email and my communications. Their thoughtful response to my inquiries would be appreciated not only by me but also by the many who know about this communications and are eager to hear the voice of true Torah addressing these serious and urgent matters for Klal Israel. I formally call upon the rabbis of the Sanhedrin to take up my call and I await their response. Im lo achshav, ematay?

Bekavod rav,

 
David Algaze
 

 
In another email Rabbi Algaze writes to the Rav
Regarding my sentence "no posek ever allowed this (the giving away of land of Israel)" I agree that it was imprecise. I appreciate your filling me in on the symposium at Mosad Rav Kook and would like to hear more about it. I doubt, however, that they made an actual psak that contradicts the clear indications of the Shulchan Aruch and the Ramban. I personally spoke to Rav Yosef in September 1993, after the Oslo agreements and it was very clear that his decision to support the Oslo accords was not based on any specific psak but rather on a military judgment that the agreements would save lives. You well know that after Oslo we had thousands of deaths and many more wounded for life. Can anyone think that that decision still stand today?  When I said that there is no psak that allows giving away the land to others, especially sworn enemies, I meant that that was the halacha. There may be situations when a posek or a beth din may decide, letzorech sha'a, to choose not to enforce the application of that halacha, but this would not mean that the basic principle is canceled. That is what I meant. Regarding the decision to temporarily suspend the application of the halacha, I imagine that there are some criteria. For instance, is the agreement working? Do we think that giving away Judea and Samaria to the Fatah forces (which include the Al Aqsa martyrs and other terrorist organizations) would save lives today or encourage another front similar to Hezbollah in the north and Hamas on the south? These are questions that should concern the same rabbis who at one time or another lent their support to similar agreements in the past. I do not think that it is proper to simply rely on old opinions that were given with very specific parameters which may not be applicable or correct today.  While we discuss these matters, our people suffer and die. Should our rabbis stand aside while tragedies occur? Can we really trust Olmert and his ilk to make the correct decisions for the Jewish people? Did they save the lives of the kidnapped soldiers? Did they save Sderot? I cannot believe that minds like Rav Steinsaltz and Nebentzahl can admit that the problems facing Israel today are better resolved by Olmert and his cabinet than by high intelligent minds such as the rabbis of Israel in consultation with military and intelligence leaders. At least, they should provide some guidance to the process. 
The real question is: will these rabbis support the heroic work of our settlers or the negotiating positions of the current government? Can we admit that decisions affecting Jewish lives should be shared with members of Knesset that either  oppose the Jewishness of the State or are more concerned with humanistic values than with the mission of Am Israel as prescribed by our Torah?  This is the "government" of which you speak. The people of Israel today is leaderless and without vision. If the leaders of Israel, the Rabbis, remain silent, what hope do we have? 
 
We need rabbis in Israel, preferably led by the Sanhedrin but not necessarily, to gather together and hold consultations with military and intelligence experts to assess the situation correctly. The US may pressure Israel in countless ways but it would never impose an obligation to give up territory unless Israel itself acquiesces voluntarily. The threat of Iran notwithstanding, Israel faces a terrible threat if it continues to allow the Arabs in its midst to fight.  In fact, we may be more able to stop Iran than Arabs in our midst. (witness the case of Sderot and the probable tragedies that may soon come upon the citizens of Israel). Don't worry about US response to Iran. Israel is sure to defend itself. I am not so sure that it will act to protect itself from the more familiar and mundane threats that lurk in its midst.
In the 15 years since Oslo, the position of Israel in the world has weakened, not become  stronger. Our enemies have become stronger and more lethal. When Hamas, Hezbollah and a Fatah led "Palestine" decide to attack Israel, with the support of all Arab countries, G-d save us. The greatest threat to Israel is not war, it is "peace." Rav Yosef told me that we have to wait for Meshiach to have full rights over our land. I would suggest we use the same logic with regard to peace making. Let us wait for Mashiach to have peace or until our enemies beg us for peace. Until then, let us strengthen our people with clarity of thought--this land is our land, period--and not with vain and false positions that allow Israel to give up its land and its right.
 
David Algaze
 

 
Robin Ticker's comments:

One of the tragedies of Gush Katif is that the youth were betrayed by their Rabbincial Leaders that taught them the Torah and to love Eretz Yisroel and to believe that this Land is ours yet when push came to shove the kids were/are left alone to defend the Land, a bunch of kids unarmed, facing an armed army with clubs and riot gear as in Amona, in isolation in the corrupt Israeli court systems etc. and the Rabbinical Leaders, those that teach words of Torah do not show that they are willing to stand up forcefully for what they believe in. Perhaps as the above writer suggests, the fact that they are under the gov't payroll directly or indirectly has something to do with it. Even today as I right these words, the IDF turns a blind eye to Arab provocation such as rock throwing and then arrests the person that shoots in the air in self defense. Ever since 2002 there has been talk of a 2 State Solution.   How many Rabbanim made a statement of clarity that the 2 State Solution (suggested since 2002) is clearly against the fundamental teachings of the Torah.  This at the very least would validate the struggle of the youth.  Instead Rabbanim will collect money for psychological counseling in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the kids rather than admit their failure to stand up for the Torah thereby causing great emotional anguish to these young innocent trusting souls. Many involved in the struggle for Eretz Yisroel  (a lot of them kids) actually had criminal records until the recent vote in the Knesset (some still do) .  Rabbi Algaze writes with strength and with clarity. This is the voice of Calev Ben Yefuneh and Yehoshua ben Nun. it will hopefully be a catalyst for change, and thereby do much to start the healing process and bring emotional balm to the pained but righteous souls whose only crime is a love for Eretz Yisroel and our Holy Torah.

Israel  the Land of My Possession.  A digest of articles in the spirit of Calev Ben Yefunah and Yehoshua Ben Nun!  Oloh Naaleh Veyarashnu Osah Ki Yachol Nuchal La!  Bamidbar 13:30. Please feel free to distribute! 

Barry Chamish post was not put on by me. It was sent by mistake. I deleted it. Sorry.

bs"d

As you know, bloggers send their posts by email to their blog. Only authorized people of the blog know the correct email . At the moment only I am the only one authorised to post on my blog. Accidentally, (my slip up) Barry Chamish got the email address for posting on my blog and w/o realizing it was a blog email, sent his email to my blog. I have since deleted it from my blog. I never had any intention of posting his article on my blog and I am sure he did not have any intention of posting his article on my blog as well. In the meanwhile I wish to apologize for this mistake. I have changed the email address to my blog so that hopefully this will not occur in the future.