The following is posted on Shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com
Dovid Wilder is a wonderful spokesperson for Hebron BUT it seems to me that Teshuva does not only lie with those that don't go on aliya as he suggests. Teshuva is far more encompassing and includes Hebron. I will elaborate this point.
Dovid Wilder and other leaders in Hebron have a mistaken notion that in order for things to change for the better, Jews must come on Aliya. In other words, Dovid Wilder is saying, let's put the blame on the Jews in the Diaspora. We in Hebron are doing our part.
Of one thing I am certain. One need not go on Aliya in order to claim entitlement of EY.
Does David Wilder feel that Jews in the Diaspora have no real clout unless they actually live and are citizens of Israel?
While I agree that it's ideal to have more Jews physically in EY, I am convinced that the Disengagement from Gush Katif could and should have been stopped with much fewer people actually residing there.
What IS necessary is the acknowledgment of all Jews in the Diaspora that our entitlement of EY is equal to Israeli citizens. It is each and every Jews obligation to SPEAK OUT and defend EY whether or not they are physically residing in EY and whether or not they recognize Medinat Yisroel or are Israeli citizens.
Furthermore, it is my conclusion that because the majority of Am Yisroel is not claiming entitlement to EY, and because of Areivus, mutual responsibility and accountability, we as a Nation are lacking and undeserving of EY.
The root of our point of difference and the point from where our positions diverge is as follows. The leaders in Hebron still equate EY with the State of Israel and put too much emphasis on the State of Israel, while it is this writers position that the establishment of the State in 1948 should not be our main focus. .
For this year's Hebron Dinner invitation to take place on November 17th, 2008 celebrating the 20-40-60 years of the establishment of Hebron Community, the Reunification of Jerusalem and establishment of the State of Israel, there is no mention that our beloved Medina (State) is working proactively to destroy all that they have worked so hard to accomplish.
Actually, I don't believe that the organizers of the Hebron Dnner have blinders on but rather they have a mistaken notion that if they play the game right, and act as if the Medina is still viable with proud pictures of the Israeli flag, singing the Hatikvah etc, they can raise lots of money. After all, the Medina can boast of miraculous accomplishments regarding Kibbutz Goliyot and Harbatzas Torah (in gathering of the exiles and spreading Torah). They are counting on nostalgia.
But frankly speaking, who would want to celebrate an anniversary with a spouse that is trying to commit homicide or suicide and is taking the entire family along on this sick mission
Let us examine from where the sickness plaguing Medinat Yisroel originate?
It began with the inception of the State of Israel. It started with the rejection of Torah by the founding fathers of the State of Israel. If we can correct the root of the problem, by returning to the founding fathers of the Nation of Israel, we can hopefully save the marriage between the Jewish Nation and Hashem that began at Har Sinai.long before 1948.
The time has come for the people in Hebron to take the leadership role that they are capable of doing. They must raise the status of YESHA and in this way be the defenders of the entire EY. But if their focus is on their staff and their budget and on building Hebron alone, then the entire enterprise in Hebron is in real danger of falling apart chas veshalom as current events have shown.
The Jews in the Diaspora and in EY need to be worthy of EY. At the present time the major Jewish organizations who influence hundreds of thousands of Jews in the Diaspora and in Israel do not see why speaking out against a Palestinian State is necessary. It is up to the Leaders in Hebron to reach out to their brothers and demand that they SPEAK OUT. Your response in Hebron has been, "We will do our little part. We will focus on building up Hebron. We have given up on them."
So my dear brothers of Hebron....Will it satisfy you that the uncaring Jews in the Diaspora will get their DIVINE RETRIBUTiON? And if they go off the cliff do you really believe that they won't take you down with them?
What have we been doing to be Mekarev them, begging and pleading with them to take their chelek, their heritage in EY as you have done?
Practically, asking people to come on ALIYA is too drastic a step for most of the Jews in the Diaspora.
Let us assume that our hearts are in Eretz Yisroel. People need to take baby steps. A simple protest call or letter of any of the intolerable acts of the gov't in Israel against settlers (even settlers not from Hebron) or letters or calls of protest to the White House from all men, women and children that are supporters of Jewish sovereignty and against the 2 State Solution, doesn't add up to lots of money per person but does add up to a strong voice of protest for YESHA..
Also, YESHA has to be a united force. That will only happen when the settlements and organizations join as a unit.
This was the strategy of the 13 colonies. For example, the Stamp Act Congress gave them representatives that were able to make decisions that repealed the Stamp Act. The Committees of Correspondence were formed throughout the colonies as a means of coordinating action against Gr. Britain. Many were formed by the legislatures of the respective colonies, others by extra-governmental associations such as the Sons of Liberty in the various colonies. In any case, the members of these organizations represented the leading men of each colony. It took some time, and finally an act as dramatic as the Boston Port Bill, to coordinate the colonies in action against Gr. Britain. (http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/related/coc.htm). Remember in those days they didn't have mail service to communicate or coordinate. Today, b"h we have internet and Moetzet Gedolei Hatorah can reach those that don't go on the internet. They organized minutemen men for their defense.
They formed the Continental Congress in which leaders of each of the colonies other than Georgia were represented. The First Continental Congress, which met briefly in Philadelphia in 1774, consisted of 56 delegates from twelve of the Thirteen Colonies . (wikipedia)
Only a strong united force originating from Yesha will deter the Medina from taking action against Yesha and their policy of isolating settlers and communities who are the biggest "troublemakers".. It is our conviction that only a strong show of force from Yesha will deter any policies by the gov't that will generate animosity between brothers. Animosity generated from justified grievences can actually trigger a civil war chas veshalom.
Collectively all the A/F (American Friends) of the Yesha organizations have the PR capability via networking and sharing of donor databases to win the support and backing of the Jews in the Diaspora.
A majority of people in Israel do not believe in Land for Peace concessions. The majority of Israelis want a complete Israel including YESHA.. Yet many people have been brainwashed to believe that they are not entitled to this Land or that keeping the Land is an obstacle to peace.
The leftist media has given the allusion of strength to the Medina.
In conclusion, SPEAKING OUT for YESHA and our entitlement based on the Torah is our primary concern before any other. For our collective survival, the Jews in EY have no choice but to be in partnership with the Jews in the Diaspora. Collectively, because of Areivus, each of us must prove worthy of EY and at the very minimum protest giving away parts of EY. In addition, each and every Jew must be a partner in building EY be it Hebron or elsewhere. Our collective goal is to live in EY and observe the Mitzoth in EY. Let us learn from effective partnerships between the tribes of Reuvein Gad and 1/2 tribe of Menasheh with the rest of the tribes of Israel and from the partnership of tribes Yissachar and Zevulun to each other.
That is the Teshuva that is required from all of us and nothing less.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/16248/jewish/Chapter-27.htm
Tehillim - Chapter 27
From: hebron@hebron.org.il
To: hebron.mail@hebron.org.il
Date: Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:11:52 +0300
Subject: Tshuva by David Wilder
Tshuva
David Wilder
October 08, 2008For the past month and a half, lives of observant Jews have revolved around one particular expression – that being tshuva, meaning, in broad terms, repentance. For an entire month prior to the New Year, Rosh HaShana, special prayers are recited, Torah classes are held, and personal acts of introspection permeate our existence. This, of course, culminates on the holiest day of the year, that being tomorrow, Yom Kippur. On this day we beseech G-d to forgive our wrongdoings, be they between man and the Good L-rd, or between man and his fellowman.
It's much easier to face G-d and ask for forgiveness from Him. In our silent prayers, be they formal or informal, we can confess to our human errors and plead for Divine clemency. G-d doesn't wait for once in four years to sign executive orders granting pardons. It's something that can be done every day, every minute or every second of every day. And especially on Yom Kippur when we forgo just about all elements of our physical lives, abstaining from food and other earthly pleasures, to immerse ourselves in total spirituality, as much as we humanly can.
It's much more difficult to ask forgiveness from our fellow man. Admitting mistakes to a friend, co-worker, boss or employee, or to a close family member isn't always easy. Sometimes, actually, it's very hard. But that's what this day's all about. G-d cannot grant forgiveness for issues between two people until they settle the problem themselves.
However this is just one aspect of tshuva and forgiveness. There's at least one other side (probably more).
The ideal of forgiving is not only a personal commitment. It is also a national obligation. Keep in mind that the word 'tshuva' literally means 'return.' In a religious sense, 'returning' from the wrong paths we've taken, and this time around, turning down the right road of holiness and purity.
Exactly fourteen years ago, following election of Yitzhak Rabin, Israel began formally negotiating with Yassir Arafat and the PLO. Those talks led to Oslo. That curse, still with us today, has led to the murders of almost 2,000 people, in cold blood.
Oslo led to the Hebron Accords, which divided the city, abandoning over 80% of Hebron to the Palestinian authority. Exactly eight years ago, these accords led to shooting attacks on Hebron from the hills Israel 'gave' to our enemy. The shooting continued for two years. Dozens of people in the Hebron region and over a thousand Jews throughout Israel were killed during this war.
Oslo and Hebron led to Gush Katif. Almost 10,000 people expelled from their homes, and countless rockets fired into Israel from the land Israel abandoned to our enemies.
A short time after the 'other side' of Hebron was vacated by Israeli security forces in favor of armed terrorists in uniform by then Defense Minister Fuad ben Eliezer in the fall of 2002, then Hebron Brigade commander, Col. Dror Weinberg held a meeting with a group of local civilian security leaders. During that meeting, on a Friday morning in November, Col. Weinberg warned that terrorists were planning a major attack, but that little more information was available. That night, Col. Dror Weinberg and eleven other men were killed during the attack he had discussed earlier that same day.
Yesterday, speaking to a group of mostly Swedish youth at the 1929 memorial room in Beit Hadassah, I told them that history has to be learned from. In August, 1929 the Jewish leadership in Hebron believed that their Arab neighbors would shield them from any attacks, protecting them from harm's way. That leadership was wrong. That mistake cost 67 lives and the expulsion of Hebron's surviving Jewish population from the city.
When the Hebron accords were signed, Israeli military officers said straight out that 'our security is dependent on cooperation from the PA.' We know exactly where that cooperation led; to Jewish cemeteries, widows and orphans. And national disgrace.
A week ago outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, once mayor of Jerusalem, in a broad newspaper interview, expressed his opinion that Israel must 'give back' just about all of Judea and Samaria, including East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, in exchange for peace.
As we approach Yom Kippur, we have received solid information that Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Central Command General Gadi Shamni want to do it again. Give it another chance. 'Return' the 'other side' of Hebron to PA terrorists in uniform. They believe that Fatah forces are preferable to Hamas. (Achikam Amichai and David Rubin from Kiryat Arba were killed just over a half a year ago by Fatah 'palestinian police.)
According to the information we have, some of which was published yesterday on ynet and more today in the Jerusalem Post, a meeting is to take place on October 15, a week from today, between very high ranking Israeli security officers, including the head of the Civil Administration and also possibly General Noam Tivon (former Hebron military commander, serving in Hebron at the beginning of the 'Olso War' aka the Second Intifada), presently commander of forces in Judea and Samaria. During this meeting it is quite likely that details of transfer of security responsibility from Israel to the PA in over 80% of Hebron will be discussed and finalized.
This is, I guess, in their opinion, Tshuva – returning. Not returning to G-d's ways, not returning to Eretz Yisrael and Israeli national pride. Rather, returning to the same mistakes made time and time again, leading to Israel blood being shed, to cemeteries and mourning.
I also believe in the necessity to 'do Tshuva.' And this is what I try to express to groups I meet here in Hebron, especially when they are youth. I tell them that must do Tshuva – no, not necessarily 'religious' tshuva, keeping Shabbat and Kashrut. Rather I encourage them to fulfill another kind of tshuva – of coming home, of making Aliyah, of returning to their Homeland, coming to live here in Eretz Yisrael, in the State of Israel.
I firmly believe that there is no more significant act that a Jew can do today than such tshuva, returning home to our Land. This is real Tshuva – not the kind espoused by Barak and Olmert, Shamni and Tivon. Keep in mind that had Gush Katif been filled with 50,000 people, that process of expulsion could never have begun. So too in all of Judea and Samaria. The secret to our remaining in these regions is dependent on Tshuva, on Jews coming back, from all over the world, coming home to our ancient homeland. When there are a half a million Jews in Yesha, there won't be anything to talk about. This should be our number one goal: Tshuva – not only for a month and half of the year, but every day of the entire year. This is what Am Yisrael needs today, more than anything else.
On behalf of the entire Hebron extended family, please accept our wishes for a Shana Tova, a good and happy New Year, for a 'Gmar Chatima Tova, for an easy fast, and for a quick and successful fulfillment of the mitzvah of Tshuva, coming home to Eretz Yisrael.
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