re: Respect and Your objections to Susie Dym's letter to Rabbi Weinreb

bs"d

 

Dear Haim Kalb, amv"sh

 

Rather than apologize for the lack of respect you accuse Ms. Dym toward a Rabbinic scholar,please consider the following:  Torah Shebaal Peh is based on Torah Shebichtav.  Let's talk about Mitzvoth d'Oryata.

 

 

Isn't there a Mitzva Al Taamod Al Dam Reiecha.  Did you see the blood flow from the youth at Amona?  How about all the Kassam Rockets going into Sederot on a Daily basis. Did you see the bloody videos of little children and adults as a result of the gov't abandoning Sederot.  The army knows exactly where those Kassam rockets are originating from and knows how to get rid of them. Yet the gov't has not given the IDF the green light to stop these rocket attacks.  The army must look the other way.  Did Rabbi Weinreb as the Rabbinic leader of the OU speak out in protest regarding this Pikuach nefesh crisis so as not to violate this important MItzva D'Orayta.  Maybe rabbi Weinreb doesn't get Israel Kaplan's emails every day informing him of every single damn rocket that hits Sederot (please excuse the terminology but if that rocket is damned then Halleluka)

 

 

How about the Mitzvot DOrayta of not to afflict the Ger Yatom and Almona.  I can tell you some very gruesome stories of how the gov't went to the house of an Almona whose husband was murdered and woke everyone up in the middle of the night including the little kids and ransacked their home and put them on a vehicle and left them in the street somewhere in the middle of nowhere.    I don't remember hearing Rabbi Weinreb's voice then either. I do think he was thinking very carefully about speaking out publicly against the policies of the gov't of the State of Israel.  What about the Mitzvot DOrayta not to afflict the Yatom and Almona?!?.

 

How many times does it speak in the Torah that Hashem promised the Land of Israel to the seed of Avraham Yitzchok and Yaakov for an eternal inheritance and we in turn are obligated to keep the Mitzvoth. Nodeh Lecha Hashem Elokeinu, al Shehinchalta Laavoseinu, Eretz Chemda, Tova Urechava....It's in Bentching and the fact that Hashem gave us Eretz Yisroel is also in the Parshiot of Shma. What kavana do you have when you kiss the Mezuza or Tzizis or Tefillin in which the passages of Shma is embedded?  Yet President Bush is speaking since 2002 about a 2 State Solution, a Palestinian State and a Jewish State living side by side. Yet the OU is Silent.  Shtika Kehodaya Damya. Silence is complicit agreement.  Is this what Hashem thought of when He gave the broader boundaries of Eretz Yisroel to Am Yisroel in the Bris Bein Habesarim and delineated in Parshas Masei on a smaller scale. Since Rabbi Weinreb and the Rabbinic Leaders have turned a blind eye when blatant violations of Mitzvoth D'Orayta are committed, then I don't think Susie Dym has to apologize for calling his position non honorary.  Have his actions as Rabbi truly been honorary?  Are the actions of his colleagues worthy of being called Rabbis.  A Rabbi is someone who is not only intellectually familiar with the Torah but is actually someone that is a role model for keeping the Torah.  Doing the Torah. Observing the Torah.

 

Let's talk about Torah and mitzvoth. How about Shemittah.  Can we keep the Mitzvoth Teluyot Baaretz like Shemittah if we give the Land away.  If we truly desired to keep the Mitzvah of Shemittah we would simply say that the Land belongs to Hashem and we are obligated to let the Land lie fallow in the 7th year.  Will the "peaceful democratic Palestinian State" have these considerations as well?  Keeping the Mitzvoth is what brings Kedusha into the world.  Even President Bush called it the HOLYLAND.  But are the Palestinians keeping the Mitzvoth in the Land making sure that the aspect of KEDUSHA is maintained?

 

I think it is you that should apologize to Susie Dym who is humble and truly has Ahavas Yisroel and doesn't insist that people call her any special title and doesn't care about titles.  She volunteers her days and nights working selflessly for Klal Yisroel and Eretz Yisroel and you have the Chuzpa to even suggest that she is disrespectful to someone that gives the impression he just doesn't really care? I am sure that to a certain degree Rabbi Weinreb does care. But if Rabbi Weinreb truly cared enough, he would have spoken up before Gush Katif and after Gush Katif and would have spoken up against the travesty and would have done something to alleviate the emotional and economic and sociological pain of our brothers Achainu Beis Yisroel that were brutally removed from their homes, had their parnassa taken away from them, their beautiful communities destroyed along with their dignity and had the cohesiveness of the family unit destroyed. What about all the Mitzvoth Dorayta regarding property rights, Mitzvoth Aseh and Mitzvoth lo Saaseh? What is the point of studying all these topics yet not apply them. It's like learning all the laws regarding giving to the poor and in the middle a poor person comes by and asks for help and we turn him away because he is disrupting our learning.

 

Talking about picking and choosing Mitzvoth.  Isn't it you that is doing the picking and choosing?

 

Up in Shamayim they are laying out the carpets for the likes of Susie Dym.   Susie Dym  is truly the one that is worthy of honor.  Before you accuse Susie of being disrespectful to the Rabbanim, respectfully ask the Rabbanim regarding the Mitzvoth D'Orayta mentioned above. 

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Haim Kalb <Kalbcpa@012.net.il>
Date: 2008/2/6
Subject: RE: הפעם לדוברי אנגלית בלבד English Speakers On
To: מטות ערים <mattot.arim@gmail.com>

1. the chief non-honorary officer-this is degrading a Rav 
2. THE ALLUSION WAS TO THE FACT THAT RABBI W IS EXECUTIVE VP -- WHEREAS THE PRESIDENT IS THE CHIEF OFFICER, HOWEVER THE PRESIDENT IS AN HONORARY POSITION (NO ACTUAL POWERS I.E.) SO PRACTICALLY SPEAKING (IE OTHER THAN HONORARY POSITIONS) -- RABBI W IS THE CHIEF OFFICER
3. IF YOU THINK THAT THIS ALLUSION WOULD BE MISUNDERSTOOD BY RABBI W. I AM HAPPY TO EMAIL AN APOLOGY CC YOU
4. Rabbi Weinreb and his like-minded colleagues-Professionals are colleageues, Rabanim are Rabanim! CORRECT...COLLEAGUES THEREFORE MEANS HIS FELLOW LEADERS IN THE VARIOUS AMERICAN JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS
5. convince Rabbi Weinreb and his like-minded colleagues to rethink these policies quickly. It seems they have not yet internalized-What you are saying is they have not adapted your opinion or to the level of your activism and we must convince them to adapt our opinion and our degree of activism. Keep in mind the Rabanim deal with a lot of issues most other people and organizations don't. They deal with chinuch, shlom bayit, conversions, medical and scientific halachic issues, kashruthand many more all at the same time. You are implying that the Rabanim should reorganize what they do and put at the top of their list the issue most important to you
6. I THINK THE POINT IS THAT THERE IS A PIKUACH NEFESH OF THE RABIM HERE. NOTE THE LATEST PRONOUNCEMENT OF THE GEDOLEI HATORAH (A FEW DAYS AGO) IN E'Y ENDORSED BY THE GEDOLEI TORAH IN USA ABOUT THIS SPECIFIC POINT
7. . On the other hand think about where Am Yisrael would be if everyone "rethought their policies" as you put it and do exactly what the Rabanim do. Everyone whould be makpid on all the Mitavot, keep shabbos and kashruth properly, learn hours of Torah a day etc, and this would surly change Am Yisrael's position in the world tremendously. Am Yisrael survived 2000 in exile without a state. But as we see with intermarriage around the world, Jews can't survive more than 1-2 generations after they stop intensively keeping Torah and Mitzvot.
8. YES INDEED, ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. HOWEVER THE PALESTINIAN STATE ISSUE IS AN EVEN MORE SHORT-TERM DANGER UNFORTUNATELY
9. Israel's continued survival depends -- among other factors -- on its ability to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria. The goyim don't have any power except the power the Jews give them by not keeping Torah and Mitzvot. WE KNOW THAT EVEN IN OUR PARENTS' LIFETIMES THERE WERE MANY INSTANCES OF HESTER PANIM IN EUROPE AND ELSEWHERE IN WHICH THIS WAS NOT BORNE OUT...IT IS ALSO NOT REPRESENTED BY THE MEKOROT...I DONT THINK THAT TALMIDEI CHACHOMIM WOULD ENDORSE THIS STATEMENT AS YOU HAVE EXPRESSED IT.
10. Rabbi Weinreb must act like a leader-this is condescending. I am sure he does lots for Am Yisrael leading them in many areas the OU is involved in. Again, he may not have the same activism as you in the area of your interest but I am sure in the areas he is involved in he acts like a leader.
11. Rabbi Weinreb must work tirelessly-again, this is condescending.
12. CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM  PARTICULARLY IN MATTERS OF PIKUACH NEFESH IS NEVER CONDESCENDING. HOWEVER, IF YOU CONTACT RABBI WEINREB AND FIND THAT HE TOOK OFFENSE FROM THIS (I AM PRETTY SURE HE WOULD NOT...) I WILL BE HAPPY TO CLARIFY -- IN WRITING CC TO YOU THAT THERE WAS NO INTENTION TO CAUSE OFFENSE.

BIVRACHA NEEMANA -- S. DYM

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From: מטות ערים [mailto:mattot.arim@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 05, 2008 11:56 PM
To: Haim Kalb
Subject: Re: הפעם לדוברי אנגלית בלבד English Speakers On

 

Mr. Kalb, pls pull out any expressions you find offensive (or mark them in some color...) and list them for us here and we will consider your constructive criticism very carefully. We do hope thought that you will consider a suitably respectful letter in the language you feel is right and with content you feel is appropriate, to Rabbi W.  regarding this pikuach nefesh issue. Bivracha.

On 2/5/08, Haim Kalb <Kalbcpa@012.net.il> wrote:

Although I generally have similar opinions to your group, I am outraged that you refer the way you do here about a Rav in general and about his so-called "colllegues" (i.e. other Rabanim) in particular. You are free to have your opinion but keep in mind that the Gmara states that one of the reasons for the current exile is because Jews didn't have respect for Talmidei Chachamim. You may agree with their view or you may not but if you don't at least respect them then you learned nothing from 2000 years of exile. The existence of the State of Israel is more dependent  on respect for Rabbis and love of every Jew than it is on American or Israeli gov't policy. It is Hashem's policy that counts, and although part of that policy entails "hishtadlut" which is what you are trying to do, you can't do hishtadlut at the expense of respect of Rabanim and talmidei chachamim-that is part of the reason for the exile and without fixing it, the state will again be at risk. By doing hishtadlut at the expense of respect of other Jews, that is called "שכרו יצא בהפסדו.

 

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Land of Israel vs. Medinat Yisroel Letter by Lubavitch Rebbe to Geula Cohen 1969

http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/when-silence-is-a-sin/17.htm

The Very Use Of The Term "Land Of Israel"
Serves As An Answer To The Claim Of The Nations,
"You Are Robbers."

Letter To (Then) Member Of Knesset Of The Techiya Party,
Mrs. Geulah Cohen,
19 Sivan, 5729 (1969):

Blessings and Greetings!

I received your letter some time ago, but due to circumstances beyond my control, my answer was delayed until now.

... I wonder a bit about your surprise that in certain circles, myself among them, the title "State of Israel" was never accepted. The reason is quite easy to understand: The land of Canaan was given as an inheritance to the Nation of Israel beginning with the covenant between G-d and Abraham. The name "Land of Israel" was then established, in place of the name "Land of Canaan." So has it been fixed for thousands of years. This is firmly grounded in the Torah, and is rooted in the vocabulary of the entire nation, from young to old. Such matters are not subject to the vote of the majority, the outcome of which is liable to change from time to time (this change being, naturally, capricious). After all the various incidents and changes which have occurred recently — for better, or, painfully, for the opposite — it is also impossible to be confident about the present change. Actually, such conjecture whether or not to accept the new title is quite unnecessary since in my opinion, as I mentioned, the matter is not given to determination by referendum. Just as the name of the "Nation of Israel" is not subject to vote in order to determine whether the Jewish People shall be referred to as they are in the Torah — The "Nation of Israel," or the "Nation of Canaan," etc. — so it is regarding the "Land of Israel."

Assume one were to raise an additional point: suppose a new title for the land were necessary. Such an addition weakens the claim and ownership of the Nation of Israel over the Land of Israel, including even the confined area which was liberated in 1948, because:

i. a new name gives the entire entity the appearance of being something novel, which was only born in 1948. Thus, inevitably, Jewish claim and ownership over the land also began only then. There is at least a shade of connotation of novelty — the diametric opposite of the Torah's stance as represented by Rashi in the opening of his explanation of the Torah.

Here I stress that the custom of our nation from time immemorial has been that a five-year-old begins studying the Five Books of Moses. This means that Rashi's words are directed to the Children of Israel beginning at age five:

"If the nations of the world should say to the Jews 'You are thieves, for you have conquered the land of the seven nations,' the Children of Israel should answer them: 'The whole world belongs to the Holy One; at will He gave it to them, and at will He took it from them and gave it to us.'"

You are most certainly aware that many, many nations have made this claim, even in our times. I have not found a single answer to this claim besides the most ancient traditional one found in the words of our sages.

ii. Some say that this term, "State of Israel" is another manifestation of the general approach and plan to become "like the nations of the world."[104] This theory has already claimed many lives, both physical and spiritual — and to our anguish continues to wreak destruction among the sons and daughters of Israel.

I am especially surprised that you should be the one to raise such an argument. Until now, I had been positive that you were counted among those who say that the Land of Israel belongs to the Nation of Israel, and that its borders are specifically delineated in the Torah. In Parshas Masei it is written: "All these shall be your boundaries on all sides."[105] Yet "because of our sins we were exiled from our land and driven far from our soil" — but even during the exile it is still our land and our soil. This title, "State of Israel," allows room to label parts of the Land of Israel as no more than "territories" which were "conquered" by the Israeli Defense Forces in the Six Day War. Furthermore, the entire concept of conquest implies seizing the land by force from its owners through one's own superior military prowess.

I do not wish to speak at length about this painful subject, mainly because the general cause for it is the approach of wanting to be like all the nations. Certainly my comments are not necessary, for you surely read about it in the newspapers and books which are available in the Land of Canaan (— according to the writers of those articles and books; it is just that some of them say this openly, and others only hint that this is their intention).

... May it be G-d's Will that you send along positive news concerning all the above, as we discussed during your visit here.

"With Respect and Blessing,

/signed: Menachem Schneerson/

 

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We clearly have to unite for our collective survival.

 bs"d

 

We clearly have to unite for our collective survival.

 

It is possible and crucial that we unite but not due to an individual charismatic leader but rather to unite with a common ideology.  

 

So what is our common denominator?  What defines us and our ideology?

 

Let me suggest that our common denominator is that Am Yisroel and only Am Yisroel has an entitlement from our Creator for the entire Land of Israel and the written source is our Holy Torah.  

 

If we were successful to unite and formed a theoretical right wing coalition, Tsafrir Ronen, Eldad, Benny Elon or Moshe Feiglin, Paul Eidelberg, Baruch Merzel etc.  may or may not be the leader at the helm.  All have their unique emphasis, areas of strengths and loyal constituents. Each is a leader. 

 

Mayor Moyal of Sederot noted in an address to a Chutz Laaretz crowd that the Arabs share a common denominator.  Their common denominator is that we the Jews are occupying the Land and that the Land belongs to them.  This is stolen identity.   The Kadima party had a common denominator. That was corruption.

 

 

Our like minded leaders who believe in our common denominator are sincere and dedicated and competent and each loves the Land and the people and our Jewish Heritage.    Each have the obligation to use their leadership abilities and be part of a team of our collective whole. Each must promote the other as well and take advantage of what each other leader or individual has to offer.

 

I would love to vote for a coalition of such leaders.  Who gets to be Prime Minister of such a party is not so important if each of the member leaders have delegated areas of expertise which will take advantage of their individual strengths.  The Prime Minister's job is a public service job. It's a temporary position and frankly I can't figure out why anyone would want the headache. Just, being President of a Shul is pretty scary.  You do tons of work and get lots of complaints. 

 

Each member of this unity coalition needs to join not for any job opportunity or perks or salary or honorary position but simply to unite for the common good, putting ego aside, to make an assertive statement regarding our entitlement to the Entire Land of Israel and assert our Jewish identity and our Jewish Heritage and Jewish values.  There is a strong need to revamp the justice system. The justice system is corrupt and a party based on our Jewish Heritage would have to be based on Mishpat Ivri. 

 

These altruistic motivations must govern the desire to be part of this coalition.   One should not join because it is advantageous politically to join. In fact, politically it might be disadvantageous but that shows one is a true leader with a heart and soul.  G-d, Am Yisroel, Eretz Yisroel and principles based on Torah comes first before any personal ambition.  That is precisely the antidote to the selfish actions of all those Knesset members that continue to keep this gov't in power.

 

And if there were a miracle and we get this new party off the ground, how do we propose that it NOT be declared racist and illegal?  There are some that see the sad reality and they express a legitimate concern. 

 

They say as follows;   All you have is "hope" that the establishment won't use the hammer that they already have in their hand.   If they think that the party is a threat, of course they'll use the hammer.  

 

Our answer to this is True, but we have G-d and each other on our side.

 

With all the competing parties that are like minded and decent and non corrupt, a real impediment to success is that the right is divided.  By worthy leaders joining as equals, rather than simply as one on top,  a better working relationship will be established  It is important that each and every player has that feeling of empowerment,  that their personal contribution is necessary and wanted and needed.

 

Again, the focus is our common message rather then on the individual leader. 

 

 If we all unite, it wouldn't be so easy for the hammer to be effective.  With faith in Hashem, I believe that all members in this new coalition will come out as winners.

 

However, if we lose and all stay divided so that there is no one that is really strong, it will only be because we didn't unite and not because we didn't have a majority.

 

Being Prime Minister is a tough job and the Prime Minister needs the full backing and support of those who believes as he does. We can't compromise on our foundation. It's best to work with people who share a common ideology.  Establishing a coalition whose foundation is a statement of Jewish identity and proclaiming entitlement to the entire Land of Israel as its mantra is a stronger coalition then a coalition with the exact same people but it's foundation was formed based on the leadership of an individual no matter how wonderful that leader may be. 

 

Kol Tuv, Robin

 

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Excellent letter sent to Rabbi Weinreb by Jay M. Ticker

-----------------
Forwarded Message:

Subj: Interview on Jewish Activist Network  Date: 2/5/2008 11:11:25 P.M. Eastern Standard Time From: JAYT@nyhomes.org To: execthw@ou.org Sent from the Internet (Details)

 

     Dear Rabbi Weinreb:
     Seven years ago, shortly after 9/11, I met you on an OU tour of
Israel that visited many Jewish communities in Yehuda, the Shomron, and
East Jerusalem.   Israel was then a somber place with hardly any
tourists in the hotels, and none but us visiting the Jews in hot spots
like Hebron.   I thought you, as an executive officer of the OU, were
making a statement about your own and the organization's commitment to
the right of Jews in peacefully inhabit the heart of our homeland, and I
admired your leadership for it.     
      I listened to you being interviewed recently by Joe Orlow on his
Jewish Activist Network radio show.  Respectfully, I feel compelled to
express my dismay at the feckless tone that, sadly, you struck in
responding to Mr. Orlow's challenging questions.  It is legitimate for
the observant community to look to the OU for leadership, but for
several years now that leadership has been absent with respect to issues
vital to Israel's survival.  I understand to importance of preserving
Jewish political unity and appreciate the awkwardness of the OU being
publicly at odds with Israeli government policies, but the increasingly
dangerous times we live in require more than the OU's passivity.  It is
not good enough to rely on consensus positions, such as the need to
preserve the unity of Jerusalem, when the lack of courageous leadership
in the Jewish world generally (and in Israel particularly) has gotten us
to the point that the Jewish consensus on the extent of our right to our
patrimony, the land of Israel, is melting away faster than the Arctic
glaciers.  It is not good enough to hope for the best, though hope be
necessary, or to pray, though prayer be necessary.  
We have arrived at an "Eis Laasot LaShem," lest you preside over
"Heyfeiru Torotechah."  
     For Heaven's sake, do something, say something, publicly, before
hundreds of thousands of Jews are expelled from their homes and all of
us are exposed to our enemies' ridicule of our foolish cowardice.
     Very truly yours,
     Yakov Ticker

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Susie Dym "attack" to Tzvi Hersh Weinreb of OU. clarification

 

 

bs"d

 

Dear Friends, amv"sh

 

When I used the word " attack" in the subject line (The subject line read OU Take Cover! "Only Goodness will Pursue me".Susie Dym of Mattot Arim attacks)  I thought that this subject line was funny because anyone that knows Susie Dym, knows that she is a real gentle soul.  She is so careful not to attack anyone. In my family, when my big ones start screaming "watch out!  S is attacking"  you know that they are being sarcastic.  (S is my skinny 38lb 6 year old who is very sweet and always trying to do the right thing and if she tries to fight back it usually feels like a tap .  That's why I prefaced with "Ach Tov Vechesed Yirdefuni", Only good should pursue me. Dovid Hamelech uses that phrase in Tehillim and asks Hashem that only good and kindness pursue him.  So even if  Susie Dym is "attacking" it's only an attack that represents that which is good and kind. I hope that no one will take it as a real attack.  This "attack" is really an attack between brothers.  Better that THW be attacked by us, those in his family, then at one point of his life be attacked by his conscience after realizing the damage his actions or rather inactions caused.  It is for the good of THW to do the right thing. This is definitely not a malicious attack. Susie and like minded people are  simply Goodness and Kindness pursuing Rabbi Weinreb to do the right thing.

 

Subject: OU Take Cover! "Only Goodness will Pursue me".Susie Dym of Mattot Arim attacks

 

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WHAT RABBI WEINREB DOES NOT KNOW...

 

Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, the chief non-honorary officer of the largest Orthodox Jewish group in the USA (the OU - Orthodox Union), recently gave a revealing interview shedding light on his organization's policies toward Israel: www.jewishactivistnetwork.com

 

The OU's Israel policies first became an issue when the OU failed to come out against the unprecedented  forced deportation of the 9000 Jews of Gush Katif.  These policies remain a central issue because if the OU and like bodies maintain them, the joint US-Israel plan to establish an Islamist terror state a mere bike ride away from Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, and Ben-Gurion airport, is practically assured.  It is urgent for all of us to convince Rabbi Weinreb and his like-minded colleagues to rethink these policies quickly. It seems they have not yet internalized that  the following political chain is going to determine whether Israel is still here in  5 years time:

 

* Israel's continued survival depends -- among other factors -- on its ability to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria.  This is because this Palestinian state will be a terror state, of course, located just a bike-ride away from Tel-Aviv, Jerusalem, and Israel's sole international airport.   It will be yet a fourth major threat on Israel -- in addition to Gaza in the South, Hizbullah in the North, and nuclear Iran. But it will be far more serious than either Gaza's threat on the southern town of Sderot or Hizbullah's threat to Israel's northern towns during the Second Lebanon War: Protecting thousands of people in Israel's sparsely populated South and North from bombardment has been a terrible financial drain, but protecting millions in Israel's densely populated central region  which is right next to the planned Palestinian state is simply unaffordable. This is why a Palestinian state is an existential risk for Israel.  If this were not enough, the new terror state -- as recently acknowledged by Tony Blair -- is also expected to rain rockets onto Ben-Gurion airport. And since Israel is isolated from all surrounding states,  her economy is totally dependent on that airport.

 

* Preventing the establishment of the proposed new terror state requires Israel to rapidly persuade the American administration not to support establishment of such a state. 

 

* Israel desperately needs the OU and similar American Jewish organizations  to urge Washington and Congress not to support establishment of the Palestinian terror state. These organizations' involvement in fact counts two-fold -- because the level of American Jewish opposition to a Palestinian state is the upper bound for the level of involvement of the powerful neo-Conservative and evangelical camps.

 

The heart of the American Jewish (wo)man in the street, by the way, is in the right place: the 2007 AJC poll of American Jews clearly showed that there is no longer a majority supporting Palestinian statehood.  The problem is at the leadership level.  So, this brings us directly to the Orthodox Union and to  Rabbi Weinreb who, within the OU, is supposed to be leading the struggle against establishment of a new Palestinian terror state.  Why then is he not doing so?

 

Here is an analysis of the 4 arguments which Rabbi Weinreb uses in the interview to justify NOT taking part in the struggle to prevent establishment of a Palestinian terror state:

 

1. "Jerusalem is enough...."

 

The OU (like haredi Agudath Israel) has taken an explicit position against dividing Jerusalem.  That ought to be enough, says Rabbi Weinreb.  But a Palestinian state is also on the table--not just Jerusalem.  Forcible deportation of 80,000 Jews, termed a crime against humanity by Nobel Prize laureate Prof. Israel Aumann -- is also on the table--not just Jerusalem.  Can 6 million Israeli Jews all squeeze into a single city--Jerusalem--if the Palestinian state idea explodes onto all of Israel's big cities as the Gaza idea has exploded all over Sderot?  If not, then how can the OU speak out only about Jerusalem, implying that the rest of the Annapolis deal -- chiefly the notion of a new Palestinian terror state -- is OK?

 

b. "The democratic process in Israel is enough..."

 

Rabbi Weinreb insists that defeating the proposal to establish a new terrorist state just a bike-ride away from Israel's population centers should be dealt with through the democratic process in Israel.  But the 'democratic process' has no role in Israel when territorial concessions are on the table.  For example -- and this is not the only example -- when the Israel Government initiated an official referendum on the disastrous Gush Katif deportation plan, to be held in the 300,000-member ruling Likud party, the joint plan, although approved both in Jerusalen and in Washington, was voted down by a defiant Likud public. But the disastrous plan proceeded anyway; the voice of the people was unabashedly ignored.  Rabbi Weinreb does not understand the ground-down nature of Israel's democracy and its inability to overcome longstanding, massive Arab and European infusions of support for the Palestinian "cause". His reliance on the Israeli democratic process in this connection is a terrible error in judgement.

 

c. "How can we possibly lobby the US Congress against the Israeli government?"

 

"We as a Diaspora organization have no right at all to speak out against the Israeli government," Rabbi Weinreb says, as if that were the OU's only option.  It is not.

 

The OU can cleverly oppose the prospect of a new terror state -- by actually encouraging Israel's timid government. The OU can, for example, lobby in Congress on behalf of Foreign Minister Livni's recent comment that "Nobody wants to see another terror state". The OU can urge Congressmen to pledge support for Prime Minister Olmert's half-hearted promise last year to Nobel Prize Laureate Prof. Israel Aumann, according to which the Jews of Judea and Samaria will never be subjected to forcible deportation.  Finally, the OU can also be vocal in its support of the official Israel government decision according to which terror, violence, and incitement on the Palestinian side must cease completely, before the Government even considers razing crucial Jewish outposts in Judea and Samaria. 

 

d. "It's not my [Rabbi Weinreb's] fault..."

 

Rabbi Weinreb suggests that the rank and file in the OU and in Israel rise up and replace or overrule their political leaders.  But this process is slow and uncertain, particularly pitted against the fast-moving terror organizations trying to get control of the areas overlooking Israel's big cities and airport.  The faster option, and therefore the correct option, is for leadership to act like leaders and solve the problems facing Israel rather than waiting for a clumsy uncoordinated army of cleaning ladies, housewives, garbage collectors and kindergarten teachers to somehow do it for them.  Rabbi Weinreb must act like a leader, initiating and fostering support in Congress and in Washington for any reasonable option for Judea and Samaria other than establishment of a terror state next-door to Israel.  Policies for Judea and Samaria are born of two parents: the Government of Israel, and the US Administration.  Rabbi Weinreb must work tirelessly to influence the latter, while being tactful toward the former as only he knows how; that is how he can and should save Israel.

 

If you are concerned about what you are reading here, please forward this email to Rabbi Weinreb at execthw@ou.org and ask for his response.  Even better, write to him politely in your own words. Yes, it has been rumored that Rabbi Weinreb does not appreciate getting lots of e-mail. If true, this is symptomatic of the problem.  We are at a critical time for Israel and world Jewry.  The Palestinians are moving very fast:  their spear-head Hamas movement captured Gaza in a single day, and they moved a quarter of a million people from Gaza into Egypt, also in one day. In worrying contrast, leaders of major American Jewish organizations are still getting huffy about the state of their inboxes.

 

If you are reprimanded by OU staffers for writing directly to Rabbi Weinreb, respond immediately. Bring to their attention that just a few days ago, on 30 January, hundreds of Israeli citizens dialed Minister Eli Yishai's home telephone number, late at night, regarding an issue pertaining to Judea and Samaria.  Yishai is a senior minister with the additional responsibility of presiding over a huge and needy political movement, Shas, with 600,000 mostly destitute voters. But Eli Yishai did not complain even once about all the phonecalls because he -- unlike many American-Jewish leaders -- understands that the situation is grave.  Jewish leaders in the US have to understand this as well.  It is time for them to wake up.

 

Susie Dym, spokeperson, Mattot Arim

Mattot Arim is an Israeli grassroots organization working toward peace for peace since 1992.  The assistance of Aryeh, Ira, Jon, Mike, Moish, Rosalie, Sara and many others who generously provided valuable input, is gratefully acknowledged.

 

Please email Rabbi Weinreb at execthw@ou.org and politely express your concern. We will be grateful if you send us a copy: to mattot.arim@gmail.com. Finally, please forward this email to others.

Thank you very much -- from Israel.  

 

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