From Women in Green: Rebuilding Netzer - Chanuka Chizuk Movie - Gives you the feeling as if you had been there yourself....

bs"d

From Women in Green:

Sharon Katz, Editor of Voices magazine, wrote an op-ed about our
building activity in Netzer last week and edited a short movie which
will give you the feeling as if you had been there yourself.

The movie can be seen by clicking on:
http://voices-magazine.com/voices-videos.php?id=87
For the article:
http://voices-magazine.blogspot.com/2009/12/netzer-again-and-again-and-again.html


Thursday, December 17, 2009
Netzer Again and Again and Again

Eight times the outpost of Netzer has been destroyed. Nine times it
has been rebuilt. This afternoon was one of its rebuildings.

Netzer was created to bring Jewish continuity from Alon Shvut to
Elazar, the Biblical Heartland of Israel, the center of Gush Etzion.
It stands on a hilltop only a few hundred meters from Alon Shvut's
Givat HaChish and from the top of Netzer, you can see Elazar's
beautiful Jerusalem-stone homes.

Netzer became a symbol long ago of the Jewish determination to build
the land. Its outpost stood for many different lengths of time, only
to be destroyed , but then rebuilt again with even greater
determination.

Gush Etzion was well-represented on Netzer today. Dozens of Jews of
all ages gathered there to show their steadfast attitude that Gush
Etzion and all of Yesha must be strengthened, and this would be
achieved through continued construction, construction, construction.

It was cold and windy on the hilltop, but there was no freeze. Three
generations of pioneers carried small and large stones to build the
walls of a stone house on the remnants of a house that stood once
before. Teenagers sawed and hammered to build the skeleton of a wood
and aluminum house, as well.
The building was done to lively accordion music, as the accordionist
walked from worker to worker, cheering him on with his tunes.

After hearing a shiur (lesson) by Alon Shvut's Rabbi Gidon Perl, the
visitors lit an improvised Chanukiah (menorah) on the side of the
mountain. Its flames were visible all the way from Efrat.

While this building event was partially symbolic, there is actually a
movement underway to create a "Build the Land of Israel Fund." This
Fund will finance Jewish builders in the construction of a 48 sq meter
home at the cost of 100,000 NIS (completed within five days) or the
construction of a 70 sq meter home at a cost of 200,000 NIS (within
two weeks).

This will enable young couples to move to Israel's hilltops at very
reasonable susidized costs. The couples will not pay for the
construction, but will pay rent to the Fund, which will then subsidize
other housing.
If the houses are destroyed, G-d forbid, the Fund will finance new
homes. Continued new homes throughout Judea and Samaria will thaw the
freeze, and continue the warmth of building and growing.

There are already ten young families on a waiting list for the hamlets
of Aish Kodesh, Sussia and Negohot. With the help of the "Build the
Land of Israel Fund", founded by Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katzover, the
families will be able to expand on the hilltops with REAL houses.

The people of Judea and Samaria want to continue building. This Fund
will make it even more possible.
If the Fund is not able to collect the monies that it believes is
possible, then chas v'shalom, the only building in the next nine
months and beyond, will be the symbolic stone and wood structure a la
Netzer.

For more information about the "Build the Land of Israel Fund,"
readers can contact Nadia Matar nmatar@netvision.net.il, 050-5500834
or Yehudit Katzover 050-7161818.
The photos in this blog were provided by Israel Katz.

Fwd: TZC-Newsletter-Vayigash - Anti Freeze Action Plan from Yesha

SHABAT SHALOM!

Disappointed in Yeshivot Hesder for their unanimous declaration against protest of IDF

bs"d

To Whom It May Concern in the Hesder Yeshivot, amv"sh

I feel that the recent unanimous declaration not to protest the IDF shows weakness  http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135115 .  This becomes especially  true in light of the leaked military plan to enforce the construction freeze as a military operation against the Jews of Judea and Samaria as if they are the enemy.  http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135124

The time has come to institute Civil Law in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.  Taxes should go directly to the local municipalities which will pay the salaries of the municipalities as well as Hesder Yeshivot in Judea and Samaria.  A militia of soldiers to defend Judea and Samaria should be established as per the encouragement of the Yeshivot Hesder to defend our rights to settle in Judea and Samaria and to defend Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria   If funding for the Yeshivoth came from a source other than the State of Israel, then surely this statement against protesting the IDF would be far from unanimous.

The IDF with orders from Barak to expel Jews  from the heartland of Israel has lost its moral compass and has reneged on our Covenant that Hashem made with our Forefathers Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov.  Sometimes, a child can see that the Emperor is not wearing clothes while all the grownups are blinded with considerations.  The State of Israel is wearing no clothes of Torah.

The Hesder Yeshivoth should be  making unanimous statements against the delivery of terrorists to the enemy and against the construction freeze in Judea and Samaria.   The loss of funding to the Hesder Yeshiva in Har Bracha amounts to 800,000 NIS as per the  number of students. ובלי להפסיד תקציב של 800 אלף שקלים לשנה (לפי מספר התלמידים). This is not small change. Obviously w/o this funding the Yeshivah can not continue to operate in the same way or perhaps not at all. 

 It's time for the masses, companies and individuals in business throughout Israel put their taxes in escrow and with pride insist that the government either allow construction, building and growth in Judea and Samaria or else the tax money will go to the local municipalities in Judea and Samaria. Perhaps it's time to sell Judean Bonds rather than Israel Bonds. This revenue from  taxes and  outside foreign sources can then support the Hesder Yeshivot as well as all the services the Yesha communities require for its safekeeping and development.

Will this cause a civil war and divisiveness?

The government of Israel is clearly implementing intolerable acts.  This is clearly a situation of taxation w/o representation and many feel, including Knesset members, that it is a declaration of War against the communities in Judea and Samaria.  The communities in Judea and Samaria have no alternative.   Meek expressions of protests serve no purpose unless accompanied with some muscle. If the government of Israel understand that their actions will result with a loss of tax revenue coupled with a decision of the Yesha communities to operate under local civil law rather than under military law of the State of Israel and form an independent militia to protect the communities in Judea and Samaria from Kassam and Yassam then perhaps they will forego this military plan. Surely a Judean Authority will be a much better neighbor to Israel than a Palestinian Authority.  Israel should welcome a Judean Authority with open arms.  They are relieved of their duties to protect this population and in return gain a loving neighbor who has no intention of sending Kassam rockets their way.

If the State chooses to proceed with their military plan then we are assured of divisiveness, justified anger, resentment, and a potential civil war between Jews (if not immediate, then as the children grow up).

On Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 10:50 AM, משה גולדשמיט <leamoshe@netvision.net.il> wrote:

Dear Robin, Great letter only even in the first paragraph there is a probematic nuance where it says "by using soldiers for police actions to expel Jews from their homes". This is a very common hasbara mistake because it engrains in the readers mind, or listeners mind the idea that expelling jews from their home is conceivable in a way. I don't think the settlers of Neve Dekalim would have felt any better if they were carried out by a policeman (as opposed to a soldier). the idea of expeling jews shouldn;t even be mentioned because it becomes a norm in our minds when we discuss these things. Helen is obviosly for Eretz Yisrael hashelayma as well as many many activists that "fall into the pach" when they say things like this (policemen as opposed to soldiers doing dirty work). NO-ONE should have to do dirty work and the dirty work should never be mentioned. The word settler was also misused. When I represent my yishuv I ALWAYS say community. Settlement has become the misconstrued word meaning- radical place. No, we are just regular la dee da communities. The expeling of jews from their homes isn't on a priority list for who has to, or will do it. First mistake.

Anyway, thank you so so much for your constant care and may we be consoled with the stories of Yosef and know that he who laughs last, laughs best! Love, leah

----- Original Message -----

From: Robin Ticker

To: do4israel

Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 11:51 AM

Subject: Activism in support of Rabbi Melamed of Har Bracha vs. Barak anddecision to oust them from Hesder -AFSI, Hesder Rabbanim Petition, Mattot Arim

bs"d

1751 Second Ave, New York, NY 10128

Tel: 212-828-2424; Fax: 212-828-1717; afsi@rcn.com; www.afsi.org

Contact: Helen Freedman, Executive Director

Dec. 18, 2009

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 AFSI APPLAUDS HESDER YESHIVA RABBIS

             "Defense Minister Ehud Barak made a serious mistake when he "punished" Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Head of the Har Bracha Hesder Yeshiva, by removing the yeshiva from the military program for the alleged offense of suggesting that soldiers disobey expulsion orders," asserts Helen Freedman, Executive Director of Americans for a Safe Israel/AFSI. She quotes former Defense Minister  Prof. Moshe Arens who says, "The government  is wrong for involving the army in politics by using soldiers for police actions to expel Jews from their homes."

            Freedman continues, "There is obviously a great struggle here between the authority of the IDF and Torah law. A preliminary petition, signed by 23 Hesder Yeshiva rabbis, which is expected to have many more names added to it, speaks about the "establishment of the State and a Jewish defense force, the IDF, as a great sanctification of G-d's name."  Consistent with this ideology, the rabbis reject the use of the army for purposes that desecrate His name – such as using the IDF to expel Jews from their homes. In this spirit, the rabbis have stated clearly that "loyalty to Hashem stands above all other loyalties, to the government or to the army."

            AFSI sympathizes with the soldiers who are put in the extremely difficult position of having to decide whether or not to follow orders of expulsion from their military commanders, or to follow Torah Law and refuse to expel their fellow Jews from their homes. Many of the soldiers in the Hesder program come from communities slated for removal, as was the case in the expulsion from Gush Katif in August, 2005.

            AFSI, which supports a whole Israel, Yisrael Shlayma, denounces the give-away of any of the Land of Israel and deplores any actions of expulsion or discrimination against Jews. The worst manifestation of this anti-Jewish bias is in asking loyal Jewish citizens to use physical violence against  their own brethren. We call for support for the Hesder rabbis in their brave denunciation of the use of the IDF to violate Israel's Jews.

 

From Mattot Arim:

Please contact other Hesder Yeshiva Rabbis on this subject

Here's an example letter (feel free to write your own):

 

Dear Hesder Yeshiva Rabbis, re: Freedom of religion for combat soldiers.

Please express your support of Rabbi Melamed. His positions  rejecting military orders to dismantle Jewish settlement coincide with those of certain senior authorities on Jewish halacha -- such as at least 2 former Chief Rabbis of the State of Israel -- Former Chief Rabbis Goren and Shapira. Therefore, Rabbi Melamed's positions are crucial because they pertain to freedom of religion for Israel's Jewish combat soldiers.  Since Israel's vegan and vegetarian soldiers are not forced to wear regulation army leather shoes,  it should certainly be the case that Israel's practicing Jewish soldiers not be forced to dismantle Jewish settlement which is contrary to well established Jewish beliefs. After all -- Israel is a Jewish state, not a vegan state. Thanks very much in advance, Rabbi, for speaking out thus demonstrating your devotion to "our boys in uniform". Sincerely (name, location, profession, academic title, etc.)

amir.yakko@gmail.com;hesderrg@neto.net.il;yesmalot@netvision.net.il;levladaat@gmail.com;midbara@gmail.com;

arielle@emeir.org.il;bmechina@gmail.com;office@birkatmoshe.org.il;ndeiah@barak.net.il;rachel@yeshivand.com;y-n-m@bezeqint.net;office@yhn.co.il;hesder1@zahav.net.il;ornahaya@gmail.com;baruchk@amit.org.il;henbamidbar@gmail.com;

yptleora@gmail.com;karo-of@actcom.co.il;nir_rahel@walla.com; yeshivakg@gmail.com;yeshiva@yk8.org

hesderks@zahav.net.il;hazder-s@zahav.net.il;mazkirutrg@gmail.com;mkahana1@gmail.com;reuta3@neto.net.il;yebinot@gmail.com;office@ysi.org.il;

b-torah@zahav.net.il;yeshiva2@gmail.com; lapid@goldmail.net.il;yeshilo@netvision.net.il;aryey@shaalvim.co.il;yeshtkoa@netvision.net.il;ormeofir@oretzion.com;

oretzion@netvision.net.il;orotaviv@gmail.com;office@orashk.org;shulil@mor.ac.il;yayeleth@zahav.net.il;239704@gmail.com; bmoriah1@012.net.il;ayelet@beitorot.org;

y.h.b.shean@gmail.com;hesder.di@gmail.com;derechchaim@walla.com;mira_rat@netvision.net.il;

hesder@gmail.com;office@yhb.org.il;shosh@haretzion.or.il;harshalom1@gmail.com;

drukman@gmail.com;rettig1@walla.co.il;gershons@shaalvim.co.il;yesholon@neto.net.il;orvi@zahav.net.il;netivtfahot@bezeqint.net; yeshivatyafo@gmail.com;office@yhy.co.il;misrad@hakotel.org.il;yhm10@macam.ac.il;mazkirut@kby.org.il;yadid55@gmail.com;sima@rehovot.macam98.ac.il;

 

*For email addresses of all Hesder Yeshiva rabbis -- -- you can just "scoop up" all those email addresses with your mouse and copy-paste them into the to-field of your email. However, there are 60 Hesder email addresses above, so if your Internet Service entitles you to send to only 50 persons at a time, you will need to send 2 separate emails using about half of the above addresses for each. Thanks for helping from -- Mattot Arim

בבלוג מטות ערים: http://mattotarim1.blogspot.com/ 

 

* CONTRIBUTE TO SUPPORT: "YESHIVAT HAR BRACHAH", D.N. Lev HaShomron 44835
    OR by phone: 02-997-4836, OR by email office@yhb.org.il
To purchase books of the Yeshiva & the Rabbi: 02-970-9588, sefer@yhb.org.il , http://www.yeshiva.org.il
To register as a student in the Yeshiva: 0525-665-735

Petition of Hesder Yeshiva Educators in Support of R. Melamed

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135066
by Gil Ronen

Follow Israel news on and .

(IsraelNN.com) Support for Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Head of Har Bracha Yeshiva, is growing. A petition supporting Rabbi Melamed in his ideological showdown with the Minister of Defense, signed by rabbis and educators countrywide, has reached Arutz Sheva.

The letter reads as follows:

An open letter
From rabbis/educators in the Hesder yeshivas
To the yeshiva students, and youth awaiting conscription

 Dear students and youths!

We turn to you at a time in which many in the country are discussing the relationship between Torah commandments and the authority of the military commander.

As educators who send their students to serve in the IDF, we are committed to answer this question in a clear and precise way, as we were taught by our greatest rabbis: Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren of blessed memory,  Chief Rabbi Avraham Elkana Shapira of blessed memory, Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli of blessed memory and Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neria of blessed memory.

We have therefore written the following before you:

May you only be strong!

By the grace of G-d we have been given the gift of living in a time of redemption. A time of ingathering of exiles, of establishment of the State and a Jewish defense force, the Israel Defense Force or IDF. All these constitute a great sanctification of G-d's name and are steps toward the complete redemption.
To our sorrow, for some time now, the army is also being used for purposes that have nothing to do with defending Israel, and are contrary to the will of Hashem, as it appears in the holy Torah. This situation throws the soldiers of the IDF into a reality in which there is a contradiction between the commandments of G-d and the orders of the military commander.

Therefore, we must teach ourselves and all of Israel, that our belief in Hashem the G-d of Israel and the acceptance of the yoke of His Kingdom, are the source of our devotion in the war to assist Israel. We need to make it clear to everyone that this loyalty to Hashem stands above all other loyalties, to the government or to the army.

Through this very trouble shall we be delivered.

We will make it clear that while it is true that the army has one commander – he, too, must be loyal to the G-d of Israel. This clarification will uplift our army to loyalty to Hashem our G-d, a loyalty through which the true Israeli military consciousness shall be clarified.  It is not "my power and the might of my hand that hath gotten me this wealth, but the Lord your God... gives you power to get wealth" (Deuteronomy 8).

The Gemara in Sanhedrin Tractate teaches us that it is a mistake to declare loyalty to a flesh and blood king without noting that our primary loyalty is to the Word of Hashem!

The Yad Ramah [a 12th century Jewish sage from Spain – ed.] explains the passage by saying that any declaration of loyalty must be carried out in the fashion of the sons of Gad and Reuven, who told Joshua: "As we obeyed everything that Moses told us so shall we obey you, only let the Lord your G-d be with you as He was with Moses; Every man who goes against your orders will be put to death, may you only be strong."

They declared loyalty and then lessened it, in case they would be ordered to transgress against the Torah and its commandments.

We teach our students, the Hesder Yeshiva students, to be loyal soldiers out of a commitment to to the Word of Hashem. We are certain that the Name of the Lord which we bear is what strikes fear into the hearts of our enemies, and it is what awards us with salvation and the glory of victory. 

Signed,

Rabbi Yigal Abutbul, Rishon LeTzion Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Ben Tzon Elgazi, Kerem BeYavneh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Shmuel Eckstein, Afikei Daat Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot
Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai, Kiryat Arba Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Shlomo Binyamin, Lev LaDaat Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot
Rabbi Ariel Bareli, Afikei Daat Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot
Rabbi Ohad Baruchi, Tverya Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Eyal Gefen, Rishon LeTzion Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Chaim Gross, Mitzpeh Eshtamoa Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Amir Garti, Shavei Shomron Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Erez Vatik, Shavei Shomron Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Shiloh Tovi, Afikei Daat Hesder Yeshiva, Sderot
Rabbi Elisha Yinon, Beit Shean Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Yaakov Yehudah Yakir, Beir Orot Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Yitzchak Levi, Kerem BeYavneh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Yishai Lange, Beit Orot Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Yair Frank, Shiloh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Nachum Tzafri, Elon Moreh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Noam Konigsberg, Shaalabim Hesder Yeshiva
Rabi Eliyahu Shachor, Elon Moreh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Aryeh Stern, Kerem BeYavneh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Shalom Shmidt, Ramat Gan Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Yedidya Shimon, Rishon LeTzion Hesder Yeshiva

The organizers said that the list is a preliminary one.

 

Background:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/134849

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260447431284&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260894118149&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The Full text in Hebrew of the Hero Rabbi Eliezer Melamed (H) http://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/197918

Activism in support of Rabbi Melamed of Har Bracha vs. Barak and decision to oust them from Hesder -AFSI, Hesder Rabbanim Petition, Mattot Arim

bs"d

1751 Second Ave, New York, NY 10128

Tel: 212-828-2424; Fax: 212-828-1717; afsi@rcn.com; www.afsi.org

Contact: Helen Freedman, Executive Director

Dec. 18, 2009

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

 AFSI APPLAUDS HESDER YESHIVA RABBIS

             "Defense Minister Ehud Barak made a serious mistake when he "punished" Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Head of the Har Bracha Hesder Yeshiva, by removing the yeshiva from the military program for the alleged offense of suggesting that soldiers disobey expulsion orders," asserts Helen Freedman, Executive Director of Americans for a Safe Israel/AFSI. She quotes former Defense Minister  Prof. Moshe Arens who says, "The government  is wrong for involving the army in politics by using soldiers for police actions to expel Jews from their homes."

            Freedman continues, "There is obviously a great struggle here between the authority of the IDF and Torah law. A preliminary petition, signed by 23 Hesder Yeshiva rabbis, which is expected to have many more names added to it, speaks about the "establishment of the State and a Jewish defense force, the IDF, as a great sanctification of G-d's name."  Consistent with this ideology, the rabbis reject the use of the army for purposes that desecrate His name – such as using the IDF to expel Jews from their homes. In this spirit, the rabbis have stated clearly that "loyalty to Hashem stands above all other loyalties, to the government or to the army."

            AFSI sympathizes with the soldiers who are put in the extremely difficult position of having to decide whether or not to follow orders of expulsion from their military commanders, or to follow Torah Law and refuse to expel their fellow Jews from their homes. Many of the soldiers in the Hesder program come from communities slated for removal, as was the case in the expulsion from Gush Katif in August, 2005.

            AFSI, which supports a whole Israel, Yisrael Shlayma, denounces the give-away of any of the Land of Israel and deplores any actions of expulsion or discrimination against Jews. The worst manifestation of this anti-Jewish bias is in asking loyal Jewish citizens to use physical violence against  their own brethren. We call for support for the Hesder rabbis in their brave denunciation of the use of the IDF to violate Israel's Jews.

 

From Mattot Arim:

Please contact other Hesder Yeshiva Rabbis on this subject

Here's an example letter (feel free to write your own):

 

Dear Hesder Yeshiva Rabbis, re: Freedom of religion for combat soldiers.

Please express your support of Rabbi Melamed. His positions  rejecting military orders to dismantle Jewish settlement coincide with those of certain senior authorities on Jewish halacha -- such as at least 2 former Chief Rabbis of the State of Israel -- Former Chief Rabbis Goren and Shapira. Therefore, Rabbi Melamed's positions are crucial because they pertain to freedom of religion for Israel's Jewish combat soldiers.  Since Israel's vegan and vegetarian soldiers are not forced to wear regulation army leather shoes,  it should certainly be the case that Israel's practicing Jewish soldiers not be forced to dismantle Jewish settlement which is contrary to well established Jewish beliefs. After all -- Israel is a Jewish state, not a vegan state. Thanks very much in advance, Rabbi, for speaking out thus demonstrating your devotion to "our boys in uniform". Sincerely (name, location, profession, academic title, etc.)

amir.yakko@gmail.com;hesderrg@neto.net.il;yesmalot@netvision.net.il;levladaat@gmail.com;midbara@gmail.com;

arielle@emeir.org.il;bmechina@gmail.com;office@birkatmoshe.org.il;ndeiah@barak.net.il;rachel@yeshivand.com;y-n-m@bezeqint.net;office@yhn.co.il;hesder1@zahav.net.il;ornahaya@gmail.com;baruchk@amit.org.il;henbamidbar@gmail.com;

yptleora@gmail.com;karo-of@actcom.co.il;nir_rahel@walla.com; yeshivakg@gmail.com;yeshiva@yk8.org

hesderks@zahav.net.il;hazder-s@zahav.net.il;mazkirutrg@gmail.com;mkahana1@gmail.com;reuta3@neto.net.il;yebinot@gmail.com;office@ysi.org.il;

b-torah@zahav.net.il;yeshiva2@gmail.com; lapid@goldmail.net.il;yeshilo@netvision.net.il;aryey@shaalvim.co.il;yeshtkoa@netvision.net.il;ormeofir@oretzion.com;

oretzion@netvision.net.il;orotaviv@gmail.com;office@orashk.org;shulil@mor.ac.il;yayeleth@zahav.net.il;239704@gmail.com; bmoriah1@012.net.il;ayelet@beitorot.org;

y.h.b.shean@gmail.com;hesder.di@gmail.com;derechchaim@walla.com;mira_rat@netvision.net.il;

hesder@gmail.com;office@yhb.org.il;shosh@haretzion.or.il;harshalom1@gmail.com;

drukman@gmail.com;rettig1@walla.co.il;gershons@shaalvim.co.il;yesholon@neto.net.il;orvi@zahav.net.il;netivtfahot@bezeqint.net; yeshivatyafo@gmail.com;office@yhy.co.il;misrad@hakotel.org.il;yhm10@macam.ac.il;mazkirut@kby.org.il;yadid55@gmail.com;sima@rehovot.macam98.ac.il;

 

*For email addresses of all Hesder Yeshiva rabbis -- -- you can just "scoop up" all those email addresses with your mouse and copy-paste them into the to-field of your email. However, there are 60 Hesder email addresses above, so if your Internet Service entitles you to send to only 50 persons at a time, you will need to send 2 separate emails using about half of the above addresses for each. Thanks for helping from -- Mattot Arim

בבלוג מטות ערים: http://mattotarim1.blogspot.com/ 

 

* CONTRIBUTE TO SUPPORT: "YESHIVAT HAR BRACHAH", D.N. Lev HaShomron 44835
    OR by phone: 02-997-4836, OR by email office@yhb.org.il
To purchase books of the Yeshiva & the Rabbi: 02-970-9588, sefer@yhb.org.il , http://www.yeshiva.org.il
To register as a student in the Yeshiva: 0525-665-735

Petition of Hesder Yeshiva Educators in Support of R. Melamed

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/135066
by Gil Ronen

Follow Israel news on and .

(IsraelNN.com) Support for Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Head of Har Bracha Yeshiva, is growing. A petition supporting Rabbi Melamed in his ideological showdown with the Minister of Defense, signed by rabbis and educators countrywide, has reached Arutz Sheva.

The letter reads as follows:

An open letter
From rabbis/educators in the Hesder yeshivas
To the yeshiva students, and youth awaiting conscription

 Dear students and youths!

We turn to you at a time in which many in the country are discussing the relationship between Torah commandments and the authority of the military commander.

As educators who send their students to serve in the IDF, we are committed to answer this question in a clear and precise way, as we were taught by our greatest rabbis: Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren of blessed memory,  Chief Rabbi Avraham Elkana Shapira of blessed memory, Rabbi Shaul Yisraeli of blessed memory and Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Neria of blessed memory.

We have therefore written the following before you:

May you only be strong!

By the grace of G-d we have been given the gift of living in a time of redemption. A time of ingathering of exiles, of establishment of the State and a Jewish defense force, the Israel Defense Force or IDF. All these constitute a great sanctification of G-d's name and are steps toward the complete redemption.
To our sorrow, for some time now, the army is also being used for purposes that have nothing to do with defending Israel, and are contrary to the will of Hashem, as it appears in the holy Torah. This situation throws the soldiers of the IDF into a reality in which there is a contradiction between the commandments of G-d and the orders of the military commander.

Therefore, we must teach ourselves and all of Israel, that our belief in Hashem the G-d of Israel and the acceptance of the yoke of His Kingdom, are the source of our devotion in the war to assist Israel. We need to make it clear to everyone that this loyalty to Hashem stands above all other loyalties, to the government or to the army.

Through this very trouble shall we be delivered.

We will make it clear that while it is true that the army has one commander – he, too, must be loyal to the G-d of Israel. This clarification will uplift our army to loyalty to Hashem our G-d, a loyalty through which the true Israeli military consciousness shall be clarified.  It is not "my power and the might of my hand that hath gotten me this wealth, but the Lord your God... gives you power to get wealth" (Deuteronomy 8).

The Gemara in Sanhedrin Tractate teaches us that it is a mistake to declare loyalty to a flesh and blood king without noting that our primary loyalty is to the Word of Hashem!

The Yad Ramah [a 12th century Jewish sage from Spain – ed.] explains the passage by saying that any declaration of loyalty must be carried out in the fashion of the sons of Gad and Reuven, who told Joshua: "As we obeyed everything that Moses told us so shall we obey you, only let the Lord your G-d be with you as He was with Moses; Every man who goes against your orders will be put to death, may you only be strong."

They declared loyalty and then lessened it, in case they would be ordered to transgress against the Torah and its commandments.

We teach our students, the Hesder Yeshiva students, to be loyal soldiers out of a commitment to to the Word of Hashem. We are certain that the Name of the Lord which we bear is what strikes fear into the hearts of our enemies, and it is what awards us with salvation and the glory of victory. 

Signed,

Rabbi Yigal Abutbul, Rishon LeTzion Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Ben Tzon Elgazi, Kerem BeYavneh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Shmuel Eckstein, Afikei Daat Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot
Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakai, Kiryat Arba Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Shlomo Binyamin, Lev LaDaat Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot
Rabbi Ariel Bareli, Afikei Daat Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot
Rabbi Ohad Baruchi, Tverya Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Eyal Gefen, Rishon LeTzion Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Chaim Gross, Mitzpeh Eshtamoa Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Amir Garti, Shavei Shomron Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Erez Vatik, Shavei Shomron Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Shiloh Tovi, Afikei Daat Hesder Yeshiva, Sderot
Rabbi Elisha Yinon, Beit Shean Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Yaakov Yehudah Yakir, Beir Orot Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Yitzchak Levi, Kerem BeYavneh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Yishai Lange, Beit Orot Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Yair Frank, Shiloh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Nachum Tzafri, Elon Moreh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Noam Konigsberg, Shaalabim Hesder Yeshiva
Rabi Eliyahu Shachor, Elon Moreh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Aryeh Stern, Kerem BeYavneh Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Shalom Shmidt, Ramat Gan Hesder Yeshiva
Rabbi Yedidya Shimon, Rishon LeTzion Hesder Yeshiva

The organizers said that the list is a preliminary one.

 

Background:

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/134849

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260447431284&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260894118149&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

The Full text in Hebrew of the Hero Rabbi Eliezer Melamed (H) http://www.inn.co.il/News/News.aspx/197918

The Bum Rap Arlene Kushner - Rabbi Melamad , More Smear Campaigns against loyalists of the Land of Israel

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Barbara Sommer <sommer_1_98@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, Dec 16, 2009 at 7:32 PM
Subject: Fw: From Israel: The Bum Rap
To:

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Arlene Kushner <akushner@netvision.net.il>
To: Arlene Kushner <akushner@netvision.net.il>
Sent: Wed, December 16, 2009 5:38:56 PM
Subject: From Israel: The Bum Rap

December 16, 2009

 

"Bum Rap"

 

What I begin with today is a thematic follow-up to what I wrote yesterday about the mosque in Yasuf.  Whether it turns out that "radicals" in the Jewish community of Samaria were responsible for the vandalism in that mosque or not, what disturbs me is the alacrity with which many people -- Jews included -- rushed to make the assumption that they were, even when evidence was lacking (and there was plenty of evidence that it might have been Arabs who did it).

 

I've written, and will continue to write, about the bad press and vilification that the Jews of Judea and Samaria are subject to. These "right wing settlers" who create a stumbling block to negotiations and cause Arabs difficulties. Or so it goes. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Here I want to touch upon a similar story, which makes the same point:  Back in December 2008, charges were made that when the police were evacuating Beit Hashalom in Hevron one officer was injured when an activist resisting the police action threw acid in his face. This was reported in the Jerusalem Post.

 

There was doubt within the community of Hevron regarding the authenticity of this claim.  And so a request was made to the Post that it be checked out. 

 

Yisrael Medad has written about this in his blog  (http://myrightword.blogspot.com) but it is unclear to me as to whether it was he who actually made the request to the Post.  

 

Time dragged on without confirmation or resolution of the issue. At some point Medad then made a very specific suggestion:

 

"why not ask the police medical department if any policeman was treated for acid burns and ask the payments section if any policeman received sick leave and compensation for his acid wounds."

 

It was then Susie Dym, an activist who heads Mattot Arim, who followed through.  She founded it particularly disturbing that this incident was referred to time and again as an example of "settler violence," even though it had never been verified.  She saw this as just one of a litany of false charges that are leveled at "settlers."

 

And guess what?  The Post has now printed an article stating that the claim was unsubstantiated.  No one was ever charged in connection with this alleged act. Said Dym, "They [residents of Judea and Samaria] have not committed one-thousandth of the [crimes] of which they have been accused." 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

I raise the next issue reluctantly.  I have, in fact, resisted writing about this for an international audience, because I believe it is very much an internal Israeli affair. But it has made the press in such significant measure, that it seemed to me time to explore the issues for my readers:

 

It involves, at core, the use of the IDF for police work, rather than reserving our armed forces for defense of our nation.  We are the exception among democracies in this respect: in most -- if not all -- other democracies,  armies can be used only for national defense.  Not here.  The army was used in the evacuation in Gush Katif, and is used in certain actions in Judea and Samaria. These political actions pit Jew against Jew, splitting the nation apart and destroying army morale.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Underlying the current situation we see these basic facts:

 

Religious nationalist young men serve most eagerly in the IDF, volunteering in disproportionate numbers for elite combat units and exhibiting an exemplary bravery and loyalty.  Their religious underpinning gives them an understanding of why defense of Israel is important.  What is more, the religious nationalist educational institutions -- yeshivas of a particular stripe -- teach this point of view.  It is deeply bred into the perspective of these young men, as religious Israelis with an obligation to the nation and the people. When you read a story, during war time, of a young commander who throws himself on a grenade, for example, to save his unit, it is most likely to be a person who was a religious nationalist.

 

For decades, the IDF has run a five-year "Hesder" program, which allows these religious young men to combine religious study in participating yeshivas with army service.  There are 7,500 who are enrolled this program,  and tens of thousands of Hesder graduates who serve in the reserves.

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

In Samaria, there is a yeshiva called Har Bracha, headed by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, which until just days ago was part of the Hesder program.  Rabbi Melamed, concerned with Jewish teachings and law about the sanctity of the land for Jews, told his students who were going to be serving in the army that they should refuse orders regarding a building freeze or evacuation of Jews in Judea and Samaria.

 

 

Minister of Defense Ehud Barak -- hard-nosed, secular and left-wing -- was furious because it is essential to maintain discipline in the army.  He cut Rabbi Melamed's yeshiva from the Hesder program.

 

Now, Barak has a point about the need for army discipline. A soldier in the field absolutely must obey orders or the whole system breaks down. However (and this is a big "however"), that is the case when the army is fighting an enemy and acting to protect the nation.

 

The problem has arisen because the army is being used in political actions as well.  There were perhaps ways  of handling this other than the way Barak chose.  Certainly it could have been decided that the army would no longer be used for political tasks (with a law ultimately passed with regard to this) -- that only the police and related law enforcement units would be involved.  Or -- though more complicated -- possibly some sort of "conscientious objection" principle could have been instituted, exempting soldiers who believe they are bound by Jewish law to retain and develop Judea and Samaria from participating in actions that restrict or prohibit Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

Barak's approach is counterproductive.  He is acting against and alienating the very best soldiers that the IDF has.  Not a smart move, nor one that expresses appreciation and respect for these soldiers.  The very religious conviction that makes them the best of soldiers because of their devotion to the land and their desire to defend it, also makes them devoted to the retention of Judea and Samaria as a matter of religious belief.

 

This week, dozens of reserve soldiers and officers who had been educated in Hesder yeshivas sent a petition to Barak:

 

"Many of us fought in the Second Lebanon War and in Cast Lead with a willingness to carry out any order and even to give our lives for the protection of the State of Israel.

"Our yeshiva heads taught us this selfless devotion to the State of Israel. In yeshiva we were inculcated with the spirit of fighting, devotion and giving our best. If the decision to remove Har Bracha from the Hesder framework is implemented, it would be interpreted by us as the IDF's rejection of us and our service and it would force us to leave the ranks of the IDF."

Rabbis who head other yeshivas in the Hesder program have rallied to the support of Rabbi Melamed, who is seen as exhibiting enormous clarity of moral vision.  Additionally, interest by high school students in attending Har Bracha yeshiva after graduation has grown considerably.

 

I don't know if there can or will be a positive resolution to this situation, or if it will be allowed to fester.  The prime minister has refused to get involved.

 

Since the time of the Gush Katif evacuation, I have felt that any major threat to Judea and Samaria would lead us toward civil war.  This is just a hint of what might come if, G-d forbid, we were to see attempts to move out the residents of Judea and Samaria.  May such a day never come.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

A small correction from yesterday. Abbas is not demanding that WE recognize that we must pull back to the '67 lines, including in Jerusalem, before he'll come to the table. He is demanding this recognition from the international community. For this we can thank, first, Obama, and then, the EU.  Abbas is convinced that he can get what he wants without negotiation. From us, at this point, he is demanding a complete and total freeze everywhere beyond the Green Line.

 

He says that he will bring this to the Security Council, and ask that body to recognize a Palestinian state within these lines.  With regard to this happening, I remain essentially dubious. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

More after Chanukah is over.

 

~~~~~~~~~~

see my website www.ArlenefromIsrael.info

Dear List, amv"sh The following is another example of a smear campaign and you can see how much damage in PR it generated against the Settlers! Robin

http://shemittahrediscovered.blogspot.com/2009/11/more-on-smear-campaign-of-media-against.html