Letters to the Editor July 14, 2021: Kill the bill

Regarding “Coalition to strike back at Likud by blocking its bills” (July 11), how extremely disappointing that our new government is prepared to engage in petty politics and display the extremely undesirable trait of vindictiveness to get back at the opposition. What other option is there? To take the moral high road and set an example of what our MKs were elected to do – what’s best for the country! 

What better way to vividly show the difference between responsible individuals in the government who are truly concerned with improving every aspect of our society and the unprincipled opposition. Our country deserves better. We don’t need a government focusing on taking revenge and an opposition showing baseless hatred and functioning solely to bring down the government.

Regarding “Caesarea – An ancient site unveils new points of interest” (July 11), while I do enjoy Linda Gradstein’s travel articles (and am usually envious of where she gets to go!) I must take issue with her recent overview of Caesarea. 

Yes, the new visitors’ center is beautiful and certainly well air-conditioned but the new movie is a flop. Vered Sarig-Cohen asserts, “It took a lot of guts to make the movie the way it is.” I wholeheartedly disagree. This is the same old portrayal of Herod as a paranoid megalomaniac that we have been treated to for years. Instead of a more nuanced look at a (very) flawed but accomplished personality, we get cheap shots at Herod’s family life. 

For a much more interesting portrayal and a real use of technology to show the glory of the past, visitors would be better served traveling out to Gush Etzion to see the newly renovated theater at the Herodion. Linda, I would love to guide you there!

In addition, a true gem of Caesarea was left out of the article: the Caesarea Ralli Art Museum. Fascinating, beautiful and best of all, free!

Regarding “The nadir of politics” (July 9), why is Israel so fearful about its Citizenship Law, which is a vital residence and security issue, that it must waste time renewing it annually, not, say, every five years? Look how strict America is even for friendly Canadians wanting just to visit it. The lowly American border officers can refuse entry even for minor reasons – and the ban is for a minimum of five years.

Similarly, tiny Israel should be proud of its Nation-State Law that defines it as the only Jewish and democratic country. Every country wants to protect its identity. The 50 Muslim-dominant countries would never allow themselves to become Jewish-dominant ones. Yet Morocco and Iran, with their token numbers of a few thousand Jews each allowed to remain, show a gullible world that they’re tolerant Muslim countries.

The white Christian countries of Europe, even ultra-liberal Scandinavia, would never allow themselves to be overrun by Africans and Muslims. Denmark wants to kick out its peaceful Syrian refugees. It is difficult for a foreigner to become a citizen of Japan. China’s policy is to increase its population of Han Chinese.

I was raised in Montreal, in Quebec, one of the most liberal jurisdictions in the world. Yet the province is uncompromising in guarding its French Christian identity, by enacting language laws and a dress code that Muslim women cannot wear hijabs in public sector jobs. These laws have forced hundreds of thousands of Anglophones to leave Quebec and dissuaded Arabs in the Maghreb from immigrating, even though they speak French. 

“Maybe anti-haredi vitriol is the biggest threat to Israel” (July 8) was an eye-opener for me. I truly feel Daniel Beider touched the issue that is pulling our country. 

The interesting thing is in my very own home we have this issue, with one family member leading a very haredi lifestyle, another family dati and a son who is gay. Our values are so very different yet our roots are all connected with love and respect. Beider helped me understand the issue in a more open and sensitive way toward the haredi world.

My only question: I never heard of a law that says that if you don’t go to the army you cannot work. I would like to know where this information can be found.

“Like branches on a tree our lives may grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one.”

1) Regarding “Diplomatic push on to stop Gaza flare-up” (July 13), Hamas fires rockets and causes damage in Israel proper. Israel defends itself and causes damage to Gaza but does not eradicate the hierarchy of Hamas. 

Gaza makes demands and has many of its demands fulfilled; even some unrequested benefits are put into effect.

Gaza gets funds to rebuild and rearm; Israel gets to help them but gets nothing in return.

Why should Hamas ever stop this cycle?

2) Regarding “Netanyahu: Bennett would stand on one leg for Abbas” (July 13), Ra’am has now flexed its muscles and has emerged victorious; the coalition will continue to appease Ra’am in order to stay in power.

Appeasement always leads to further demands and further retrenchment of positions.

It took only four weeks for the reality of where this coalition is going to come to fruition.

Regarding “The immorality of anti-normalization” (July 13), not only is the anti-normalization stance of Palestinian leaders immoral, it’s hypocritical. By labeling (libeling, actually) Israel as an apartheid state, Palestinian leaders are saying Palestinians are segregated from Jews and denied opportunities available to Jews. If that were true, opponents of apartheid would be demanding more interaction between the two groups.

We should be explaining that the BDS movement was founded not so much to protest Jewish communities and businesses in Area C (designated by the Oslo Accords for full Israeli control) but the fact that the businesses employed both Jewish and Palestinian employees and served both Jewish and Palestinian consumers. Anyone who hoped to achieve an Arab State of Palestine co-existing with the nation-state of the Jews should have lauded those businesses as the perfect place for Israelis and Palestinians to form one-to-one relationships, a first step toward ending the conflict. 

Alas, the anti-normalization stance of the Palestinian leaders confirms what much of the world will not admit. Palestinian leaders seek a Palestine from which all Jews have been banished and an Israel turned into a Muslim-majority state after being overrun by people – such as those who have been kept in refugee limbo and fed a steady diet of Jew-hatred for generations.

Yochi Rappeport (“History repeats itself,” July 13) focuses on a specific incident of violence against the Women of the Wall and the silence of Jewish leadership in the context of the scourge of internal Jewish conflict. Referring to said conflict as the primary cause for the destruction of the Second Temple, she rightfully warns of the danger of history repeating itself and the loss once again of Jewish sovereignty and continuity in the Holy Land. 

This same danger was already voiced by the late rabbi Dr. Joseph D. Soloveitchik in 1968. In a lecture he gave in the wake of the still-fresh euphoria of the Israel’s miraculous victory in the 1967 Six-Day War, Rabbi Soloveitchik dealt with a question being raised at the time in certain religious circles as to the necessity of continuing the mournful fast of the 9th of Av and its relevance in a new age of Jewish sovereignty over all of Israel and especially Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. 

Soloveitchik explained his adamant opposition to canceling the fast day by showing how relevant the fast day still was after 1967. Among other points, Rabbi Soloveitchik discussed an interesting question: How, if at all, was the 9th of Av observed during Second Temple times? The Temple was rebuilt, the Temple service reinstituted, so what would be the need to commemorate and mourn the destruction of the First Temple? Using various sources, Rabbi Soloveitchik concluded that the 9th of Av was indeed observed to a certain extent in the Second Temple, though not by mourning or reciting dirges, but rather in prayer, so as to remember what happened only 70 years earlier. The trauma of the loss of the First Temple was still fresh in the minds of many, and the fear of losing the Temple once again very real. Therefore, it was still very important to mark the day to do our best to not forget what happened and hopefully prevent a recurrence. 

Unfortunately, however, a second and fiercer destruction and exile did occur, and which has not yet ended. Therefore, despite the joy and significance of the return of Jewish sovereignty over the Land of Israel, no matter how long ago the destruction, it is crucial that we continue observing the 9th of Av in mourning, fasting and weeping, so we do not forget what happened and potentially bring upon ourselves a third tragedy of the loss of the Land of Israel.

Though coming from a different direction than Rappeport, Soloveitchik’s warning seems even more relevant than ever, given the level of present-day internal Jewish conflict – what our Sages referred to as sinat hinam – unjustified hatred. Just as Rappeport says, if we are not careful, history can repeat itself, and we may once again lose sovereignty – the third Jewish commonwealth in the State of Israel.

The large photo accompanying the article, “History repeats itself,” was so shocking that I had to keep looking at it to try to understand the horror of what I was seeing.

It was a picture of many pages of seforim (holy books) strewn on the ground by the Kotel, with apparent ultra-Orthodox young men walking past. Not one was making any attempt to pick up the destroyed books or pages.

The article, written by the executive director of Women of the Wall, stated that the books had been “grabbed and torn up.” But her most serious accusation was that the perpetrators of this crime, men and boys, jeered and laughed the whole time the books were “vandalized.” In addition, no ultra-Orthodox leaders or rabbis decried the horrible actions of these men/boys, and some even encouraged the violence.

What have we come to? What has been lost in teaching the young people the importance of love for each other, and what is the motivating factor that drives these men/boys to commit such an abhorrent act of true Torah violence?

These are the questions we must answer and deal with before we build a third Temple. It won’t stand without love and respect.

Regarding “US to Israel: No Palestinian punitive home razing, we won’t let this drop” (July 10), the Biden-Harris administration was wrong to condemn Israel for the destruction of terrorist Muntasir Shalabi’s home. This murderer ended the life of an Israeli civilian, 19-year-old Yehuda Guetta, as a part of the multi-decade Palestinian Arab jihad against Israel’s existence. Since the culture that spawns this jihad actually desires death for its terrorist followers, Israel is forced to resort to additional means with which to try to establish deterrence. Destroying the terrorist’s home in which the terrorist’s relatives also resided is a relatively mild measure when compared to what the US has done to deter an enemy seeking death in an evil cause.

Of course I am referring to the aerial campaign against the Japanese Empire waged by the USAF during World War II, during which hundreds of B-29s razed dozens of Japanese cities to the ground. In just one of those raids on Tokyo during March 9-10, 1945 the US killed 100,000 or more Japanese civilians. The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki added to the Japanese civilian death toll. President Harry Truman’s Administration thought that all this was necessary to bring a fanatic, suicidal regime fielding kamikaze attacks to heel and this was probably correct.

Shalabi’s wife and other Palestinian Arabs provided support for Guetta’s murder, and she has stated this despicable crime was an act of “resistance.” Another excuse offered by the Palestinian Arabs has been that Shalabi was suicidal. It doesn’t matter. When a culture’s paths all lead to killing Israeli civilians, Israel must do everything it can to deter the would-be murderers and protect innocent lives. The US should examine its own wartime history, cease criticizing, and support Israel in its relatively restrained efforts at reinforcing deterrence.

Public diplomacy must play a central role in advance planning and follow-up of all major initiatives whether civil or military. The same applies to diplomatic intercourse. Advance planning and communication can help to maintain cordial relationships with our allies even in the face of potentially major disagreements.

A perfect example of Israel’s failings in this area occurred recently. It was entirely foreseeable that Israel’s decision to destroy the West Bank home of Palestinian-American terrorist Montasir Shalabi would lead to serious criticism from the US. Within hours, the State Department spokesperson said, “Punitive demolitions exacerbate tensions at a time when everyone should be focused on principally ensuring calm,” and the Biden administration did not intend to let the issue drop. The US Embassy issued a similar condemnation. 

Channel 13 reported that Foreign Minister Yair Lapid was frustrated that he had not been informed prior to the demolition. (“Bennett pushes back at US over razing of terrorist’s home,” July 9) Shockingly, sources at the Prime Minister’s Office responded that it is not the job of the premier’s aides or the National Security Council to provide updates on such matters. 

Actually, updating the foreign minister on planned actions that are likely to cause friction with the US is precisely their job. A prepared Foreign Ministry could have attempted to soften criticism from the US. Anyone in those positions who does not recognize the need to get ahead of any potential dispute by helping the foreign minister to make Israel’s case before rather than after the event risks harming the country. 

This raises significant concerns about the makeup of our new government. At best it is staffed with aides who are unaware of the critical importance of forethought and communication in international relations. More alarmingly, these aides may be so dedicated to making their own bosses look good that they ignore the bigger picture – what’s best for the country as a whole. 

As a result of the Nuremberg Laws, non-Jews did not shop at stores marked as “Jewish.”

Now the Palestinian Governor of the Salfit district of the West Bank, Abdullah Kmeil, has ordered all Hebrew signs removed from Arab businesses (“PA Orders Palestinian businesses to remove Hebrew Signs” (July 9) to discourage or prevent Jews from patronizing these business. 

Apparently Abdullah Kmeil has studied the views and business practices of Joseph Goebbels.