Visiting Israel at War -- III

Yesterday, we went to Sederot.

Sederot is one kilometer from the Gaza strip, built in pre-1967 Israel from scratch by immigrants.  Today it is a beautiful community, filled with simple but nice homes, extensive roads, and schools and other intstitutions.  It is a nice place to live.

Except for the rockets.  More than 3,500 have fallen on Sederot since the Palestinians responded to the offer of a state in 2000 with a barbaric war.  More than 1,000 have fallen since August of last year, after Israel vacated every square inch of Gaza. 

The pace of the rockets accelerated with the withdrawal from Gaza (accompanied by the self-destruction of all 21 Israeli communities in Gaza), as Palestinians -- having obtained all of Gaza through terror -- vowed to make Sederot a “ghost town” by using the same method.

We met with Eli Moyal, the mayor of the city.  As he walked in, all of us rose to applaud, but the mayor immediately waived us back into our seats, saying "oh please, come on."  He went to sit at the head of the long conference table, looked around and asked one of his aides to tell him who this group was.  Then he proceeded to give a remarkable talk, which Atlas has recorded and transcribed here.

His theme was that the proper response of Israeli civilians to terror was to stay put -- that to see Israelis leave their homes and cities was exactly what the terrorists wanted.  He was proud that the population of Sederot had not decreased since the Palestinian terror campaign began in 2001.  "What do we plan to do in September if the rockets are still coming?  Do we plan to close the schools?  We will do nothing.  We will keep on living our lives here, because if we leave, they will simply find us wherever we go."

In the conference room outside his office, the Mayor keeps a large display of the citizens of Sederot who have been killed by Palestinian rockets, a memory of lost friends and a reminder of the constant threat against the city, the fundamental fact of life there:

In the courtyard outside his office, there is a rocket put there originally as a protest at the Israeli inaction ("restraint") in the face of thousands of rocket attacks upon its citizens.

He is satisfied with the current government efforts to stem the rockets in Gaza, and is worried only that the U.S. will force Israel to stop its campaign against Hezballah in the north.  But in any event, no one in Sederot is leaving.

In his most famous Cold War speech, John F. Kennedy addressed the citizens of a besieged Berlin and told them that:

I am proud to come to this city as the guest of your distinguished Mayor, who has symbolized throughout the world the fighting spirit of West Berlin . . . .

There are many people in the world who really don't understand, or say they don't, what is the great issue between the free world and the Communist world. Let them come to Berlin. There are some who say that communism is the wave of the future. Let them come to Berlin.  And there are some who say in Europe and elsewhere we can work with the Communists. Let them come to Berlin.  And there are even a few who say that it is true that communism is an evil system, but it permits us to make economic progress. Lass' sie nach Berlin kommen. Let them come to Berlin. . . .

I want to say, on behalf of my countrymen, who live many miles away on the other side of the Atlantic, who are far distant from you, that they take the greatest pride that they have been able to share with you, even from a distance, the story of the last 18 years.  I know of no town, no city, that has been besieged for 18 years that still lives with the vitality and the force, and the hope and the determination of the city of West Berlin. . . .

All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and, therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words "Ich bin ein Berliner."

There are many people in the world who think that Israel will waver in its determination to resist terror.  Let them come to Sederot. 

Not only Jews, but all Americans, and all free people everywhere, should come to Sederot.  We are far distant from them, but they are fighting our fight.  We are all citizens of Sederot.

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[FERN SIDMAN]

LET US REMEMBER......

BY: FERN SIDMAN

Tisha B'Av (the 9th day in the month of Av) is now over. Every year on this date, the Jewish people commemorate all the horrific and painful tragedies that have befallen us as a people since the beginning of time. We fast and mourn and pray with fervor to the Almighty G-d of Israel that He deliver us from the nightmare of the exile, return us to our homeland so that we may witness the coming of our righteous Messiah and the rebuilding of our Holy Temple.

We recite the book of Eicha (Lamentations) which graphically descirbes the destruction of Jerusalem and the agony and humiliation that the Jewish people endured. It is a painful book to read, one that evokes horrifying memories of not only the distant past but of events that are ancestors lived through.

A few examples of the devastation, death and destruction that was wrought on this day are as follows:

On the 9th of Av, Moses broke the first tablets of Law when he came down from Sinai to find the people worshipping the golden calf.

Solomon's Temple (the First Temple) was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE, under the rulership of Nebuchadnezzar.

The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, under the leadership of Titus.

In 135 CE, the final destruction of Bar Kochba's army after his last fortress, Betar, fell. Jerusalem was ploughed by the Roman Emperor Hadrian and thus became a Roman city.
In 1290 CE, King Edward 1st of England signed an edict expelling all Jews from England.

In 1492, the Jews were expelled from Spain.

World War 1 began on the 9th of Av.

Himler presented his plan to the Nazi Party on the "Final Solution" to the Jewish problem, July 31, 1940 - Tisha B'Av

One year later to the day, Himler's "Plan" was formerly implemented.

The beginning of Nazi deportations of Jews from the Warsaw Ghetto, 1942.

And now, on this ninth day in the month of Av in the year 2006, Israel is yet again subjected to a barbaric enemy that seeks to eradicate its existence. It has been reported that today, Aug 3, 2006, Tisha B'Av on the Jewish calendar saw, "the deadliest day yet for the Jewish state in its two-front war." (Fox News, 8/3/06). This is of no coincidence.

Today four Israeli soldiers were killed in battle with Hezbollah guerillas in southern Lebanon and eight civilians were murdered by Katyusha rockets fired at the northern Israeli cities of Acre and Maalot. Today twelve lives were taken from us. Today, young Jews defending their country from terrorists were ripped from our bosom. They are not just statistics in the mounting death rate or faceless beings. They are our sons and brothers. They are young boys who will not live to marry and raise another generation. They are: Sergeant Andrei Brudner, 18, from Rishon L’Tzion, Sergeant Itamar Tsur, 19, from Be’er Tuvia, Sergeant Alon Fintuch, 19, from Kiryat Yam and Sergeant Yonatan Sharabi, 19, from Petach Tivkah.

Today we witnessed a funeral of a young American Jewish soldier. Michael Levin, a 22-year-old Israeli soldier who grew up in Philadelphia, was laid to rest at Mount Herzl (Jerusalem’s military cemetery). First Sgt. Levin was one of three Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers killed Tuesday when his platoon was hit by a Hezbollah anti-tank missile in Aita al-Shaab, a southern Lebanese town one kilometer (0.62 miles) away from the border with Israel, near Moshav Zarit.

Levin immigrated to Israel at the age of 18 after graduating from Council Rock High School in Bucks County, Mass. in 2002. He briefly studied on Kibbutz Tirat Tzvi, located along the Jordan River south of Bet She’an, prior to joining the IDF. After his time at the kibbutz, Levin joined the IDF as a paratrooper. He was recently granted special permission from the army to go on temporary leave and visit his family in the United States. While there, news that war had broken out on the northern border prompted Levin to cut his vacation short to join up with his unit in Lebanon.

Each of these fallen soldiers has his own story. Each one can never be forgotten as a hero to his people and his nation. On this ninth day in the month of Av, this day of mourning, this day of tragedy and torment, we must add the names of these brave and courageous souls to those who we will mourn for.

We must also remember the names and stories of those civilians who were murdered on this ninth of Av. They are: Shimon Zaribi, 44, from Akko, Mazal Zaribi, 15, (Shimon’s daughter), Albert Ben-Abu, 41 from Akko, Aryeh Tamam, from Akko and Tiran Tamam (Aryeh’s brother).

We must remember these precious souls. A father and his daughter killed on the same day and two brothers. We must remember them and the families who grieve and mourn and suffer in silence. Our compassion and mercy must be aroused and our tears flow freely. The nation of Israel will never forget that these souls were taken on this most ominous day in Jewish history.

In Maalot, three Israeli Arabs from the village of Tarshiha were riding in a car when rockets started falling. They are: Sinati Sinati, 18, from Maalot, Amir Naeem, 18, from Maalot and Muhammad Faour, 18, from Maalot.

And let us remember today's wounded. According to Arutz Sheva news service, "Reports from northern area hospitals state 47 people wounded in rocket attacks remain hospitalized in Nahariya Hospital and Rambam Medical Center in Haifa. One of the victims is listed in critical condition, 14 serious and the remainder light and light-to-moderate."

And to those who will say that this bloodiest day thus far in the battle for Israel's survival is just a coincidence, we must ask why this death and carange did not happen yesterday or a week ago. For those who have eyes to see and ears to listen with, we must know that events such as this horrific one did not happen on this particular day for no reason. We must know that this a reminder from the Almighty G-d of Israel. A reminder that we must mourn and repent and come closer to the G-d that will deliver us from our enemies, if we only allow Him to. If we only recognize His dominion and His sovereignty in this world.

This war is far from over. Our victory or defeat will not be inextricably tied to our military technology, superiority or strength.. Wars in the nation of Israel are not won because we know how to fly planes or shoot missiles. We have the physical tools to go into battle with. Our ultimate victory or defeat will depend on our stalwart faith and trust in the Almighty G-d of Israel. The ultimate outcome will depend on our resolve to defeat our enemy and our determination to fear only G-d and not mortal man.

Through the vehicle of prayer, repentance and charity we can arouse the infinite mercy and compassion of the Creator of the Universe. Let us be resolved to intensify our prayers and to remember that we are never alone. If we will have the strength to defeat our enemy and display no fear, the Almighty will be at our side.

There is a passage in the Talmud, in the tractate Sotah that describes the period that will precede the coming of Messiah. The Galil will be under heavy attack, it states, - so even in our pain, there is a measure of comfort in the knowledge that HaShem is above us, and in the end, our redemption will come.

May it be the will of G-d that this be the very last Tisha B'Av. May it be His will that this day be transformed into a day of joy, a festive holiday. And may we merit to see the final redemption speedily in our days.