What's known as the "Settlement Movement" began in Hebron, when a few dozen Jews went there with their families before Pesach, 5738 (1968). When the holiday ended, they refused to leave and finally were taken out of the hotel and housed in the "memshal," the police compound, in downtown Hebron.
There are many stories about that first, post-Six Days War seder. Moshe Burt posted one which mentions the late Moshe Shamir. Moshe Shamir differed from most of the Eretz Yisrael activists in that his background and life style were left-wing and secular. His politics evolved, and later he was a Knesset Member for the T'chiya Party, along with Geula Cohen and Rabbi Chanan Porat, but he didn't embrace formal religion.
From my observations, he was more religious, though maybe not observant of the mitzvot, than most. The last time I saw him was at an evening dedicated to the republishing of Benzion Netanyahu's book, The Five Fathers of Zionism (in Hebrew), and Shamir spoke. His comments were different from anyone else's. Shamir complained that the choice of Zionist leaders was completely unbalanced. There were no religious Zionist leaders included. He made it clear that in the revised edition, religious Zionist leaders should have been added. For me, his words were totally unforgettable. Moshe Shamir was a very great man, and he shouldn't be ignored or forgotten.
On a personal note, our very first Passover Seder (1971) was in the Memshal in Hebron as guests of the late Chaim Mageni, Z"L, and his wife Shoshana. Recently, "tremping" home, I caught a ride with their son, who lives in Shvut Rachel, just to the east of our home in Shiloh. I told him of that first seder, a couple of years before he was born. There are customs we keep to this day, because we learned them from Chaim and Shoshana.
The memshal, in the middle of Hebron, was an amazing place to be, and by following Chaim around we saw signs of former Jewish life all over Hebron. Many, many buildings had indentations in the doorposts, for mezzuzot, proving that Jews had lived there before they were expelled.
And lastly, yes, the Hebron Jewish Community should take "Peace" Now to court to sue for slander. And they shouldn't be the only ones. Everytime "Peace" Now lies about Jews they should be taken to court. Let them prove their allegations, their lies and slander. Every soldier who is disturbed by Machsom Watch must sue that group, too. Every word of incitement against the Jews of YESHA or religious Jews by the media, public personalities and politicians must go to court. We don't have to "take it" silently. We mustn't! Remember, there's no "turning the other cheek" in Judaism. In Judaism every word has power.
Shabbat Shalom u'Mevorach!
4 comments:
Batya,
Way back when, in 1985 I was on a tour of Chevron with Chaim Mageni z"l as the guide. He was probably the best tour guide I have ever seen!
That's for sure.
We had our first tour with him in the fall of 1970, our first shabbat in hebron.
"Both groups have since blasted the Hebron settlers for occupying the house, saying that even if it was purchased legally, the settlement itself was illegal and should be evacuated."
So, according to the Leftists, only the Leftists can buy a house? Or only a Leftist can buy a house outside Jerusalem? Or maybe a Pseudostinian can sell, but not to an Israeli Jew? Or if he does, and changes his mind he can claim it never happened?
I don't get it. Not that I haven't heard this sort of self-righteous insanity from the Left before. But this smacks, once again, of suicidal delusion. Israel does seem to have a lot of these deluded ninnies these days. Lawsuits seem to be the only thing that stops them. Go get 'em!
according to them, only Arabs can buy a house
Jews can sell, and Arabs can buy.
dangerous, yes
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