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The CanadianJewish News, Thursday, February 6, 1986-Page 11
NetoreiKartaiden^^
— ..... By._
J. B. SAtSBERG
J.B; Salsberg
This could happcri only in democratic Israel.
From the very centre of Jerusalem the far-out, ultra-Orthodox sect, knpvyn as' the Netorei Kaiia, conV ductS; from its Jerusalem Enclave, | known as Mea She'arim. a merciless | war against the Jewish state and brazenly .| identifies itself with the FLO .and other 1 Arab enemies of I Israel. It is unbelievable, but true.
Before proceeding I feelobliged to offer a bit of ehlightenment to those of our readers who may not be acquainted with.the Orthodox stene in Israel.
: i plead with you not to confuse the Netorei Karta with any. other Orthodox community in Israel. Remember, my dear readers, that there are Orthodox Zionists, like the Mizrachi; there are also non-Zionist Orthodox parties and •movements, like the Agudat Israel and others,. that are thoroughly integrataj into Israel's social and pphtical life.
The Netorei Karta.; on the other hand, is like a weed that spreads its venom against the Jewish state and strives for recogiiition and collaboration with the PLO and other anti-Israel elements in the Arab world.
It publicly proclaims its objective of destroy-. : ing the Jewish state. It maintains that the birth of Israel wavah act of defiance otthe Messiaiiic belief and that the Jewish stale is actually a barrier to the Messianic fulfilment. Hence it's a mitzvah to destroy that evil — Israel.
To achieve this "sacred''goal the fanatics disregard Israeli laws, reject all contacts with state agencies and turn themselves inside out to.be accepted by Jordan, the PLO and other Arab states and groupings V Fantastic .... but. true:
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''Foreign mmister^^ says Med She ^arirn
axuonomous zone
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All this is, as they say, old stuff. Why then do I now turn to this Weal that grows in Israel's garden (and npi only in Israel)? Because they have recently become so defiant that one cannot help but cry out in anguish.
Since the Netorei Karta disowns Israel it acts as a s«lf-f>overning tribe and one of its leaders, Reb Moshe Hirsch, is acting as' - the foreign minister'Vof Mea She'arim. It is he
_who "confers" with PLO and other Arab leaders and it Is he who^rives mightily toJ getsjordan and the FLO to incorporate his IhtoIeTant band into the Arab nietwork.
• For some time now the ''foreign minister' of the anti-Israel Jewish sect has tried to convince Jordan to consider them as Jordanians and is.sue passports to them as such.
• Recently, when Israel replied to PLO acts of terrorism, at home and on the high seas, by '. bombing the PLO headquarters in Tunisia, the "foreign minister" of the fanatics .sent a; telegram of sympathy to Arafat. , .
•Recently, also, the -'foreign .mini.ster" negotiated with the PLO about issuing a special "anii-Zionist" passpon to "his people" so that-if caught in a terrorist hijacking the terrorists should know that the holder of such a passport is an anti-Zionist.
• The Netorei Karta ''minister" has also informed Yasser Arafat that if the PLO should find it expedient to form a Palestine govemrnent-in-exile, then the Netorei Karta will be prepared to assign a representative to siich a government. According to a prominent and highly respected Israeli Journalist, Shniuel . Shnitzer, of the daily Maainv, Yasser Arafat recently informed the sect that he decided to recognize them as ''an integrial part of the Palestinian people."
■ • At a meeting with one of the U.S. embassy staff the "foreign minister" spoke of the "Palestine situation," he showed his Netorei Karta's new passport and in an article in an Arab newspaper of Jerusalem the ''foreign minister" referred to Mea She'arim as an
"autonomous zone" or "entity. L
• The New Yprk OrthodoxYiddish weekly, DerAlgemeiner Journal, of Jan. IJ (hon-supportive of the Netorei Karta) carries a picture of the " foreign minister" drinking coffee with the mufti of Jeru.salem, It was a visit to express the Netorei Karta's solidarity with the Arabs inthe recent skirmish that occurred when certain members of the Knesset (mostly Orthodox) visited the Arab area of a Moslem ho-ly. place, .
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How long can
restrained
crUicism
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What's to be done? I really don't know. As a democratic state Israel can't deny freedom of expression. But, where ts the fine line between freedom of thought and expression and collaboration with sworn enemies of the Jewish state?
And, perhaps most important, how long can people display only restrained criticism of Quislings because the Quislings are ''devout" Jews? Really, how long?
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters are welcdme if they are in English or French, no more than 250 words, typewritten with lines double spaced, and of interest to our reading public. Readers are cautioned npt to make sweeping claims against persons or institutions Which they cannot verify- as libel laws are very stringent. We reserve the right to edit letters, which must bear the sender's address and handwritten signature. .. .
CHOP SUEY VS. JEWRY
In his Jan, 23 letter ("Would we back Mobhies?'-), reader Chaim Goldberg equates the Moonies and organized murder with advertising non-kosher eating establishments in The CIN.
Well, really, it's not like that at all. I have sampled some of the dishes served in those establishments and I have walked out very much a Jew, not one bit assimilated and in excellent health;
So much for the Moonies and assassination bureaus. ; ;' ■ '
Then he goes on reminding other readers that Judaism has thrived on laws and principles, not convenience. Right; No argument there.
However, he should remind himself that what gives an individual right to any Jewish person to patronize ady restaurant he chooses, is the following fact:
Ultimately, every Jew will have to stand alone in front of his maker and give a full account of his actions committed in this world. Alone, not with a lawyer at his side, nor with a : rabbi, and definitely not with reader Chaim Goldberg.
Chaim Goldberg will not have to answer on behalf of anyone but himself.
This ultimate act, I believe, gives any Jewish individual or a Jewish publication the right to distinguish the moral difference between an. assassination bureau and a plate of chop suey. Ed Binder Montreal ■ ■■■ , \* * .. . *^
RITUAL SLAUGHTER VS. SPORT
Is it not interesting that the same people who wish to outlaw-Jewish ritual slaughter, because it is not humane, are not opposed to the sport of hunting and fishing, where the desire or need for food is not usually the rea.son for the activity?
It seems that the pain of the animal can be Overcome by other considerations, such as human amusement. Why not the consideration of religious requirement?
Even those who are opposed to animal ex-perimentatipn do not seem to object to fishing and hunting. , ■'.
Rabbi Jacob Chinitz Halifax ^'-^
CHRIST CONVERTS VS. JEWRY ' J
At a recent Sabbath service at a small Mon-
treal synagpgue, an elderly cpuple sat silently thrpugh the service, helped themselves generously to the kiddush meal and proceeded to proselytize me about Jesus Christ.
They identified themselves only as lifelong fundamental i.sts belonging to a non-denominational evangelical church in suburban Montreal. - They preached that they were Jews by virtue of their acceptance of a Jewish Messiah; that they loved the Jewish people; that the new vine was to be grafted onto the old vine and that we unconverted were being denied the knpwledge pf eternal salvation.
I thanked them profusely for theu- love for iis and continued with a few brief examples of how the pages of Christian history' drip with Jewish blood. V ' To their protestations that these perpetrators were not true Christians, I observed that they were certainly tiot Buddhists. And I explained to them that, if there was to beany question of our respecting their faith (conversion, obviously, was not an issue), they should think about going back into their own texts and dealing with their own problem — that being the intolerance bred by the Christian teaching that there is no pther path tp Gpd but thrpugh Jesus.
■ I merely wpuld like to alert other members pf the Montreal Jewish community to the possibility that this may not have been an isolated event, but rather the product of a new idea on the part of some zealots as to how next to save pur souls. : If people are forewarned, it may be easier tp show such invaders rapidly to the door rather than allowing them to disrupt the peace and joy of our: own Sabbath inside our own sanctuaries.
Nina Moliver
Montreal
MILLION, NOT BILLION I
I have long been an advocate of a strong Israeli economy, benefiting frOma healthy infrastructure emphasizing research and development, the arts and, pf cpurse. tourism.
I was therefore heartened to read the Jewish Telegraphic Agency wire service report (CJN Jan. 16) that one-third of the earth's population had toured the Holy Land in 1985: "A record 1.4 billion visited the country."
I hope and pray that figure is surpassed this year. \ ^
Mark Mietkiewicz ■ Toronto . Editor's note: It would be nice if one third of the world's population did visit Israel, but, of course, the statistic is somewhat exaggerated . . . due to a typo slip. It should have read l,430.0mM^30milliqtx), ■ -^r-;'-' ''^
DAVID'S THANKS FOR DOLLARS
Once again, the Jewish community has brought
happiness to thousands of children in Israel by caring and sharing at Chanukah through your ■'Dollars for David" contribution.
Even after so many years of watching our campaign grow^.I still marvel at the kindness and generosity of the Canadian Jewish community.
Canadian Jewish News readers in; cities across Canada have responded to our appeal by sending us what we consider to be expressions of love and concern in little orange envelopes. W'e of Na'aitiat Pwneer Women are grateful.
' On behalf of 23,000 children in Na'amat Pioneer Women day/night homes and day-care centres across Israel, each of whom felt your love at Chanukah, I would like to thank all of you who care so much.
Goldie Burstein
Toronto
RABBI MONSON AS SENATOR?
We all have read about this or that person from Ontarip who may be appointed to the Canadian Senate. •
May I suggest to you a name that would do honor to all our pepple thrpughput Canada.
Rabbi David Mpnson, npw that he is rabbi emeritus pf Beth Sholom Synagogue, would have even more time for his good deeds.
This man's record of service to both Jews and non-Jews speaks for itself. : A Senate appointnient for Rabbi David Mon-son would match that of another great Canadian. Ontario Lieutenant-Governor Lincoln Alexander. George Barrett Toronto
A BOUQUET TO LUNGEN
Re Paul Lungen's Jan. 9 article headed "Mohel's knife given to Beth Tzedec Museum" and subheaded "Treasured by Linder family":
May I thank you for a very heartfelt and inspiring tribute that you paid to our late father. Rev. Wolfe Linder.
Lungen captured the very essence of the man... straightforward and with humor. Cec Linder Toronto
THANKS FROM COUNCIL
On behalf of the Canadian Council.of Jewish Federations, I should like to thank your reporters for the excellent articles regarding the federation executive recruitment and education program published in The Canadian Jewish News in January. ^ > ;; ' _
We appreciated how accurately and informatively the pieces were written. As a consequence, we have received many inquiries regarding this necessary program. -,Lynne Dorfman Toronto
Ghana Shields, 15-year-old student at Ulpanat Orot Girls School, is author of poem devoted to "Madman" Muammar QadafTi.
ODE TO MADMAN MUAMMAR
I enclose a poem written by my daughter. Ghana Shields, devoted to a certain Libyan madman. /
My daughter is a 15-year-old ui grade 11 of Ulpanat Orot, the yrls' private high school which is part of Toronto's B'nei Akiva.
Ghana's poem reads: Here's a madman! He's a jerk! He's so dang sure it.will work! He's waging war! He's ending lives! He's killing children, men and wives! Seems the power's in his hands .,. Everyone bowing to his demand.s! At the airports, he's a terror! Yet HE says it was all an error! Just a warning! Nothing more! . He wants to start a third world war! He's waiting for the States to say ■ . " No More Violence! Stop Today! Then, with his Commie friend.. , He'll try to bring Israel to an end! That's his purpose! That's his goal! He warits it with his "heart" and "soul!" He'll wage a war against the world For a nation, small, like a pearl! He'll never care just who he kills! His"mind" suffers many ills! He's the devil! Such a "toughie!" He's the madman. Muammar Qadaffi! — Altor Shields Toronto