                                                               
                      A Voice from Hebron
                     by Gary M. Cooperberg
                           Now What?
                        January 15, 1997

     I recently got a phone call from Jack Greenberg in Seattle Washington.  Jack, an officer of
the American Friends for a Safe Israel, has been agonizing for months over the situation in Israel. 
He, for one, had worked feverishly to help get Netanyahu elected and was now aghast at how his
candidate could reverse  direction.  Jack, like so many good Jews all over the world, just wants to
see Israel be the strong and proud Jewish State that it was meant to be.  It hurts him to see, what
so many of us assumed was, a bright young idealist Prime Minister apparently willing to carve up
our country and hand it over to Arafat.  
      We have had precedents set.  We already gave away Yamit, the Sinai, Gaza and Jericho,
Ramallah, Tulkarem, Jenin, Shechem, and Bethlehem.  Why should we not give away Hebron?
     There are many reasons.  First and foremost, Hebron, more than any other city in Israel,
represents our right to a Jewish State.  To negate our complete sovereignty over this city is to
deny  legitimacy to our sovereignty anywhere in Israel.  It was here that G-d entered into an
irrevocable Covenant with our Father, Abraham, promising that the Land of Israel would be a
permanent and exclusive possession of the Jewish People for all time.  
     Secondly, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob lie buried in the Cave of Machpelah.  Their merit
continues to sustain their children all over the world.  All Jewish prayer, from all four corners of
the earth, first travels to Machpelah before ascending to heaven.
     And thirdly, Hebron is the only Jewish city liberated in the 1967 June War in which Jews
have succeeded to return to live, among and in spite of a hostile Arab majority.  The "guests" not
only refused to graciously accept the hospitality of their naive "hosts", but, from the moment of 
our return to the homes which were stolen from us by Arab thieves and murderers, the Jews of
Hebron were attacked and murdered by those recipients of Jewish kindness.  Even today, the
vanquished Arabs of Hebron dare to demand that the handful of Jews who are living in this Jewish
city be removed!  Any normal country would have long ago removed such "guests".  It is
unthinkable that any Jewish leader would acquiesce to demands made by such obvious enemies.
     The frustration, disbelief  and anger expressed by Jack Greenberg echos throughout the
communities of self respecting Jews all over the world.  Even self respecting Christian Zionists,
who recognize Jewish return as the Hand of G-d, are appalled that any Jewish leadership could
follow a path which conflicts with authentic Biblical destiny.
     At the same time Hebron is on the chopping block, it is significant to note that: Traffic
deaths in Israel are on the rise;  The government faces crisis after crisis, first with the budget, then
with trying to appoint a new attorney general; Arab terrorists are still setting off bombs and
murdering Jews inside Israel proper; We even found the rumbling of another earthquake
originating in Cyprus and felt in northern Israel;. and Israel's water supplies are dangerously
dwindling as we see the entire world suffering extreme winter weather while Israel swelters under
summer heat.
     The only obstacle to peace, I mean real peace resulting from the end of our Exile and the
fulfillment of Biblical redemption, is the refusal of the Jewish State to accept its role.  It is our  
refusal to accept the rule of G-d as superior to democracy which brings tragedy upon our heads.
     Rabbi Eliezer Waldman has been the object of ridicule and even prosecution lately, not
because of innovative ideas; not because of political motivations; and not even for making
provocative statements.  All Rabbi Waldman did was answer a question honestly.  And the answer
which the rabbi gave was not arrived at lightly nor was it made by him alone.  The question had
been posed years before, and the halacha was issued by a rabbinical council of Torah sages, lead
by the late former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Goren, z"l.  
     Rabbi Waldman was not seeking notoriety.  He simply responded to a question by a
reporter as to whether or not the ruling made by the rabbis is still in effect.  When qualified rabbis
issue a halachic ruling that ruling becomes a part of Torah.  It was derived from the Torah and
does not reflect opinion, rather explanation of what the Jew is required to do according to G-d's
Law.  Neither Rabbi Waldman or anyone else can change the Law of the Torah.
     So when the rabbi admitted that yes, it is still against Torah law to dismantle even an army
base, much more so a Jewish community in the Land of Israel; and when he also admitted that any
Jewish soldier participating in such activities would be violating a Torah command, the reaction
resounded throughout the world.
     The real challenge here is between democracy and G-d's Law.  Which is supreme?  For
those who do not accept G-d, such a question is treasonous.  And, for those who know better, the
question is (or should be considered) blasphemous.   Where are the rest of the rabbis?  Where are
the real and selfless Jewish leaders?   Will we answer this challenge by building more "illegal"
settlements?  Will we return Jewish pride to our country by giving Arafat fewer guns?
     ENOUGH!
     It is way past time to stop deceiving ourselves.  If the entire world gets upset with us that
is too bad.  We need a Jewish government.  We need individual Jews who are not ashamed of
being Jewish.  We need to conduct our affairs of state as a proud Jewish nation.  The first order of
business is to redeclare Jewish independence.  We don't want "reciprocity".  We want respect. 
Let the world know and understand that the State of Israel is the fulfillment of G-d's Promise to
the Jewish People via our Father, Abraham.  Its Biblical boundaries will be reached and its
sovereignty will not be shared with others.  Oslo was a treasonous agreement which was null and
void before it was drawn up.  Arafat and his PLO are enemies of the Jewish People and must be
completely annihilated.  Those who stand with them will be swept away with them.  Gaza and
Jericho and all the other areas from which we retreated will be retaken and populated by Jews
after we rid them of our enemies.  Only Jews can be citizens in the Jewish State.  Others wishing
to live here must accept our exclusive sovereignty and pay tribute for the privilege.
     The anti-Semites and Jewish self haters are gloating now.  They are gleefully asking the
same question the Nazis asked during the holocaust, "Jew, where is your G-d now?"  That such a
question can even be asked, especially in a Jewish State under Jewish sovereignty, is a chillul
HaShem, a mockery of the G-d of Israel.
     The only way this desecration can be rectified is with sanctification.  The world must see,
clearly and with no possibility of doubt, that, indeed, our G-d is here and fulfilling His prophesies. 
This will happen.  Had we enjoyed the benefit of self respecting Jewish leadership we would have
been worthy of witnessing those prophesies in a glorious and magnificent manner.  Now, because
we have brought humiliation upon ourselves and our G-d, we will still see the fulfillment of those
prophesies.  But they will come about accompanied by tragedy, G-d forbid. 
     This "peace process" already sees all of our enemies preparing for war.  All we have
accomplished, in a pragmatic sense, is to convince our Arab enemies that we are defeated.  The
great IDF is retreating without so much as a whimper.  When a dog senses fear as Man runs away
from him, instinctively he chases for the kill.  This will be the immediate result of the signing away
of our rights in Hebron.  The war will begin, on all fronts, even before we get a chance to give
away Jerusalem too.  This will be our reward for being more "peace loving" than our Creator, one
of whose names is "Peace".