The Goldstein Massacre--
A Report

This report was written immedately afte the event in 1994 after I spent a month of reserve duty in Hebron.  This provides insights into why Dr. Goldstein shot up the Cave of the Patriarchs.

 

Finally the dust has settled since the killing of 29 Arabs by Dr.
Baruch Goldstein in the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron.  This has been
the biggest story to have come out of these parts in a long time. Since
I live in the area and know people who live, work and study in
Hebron/Kiryat Arba, I have been able to get more of an inside story on
what were the factors and influences leading up to the event.
 First, a word about the limits of this of this report.  The Israeli
government decided, as a matter of policy, that anyone who supports the
action by Goldstein is guilty of incitement to mass murder and a danger
to the security of Arabs.  Unfortunately, this policy, taken
unilaterally by this left-wing government, without the benefit of
knesset vote or approval, helps squelch the facts behind the incident
and the arrival of some very obvious conclusions.  On a practical level
the Mossad has been working overtime to implement this policy as several
Jews from this area have been arrested for verbally supporting the
action.  One man sent a fax to the States and was picked up within the
hour by the police and jailed.  In light of this I will make a point not
to support the action, however, kindly consider what I have uncovered...
 I did not know Dr. Goldstein, but what I heard about him well before
the Hebron event was very impressive.  As a doctor he was one of the
best emergency physicians in Israel.  He graduated from the Albert
Einstein Medical School of Yeshiva university in NY not only with full
honors, but his education was practically paid for by a scholarship that
goes only to one or two students a year.  He was on call 24 hours a
day.  A workmate of mine who is a combat medic spent the last 6 years
of his monthly reserve duty under Dr. Goldstein and had nothing bit
praise for the man as a doctor, as a Jew and as an individual.  Dr.
Goldstein went to sleep at home with headphones connected to the
walkie-talkie so that if he was called he would awaken and be off.  He
was in charge of the Kiryat-Arba Mobile Intensive Care ambulance and
every medical need would get his full and undivided attention.  His
bedside manner was sensitive and warm. Years ago he was nicknamed `the
gentle giant` because of his character and height.  He was the
old-fashioned country  doctor who wouldn't hesitate to make house calls
miles away in the middle of a winter night.  He also was the doctor that
traveled from settlement to settlement for the social medicine plans.
He made peanuts as a salary. However, when an old school friend came to
visit and described how much money in salaries and perks he would make
in NYC, Baruch Goldstein became suddenly and profoundly bored with this
kind of talk.  Sharon, my wife, works with a rabbi that knew him very
well.  There were evenings Goldstein would describe what it took to
patch up Jews after being hit by cantaloupe-size rocks at 40 MPH through
the front windshield.  This continues even today, well after the height
of the intifiada.  The rabbi said that on a number of occasions the
tears streamed down Goldstein`s face in describing his frustration on
not being able to save the lives of innocent Jews after the terrorist
attack.  It was for this reason he avoided caring for Arabs, preferring
to direct in-coming ambulances to and Arab hospital or clinic.  He
refused outright to care for Arab terrorists wounded in clashes with the
army and had a court case pending on such a refusal.  Dr. Goldstein`s
best friend, Mordechai Lapid and his son were murdered in a
drive-by-shooting some months back.  Goldstein fought to save their
lives but in the end the only thing he could do was to sign their death
certificates.  His last ambulance call was in transporting a woman about
to give birth.  As they drove along the main highway that goes through
the Arab town of Halhul  several barrages of rocks hit the ambulance.
The woman started hemorrhaging, the baby died and they  could not move
the mother for fear of additional bleeding.  They sat there waiting for
the army to arrive.  At that time it was necessary for other settlers
who were escorting the ambulance  to use force to protect the ambulance,
to dissuade the Arabs from harming the ambulance until the army came.
 As a person, he was not the raving lunatic-zealot that the popular
press has portrayed him to be.  He was known for his great ability to
listen to the troubles of others.  His nose was constantly in a book,
either tractates of Talmud or medical journals.  He was known to all as
one of high principles and great courage.

 The events leading up to the incident in the Cave of the Patriarchs
must be considered:
 Three weeks before the massacre:  Dr. Goldstein regularly attended the
5:30 A.M. minyan at the Cave.  The increased hostility displayed by
crowds of Arabs as they went to the morning prayers prompted the entire
group to compose a letter, copies of which were sent to Prime minister
Rabin and the head of the Israeli defense establishment.  (Note:  The
bigwigs in the army are normally very receptive to complaints,  It a
reservist should complain of a stomach upset 2 hours after a meal in the
military mess, the army will, post haste, send a form letter back saying
that they received the letter are investigating.  Later, a letter will
be sent describing the detailed checking the army did as well as their
conclusions.)  This letter described objectively the most virulent
anti-Semitic epithets used by the Arab locals, the increased throwing of
rocks and  steel reinforcement bars at them, and the increased numbers
participating.  Their letter was ignored completely.  They received no
reply of any kind from the government officials nor from the defense
establishment.  [It should be noted the ordinary Israelis (i.e., those
who are not considered to be "settlers" living on our side of the Green
Line) who write to the same individuals get the courtesy of at least a
form letter that, at worst, parrots that the government "Will take the
letter into consideration, thank you."]  However, many in these parts
write our wonderful self-exalted, magnanimous, government officials and
get absolutely no reply.  Rabbi Riskin, prominent ex-New York-Rabbi used
to be on a first-name basis Rabin and wrote or called him on the phone
when he was living in New York. Now that Rabbi Riskin has moved to
Efrat, on the next hill from us, Rabin ignores his as a matter of
course.  You see, Rabbi Riskin is now a "settler", a pariah. Settlers
don't rate even a form-letter acknowledgment. In India this class is
called "untouchables".
 One week before the massacre:  The defense establishment sent a letter
to each and every Jewish household in Kiryat-Arba and Hebron.  It
announced explicitly that military intelligence warned that the Arabs in
Hebron and the vicinity were planning a major terrorist attack against
Jews on Purim morning, starting at the Cave Of the Patriarchs and
perhaps spreading to the Hebrion Jewish neighborhoods.  They were
expecting numerous casualties  to be inflicted.  The army recommended
that Jews stay at home as much as possible.  If they were required to
leave their settlements, they would do so only at grave personal risk.
It was recommended that Jews traveling in this area, to work for
example, be as vigilant and cautious as humanly possible.  The army also
recommended that if Jews were to travel on foot they do so in groups of
no less than 5 individuals all of who were required to carry automatic
weapons.  It was at this point that the residents of Kiryat-Arba and
Hebron organized their vehicular travel in armed convoys to add to the
safety of their residents.   The army made no visible effort to increase
their presence in the Hebron /Kiriat-Arba area despite the announcement
of the high likelihood of a pogrom.
 Far more serious than the above, Dr. Golstein was ordered, in the
presence of several reliable witnesses, by high-level IDF officer to set
up an emergency opperating room in Kiriata-Arba in order to deal with
the many Jewish casualties expected in the Purim terrorist attack.
Goldstein was told that due to the foreseeable terrorist action there
would simply be no time to transport wounded to hospitals in Jerusalem,
therefore it would be up to him to save as many lives as possible in
that locale.

 24 hours before:  The Kiryat-Arba township radio shack has a full
communications facility that  is manned 24 hours a day.  The operator
has at his disposal communication equipment to serve as a nerve center
for the coordinating operations in the event of an emergency.  (We have
the same kind of facility in our Etzion block township hall.)  The radio
operators monitor the local UHF business band for the area, civilian
mobile radios and walkie-talkies.  They monitor the local emergency
frequencies, they listen in on the Magen David Adom ambulance
frequencies, J.N.F. forestry frequency and a host of military
communications channels, plus scrambled and encrypted communications
activated only in the case of an emergency.   The Kiryat-Arba radio
operator could hear the officer in charge of security  at the Cave of
the Patriarchs, hourly,  begging his c.o. for an immediate  support
backup of reinforcements of a "plugah" of soldiers, just to keep things
under control outside the Cave of the Patriarchs. He demanded a 10-fold
increase in his compliment because  the number of Arabs congregating
around the cave had increased 4-fold and had turned very ugly with their
anti-Semitic chants, throwing of steel bars and grapefruit-size rocks.
They were chanting anti-semetic slogans and had very obvious hostile
intent.  The only answer that he got every hour that he reported his
perillous situation was that the matter "is being taken care of."  The
requested reinforcements arrived only fulfilled after the shooting by
Goldstein.  At this time 3 companies were required to put down the
resulting riots in Hebron.
 Another developement:  Jewish residents of Hebron and Kiriat-Arba
noticed that Arabs began to congregate in booths errected on Arab
rooftops which served as IDF observation posts on strategic locations
throughout the city of Hebron.  These are always occupied by our
soldiers during daylight hours yet they were abandoned until well after
Goldstein's shooting.  Arabs freely occupied them and flashed the V-sign
or used those positions to hurl rocks at Jews passing by.
 That Friday about noon the amplifier and speakers on the mineret tower
at the Cave Of The Patriachs began began broadcasting "Itbach
al-Yahud!"--"Slaughter the Jews", "Kefir Yahud!"--"Infidel Jews!" and
"Jewish Pigs!" at a volume sufficiant for the entire town of Hebron to
easily hear.  These chants, intespersed with the recognizable singing
cantilation of the Koran, went on for hours, and was an obvious attempt
to whip the Arab population into a violent tizzy.  My next door neighbor
has a 14-year old daughter in the girls' high school in Kiriat-Arba and
the class easily heard this chanting.  Initially they questioned what
was going on but enough of them understood Arabic to know the
significance of what the mu'ezin's broadcast held.  All of these girls
were visably agitated as it was quite clear that the theMosques were
used to incite mass murder of Jews.  Here it should be noted that the
Wakf is the organization that is totally in charge of the their affairs
within the Cave and are normally responsable for all Muslim religious
matters.  In this case,a pogrom was being sturred up with  full support
by the Wakf.

 10 hours before:  Erev Purim occurred on a Friday night and those Jews
who went to the Cave did so under the hostile watch of Arab crowds
throwing brickbats from the rooftops and sidestreets again chanting
"Itbach-al-Yahud," "Kefir Yahud and "Jewish Pigs!".  Once in the
synagogue within the cave complex Jews read the Megillah, the Book of
Esther, while hearing raging crowds outside.  Some Arabs entered the
building and banged on the steel doors of the synagogue scraeaming the
above epithets.  Our soldiers evicted them.  During the Megillah reading
by the Jews, the mosque amplifier broadcast these same chants from the
minaret tower at a volume that made our own reading barely audible.
 Curiously, the IDF made no attempt to stop this blatant incitement to
racism and mass murder.   The IDF routinely monitors the sermons in
Mosques during Friday prayer services--not hard to do since they are
piped over the Mosque PA-system for the entire village or town to hear.
A number of Mulim clergymen have been charged with encouraging the
murder of Jews, one that comes to mind was the Muslim preacher in lthe
Hebron area who told his congregation that Jews were easy to dispose
of.  His statement that  "killing a Jew is just as easy as slaughtering
a sheep" got him into serious trouble with the army.  Yet the fact is
that the signs that serious trouble was brewing but the IDF made no
attempt to halt the vicious anti-semetic incitement that spewed forth
for hours from the minerette tower of the Cave of the Patriarchs.  In
addition, there were no unusual IDF troop movements within the city, no
reinforcements were arriving, and from outward appearances it was as if
the IDF regarded life as going on as usual in Hebron.
 The fact is that Arabs were whipping their bretheren into a raving
anti-semetic frenzy.   The fact is that the Arabs of  Hebron and
vicinity view Islamic Fundamentalism to be highly desireable and beyond
90% of the population gives their enthusiastic support to Hamas and
Islamic Jihad.  To make the picture even clearer I'll put this into more
concrete terms:  there are about 200,000 Arabs living in Hebron and
suburbs and if 85% support Islamic Fundamentalism would suggest that
170,000 support terrorist attacks and/or expulsion of Jews from the Land
of Israel.   (Unless, of course, we Jews accept the political and
religious supremacy of Muslims, since they reguard any lands that
Muslims have conquered at any time in the past to be their sacred
property forever on.  This is a pivotal doctrine of Islam.  A number
Islamic noteables have mentioned to their flocks that once the Land Of
Israel is in their control they will turn their attention to
"liberating" the Iberian Peninsula.)

Consider that Hebron and area holds well over 170,000 supporters of
Islamic Fundamentalism and that should be compared against the 5,540
plus-minus of the Kiryat-Arba /Hebron Jews.  With this, we have
Fundamentalist Arabs outnumbering Jews at a ratio of 30:1.  Some might
argue that since Jews have automatic weapons we can easily hold our own,
but t`ain`t so.  Arabs have been buying weapons via the Israeli criminal
elements for good money or stealing them from Jews at an alarming rate.
Considering all the weapons caches the Israeli army finds they are not
lacking firepower.  Besides, as the rule of thumb military planners use
is that if one force outnumbers another by more than 4:1, then even with
a low-level of technology, the majority is absolutely assured of
success.  The majority could attack even with their bare hands and stand
a near certain chance of winning.  The Jews of Hebron and vicinity are
under serious threat considering the attitudes displayed by the local
Arab population and by their blatantly hostile activities. Hamas and
Jihad Islami regard all Jews of a very low in God's eyes.  Holding power
over Muslims by Jews is an abomination in their eyes and even simple
revenge killing is regarded as too pleasant of a fate for us.  They also
hold that everyone who supports the state of Israel is deserving to be
killed.  They even hold this to include citizens of countries who
support Israel, even though the individual citizens may disagree with or
have no control over the policy.  The World Trade Center bombing and the
Islamic Fundamentalists attempt to blow up 2 tunnels between New York
and New Jersey are concrete examples of this attitude put into action.
 In any case, Goldstein entered the Cave Of The Patriarchs early Purim
morning.  He gained entry since he was wearing his IDF reserve uniform.
The soldier at the entrance to the Cave did not question his being there
since Goldstein was an officer.  Goldstein went to the section where the
Muslims were praying--this was the house of worship where the leadership
of Hebron society congregated, and where the Wakf officials gathered for
socializing, political activities and prayer.   Goldstein opened with
automatic fire directed at the worshipers, he emptied several magazines
of bullets into the crowd and many  there fled through another entrance
to that hall.  When his service rifle jammed he continued firing with
his handgun.  When this ran out of bullets, an Arab walked up behind him
and beat him over the head with a large CO-2 fire extinguisher, killing
him.

  The details presented here have been ignored by the media.   Israel
Television, through the course of Purim day's reporting to the public
mentioned the anti-semetic chanting by the mu'ezin's PA-system only once
during their all-day coverage of the news.  And this one-time mentioning
lasted only 4 seconds of airtime.  Clearly, Israel Television played
down the fact that hours of incitement for the mass-murder of Jews was
broadcast at deafening volume from the speakers of the Cave Of The
Patriarchs.   However, no mention was ever made that the army expected a
devestating terrorist attack on Jews on the Purim morning.
 The fact is that a vast majority of these details, well known to the
Jews of Kiriat-Arba and Hebron, will never get into the popular press
because it is not politically correct to picture Jewish settlers as
being threateded with their lives.  Nor is it politically correct to
view Arabs leaders methodically whip their people into anti-semetic
hysterics, encouraging the masses toward mass murder of Jews.
 Nor is it deemed apropriate to suggest that Goldstein's motivation was
one of making a pre-emptive strike against rabidly anti-semetic
fundamentalist, predatory Arabs with solid plans and equipment for a
massive pogrom.  In discussions with my peers on the moral justification
of someone making a pre-emptive strike against an actively hostile
population, I submit that  if the leadership in a government has the
right or responsibility to pre-emt a treat to the life of its people
then, so too, does an individual if the circumstances should present
itself.  Since governments have no automatic moral sensitivities given
to them by virtue of being elected into power.  In fact, a case could
easily be made that governments are less moral than an individual since
they are subject to political considerations other than moral ones.  My
peers have argued that because a government has the support and mandate
of the people they have the moral right to do whatever necessary to
protect the populace.  I disagree.  Public support does not give moral
right to any action.  If it did then Hitler would have been justified in
everything he undertook.  I maintain that the individual has as much of
an obligation to act to protect the public good as a government does,
even if it involves a pre-emptive strike.  In this case the individual
is his brother's keeper, even if his 'brother' is the population at
large.     Most Kiryat-Arba and a vast majority of Hebron Jews feel that
Goldstein's action prevented just such a disastrous pogrom, and for that
reason he is widely regarded there as a `tzadik`.
 It should be noted that Israeli settlers and soldiers are specifically
targeted for killing by both fundamentalists and all factions of the
PLO-(it`s just that Arafat's faction of the PLO has explicitly declared
a `tactical cease fire` to it`s followers in the wake of the Oslo Peace
Accords).  "Settlers" under this definition include Jewish women,
children and infants.  The logic is that even if  they are
`noncombatants`, like children and infants, they'll grow up to be
settlers anyway, so a prevelant Arab attitude in these parts is that
it's better to dispose of them sooner rather than later.   Anyway, this
is particularly relevant considering that the 450 Jewish families of the
Hebron area all have between 6-10  kids.  Anyone planning a progrom
against targets such as these would probably regard the operation as
easy as stepping on day-old-chicks.
 

 Since the slaying of 29 Arabs by Goldstein, Arabic graffiti appearing
on buildings in Hebron announced, with deepest regret, that 4 members of
the wealthy, influential and unabashedly anti-semetic Jabri family, who
have traditionally spear-headed incidents against Jews, were killed by
Dr. Goldstein.  The graffiti also gave the names of 9 people killed in
the slaying who were singled out for special honor BECAUSE THEY WERE
GRANDSONS OF ARABS WHO MURDERED 62 JEWS IN THE HEBRON POGROM OF THE
1920'S. The sad fact is that a substantial number of Arabs in Hebron and
vicinity think and act in a way that even western liberals would
unhesitatingly call "barbaric".  Most Kiryat-Arba and a vast majority of
Hebron Jews felt that Goldstein's action prevented a disastrous pogrom
by the Arabs, and for that reason he is widely regarded as a `tzadik,
and not for any racist pretension, as the media preferred to represent
their attitude.

  Also, don't think of a mosque only in terms of a place to go to pray
and devoid of all political significance to the Muslim.  Doing so is to
completely misunderstand the role of politics and religion in a Muslim's
life.  A few years ago, in the thick of the Intifada, Mosques were used
as a tactical base for attacks against Jews.  When Israeli soldiers
chased stone- and molotov-cocktail throwers into Mosques the Muslim
religious establishment howled  saying that 'Mosques were sacred and the
presence of the army only profaned such a holy place'.  One Iman,
religious leader, was asked in an Israeli Television interview if it was
right to involve the Mosque and religion in 'political' battles.  The
Iman responded by saying that of course Islam should use politics to
advance the cause of Allah in life-struggles, for everything available
should be used as a tool to bring Allah's will into reality.
 Since the Goldstein Slaying the courts have done their utmost to
investigate this matter.  The only concern of the High Court
investigation was to determine whether Goldstein  operated alone ore was
involved in a conspiracy.  THE PURPOSE OF THE INVESTIGATION WAS NOT TO
DETERMINE THE EVENTS OR  FACTORS OR CAUSES LEADING UP TO THE ACTION BY
GOLDSTEIN.  THE HIGH COURT ONLY CONCERNED ITSELF IN DETERMINING IF
GOLDSTEIN HAD ACCOMPLISES.  The High Court did not take on the role of
determining contributing factors, nor did it inquire into the possible
wrong-doing of other parties.  Here I refer to the role of the Islamic
authorities, known as the 'Wakf", which was responsible for the running
of the P.A. system at the minaret tower at the Cave of the
Patriarchs--the one that broadcast streams of anti-Semitic incitement to
mass murder.

 The High Court even issued a supena to the Wakf to go to the
investigation, and the Wakf ignored the Court's order.  If a Jew would
ignore such he would be held in contempt and warned of a heavy penalty.
In this case, the Wakf was gently summoned again and none of the members
showed up.  A third summons was provided and they appeared, but this
phase of the investigation was held in camera and if any crucial
questions were directed to the Wakf about the incitement to mass murder
over their P.A. system it was not for public consumption. As far as the
public is aware this matter of inflaming the Arab population against
Jews was completely ignored by the team of investigating judges.
 Also revealed in the investigation was the fact that the army had
finally gotten around to checking under a pile of carpets in the hall
where the shooting took place. There they discovered more than 5
sharpened axes and three Kalachnikov assault rifles with full magazines
of bullets.  When  Israeli soldiers had previously tried to check under
this pile of carpets Wakf officials had always protested saying that the
carpets were "too sacred for non-Muslims to touch."  The Wakf was
responsible for hiding those weapons here but never had the
investigating committee of judges found reason to criticize the Wakf for
obvious hostile acts, such as incitement to mass murder or terrorist
weapons being hidden in a holy shrine.  Here it should be noted that in
Judea, Samaria and Gaza it is quite common for the army to search
Mosques and find caches of arms, ammunition and explosives.
Unfortunately the army searchers had been naive thinking such sacred
precincts would not be used for such purposes.
 Through the course of the investigation  Mrs. Goldstein had submitted a
request to the investigating committee to inquire into the fact that the
army and coroner's reports definitely concluded that Dr. Goldstein's gun
had jammed and was then killed by a blow to the head from behind with a
fire extinguisher. The importance of this is that Goldstein was, at that
point, absolutely defenseless.  Israeli law forbids, in all cases,
killing of anyone who is defenseless, even if they had committed the
most horrendous crime.  Not a month before a Jewish settler shot and
killed an Arab terrorist who was captured and bound after having
attempted the murder of defenseless Jews.  The settler was tried and
received a life sentence for first-degree murder and the judges
concluded with a very strongly worded statement that no one has the
right to carry out an extra-judicial execution.  In Goldstein's case he
was clearly defenseless and under Israeli law this required an
investigation, yet the civil authorities as well as the judges ignored
this request by Dr. Goldstein's widow.

 The investigating committee of judges into the Goldstein event
concluded that, most importantly, that Goldstein acted alone and there
was no conspiracy among other Jewish settlers. Besides a few obvious
shortcomings in military procedures,  this was their only concern.   The
profound concern by the Hebron/ Kiriat-Arba Jewish communities of the
threat of Arab terrorist violence against them and their families was of
no concern whatsoever to the judges.