Israel News

The Jewish Home | JANUARY 12, 2023 EHK: Liberal Movements Don’t Represent All of Diaspora Jewry

Eretz HaKodesh – the recently formed and recently elected Charedei party within the WZO and Israel’s national institutions – expressed its strong opposition to a letter issued by the Jewish Agency for Israel, and signed on by Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod and the World Zionist Organization, that criticized the new Israeli government led by Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu. The highly unusual letter issued by these four entities stated that “it is our duty to share with you our deep concern regarding voices in the government on issues that could undermine the longstanding status quo on religious affairs that could affect the Diaspora. Any changes in the delicate and sensitive status quo on issues such as the Law of Return or conversion could threaten to unravel the ties between us…” In response, Eretz HaKodesh chairman Rabbi Pesach Lerner, in a letter to the prime minister, informed him that “these comments that have been made to you do not represent the voices of all Diaspora Jewry.” “We wish to bring to your attention, as members of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency,” Rabbi Lerner wrote, “that the letter that was sent to you was issued without any discussion amongst the members of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency or between the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency and the national institutions. We deeply regret that the voices of Diaspora Jewry were used to express a position in Israel’s political discourse against the government, headed by you.” The release of the letter critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu highlights the egregiousness of these groups that have aggressively tried to portray their voice as being representative of the greater Jewish community, when, in truth, there are hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of Jews whose values are very different from those associated with these organizations that claim to represent Diaspora Jewry. It was for this very purpose that the Eretz HaKodesh movement was founded, aimed at giving a voice to the Jewish community that is loyal to Torah and mitzvos. Rabbi Lerner’s letter to Netanyahu was co-signed by Eretz HaKodesh delegate and member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency Stephen L. Rosedale. “As representatives of the Eretz HaKodesh movement, which represents thousands of Jews in the Diaspora, we hereby share with you the true stance of many of the members of the Jewish communities in the United States and all over the world, who share in the joy of the establishment of a strong national government,” wrote Rabbi Lerner and Mr. Rosedale. “They, like us, support your coalition and pray for the government’s success. Despite the fact that they do not live in Israel, these Jews have their eyes on the Holy Land and stand by it… They visit the country very often, participate in economic investments in Israel, donate to our country’s institutions, send their children to study here for many years, and feel that they are an integral part of Israel’s fabric and existence.” “Yes, there are issues relating to religious and state affairs in the State of Israel that need to be discussed. We hope that we will be invited to be part of those discussions,” added Rabbi Lerner and Mr. Rosedale. Rabbi Lerner and Mr. Rosedale went on to request “a joint meeting as soon as possible with rabbis and prominent community leaders from the United States and across the world who will depict for you our strong bond and commitment to the State of Israel as a Jewish state that is a home for every Jew in the entire world.” “This is the first time that I can remember that any person or group, within these institutions, has spoken up so loudly in defense of Torah and mesorah,” commented a longtime member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency. “Eretz HaKodesh is definitely a game-changer within Israel’s national institutions.”

Israeli forces on Tuesday morning arrested a member of the Lions’ Den terrorist group during an operation in Nablus. Troops detained Palestinian Wasim Zaher Estitiyeh, 26, a member of the terror organization who perpetrated recent shooting attacks in the area, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. Gunfire was heard in the area although the troops apparently did not come under direct attack, the army said. The security forces arrested an additional 15 Palestinians in counter-terrorism raids across Judea and Samaria. During a raid in Ya’bad, 12 miles west of Jenin, Palestinians targeted troops with an explosive device, and in Anata. 2.5 miles northeast of Jerusalem’s Old City, riot dispersal methods were used as Palestinians threw Molotov cocktails at soldiers. The Palestinians were arrested over suspected involvement in terrorist activities and are being questioned by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). In 2022, Judea and Samaria saw one of its most violent years in the last 15 years, with 285 terrorist shooting attacks compared to 61 in 2021, according to an IDF report. The defense establishment is deeply disturbed by the Palestinian Authority’s lack of sovereignty in areas of Samaria such as Jenin and Nablus, which became centers of terrorism this year, the document continued. Thirty-one Israelis – 24 of them civilians – were murdered by terrorists in 2022, compared to four in 2021. (JNS)

Longest-Serving Terrorist Released from Prison

Younis, an Arab Israeli, was convicted of terrorism offenses for the murder of an Israeli soldier in 1980. He was freed from Hadarim Prison, north of Tel Aviv. The murderer, now 64, was feted by throngs of supporters who sang the Palestinian national anthem in his home village of ‘Ara in northern Israel. “Every prisoner’s story is the story of an entire people, and I am proud to be one of those who sacrificed for Palestine,” Younis said.

“Forty years have passed as if they were nothing, because we consider this to be one of the main pillars of the struggle,” said Younis, who was carried through the village while holding a Palestinian flag and with a black and white keffiyeh wrapped around his shoulders. Cousins Maher and Karim Younis murdered Cpl. Avraham Bromberg in 1980. They had offered the soldier a ride as he was heading home from his army base in the Golan Heights, then overpowered him, shot him in the head, and stole his weapon. They left Bromberg on the side of a road where he was found and brought to a hospital. He died days later. Maher and Younis were arrested two years later and sentenced in 1983. Maher is due to be released in two weeks. Both murderers were given life sentences that were commuted in 2012 by then-President Shimon Peres to 40 years. Bromberg’s sister, Adah, told the Israel Hayom daily on Tuesday that the situation was “unbearable” and that the family had believed the terrorists would spend their entire lives in prison. “Who would have thought that I would be in a situation like this? I am distraught and unable to function. It is unthinkable that such people should walk among us, laugh, and enjoy themselves. It’s a catastrophe. We don’t know what to do. It takes me back to the day Avi [Avraham] was murdered,” she said.

Stripping PAFunded Terrorists of Citizenship

A Knesset panel on Monday approved the fast-tracking of legislation to revoke the Israeli citizenship and residency of terrorists who receive a salary for their crimes from the Palestinian Authority. The Knesset’s House Committee, headed by MK Ofir Katz (Likud), authorized an expedited process of voting the bill into law, which can now take place within two weeks. “For years, we’ve become accustomed to having an entity [the Palestinian Authority] receive funding from the State of Israel while it maintains an official price list: ‘Murdered a Jew? Here’s a stipend. And if you’re an Israeli citizen, you’ll get more, depending on how many people you’ve killed,’” said Religious Zionism Party lawmaker Simcha Rothman, who drafted the bill along with Likud colleagues. “The bare minimum we can do as a moral country is to revoke their citizenship and residency,” he added. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Sunday instructed Israel Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai to open a probe into what he views as internal failures that allowed public celebrations to be held last week for an Arab terrorist released from prison upon completing his prison sentence. Karim Younis, an Arab Israeli jailed for murdering Israel Defense Forces Cpl. Avraham Bromberg in the Golan Heights in 1980, was freed from jail last Thursday and received a hero’s welcome upon his return to the northern Israeli town of ‘Ara.

“[These] are celebrations of incitement and explicit support for terrorism, and it’s unacceptable for such events to happen in our home. The State of Israel has no place for [them],” Ben-Gvir said in a statement. “I will do everything in my power to prevent these occurrences until a law is passed on implementing the death penalty for terrorists,” he added. He also directed police to enforce an existing ban on the flying of Palestinian flags in solidarity with terrorist groups. Earlier Sunday, Ben-Gvir announced the cancelation of a regulation implemented by the previous government that allowed all lawmakers to meet with jailed Palestinian terrorists. Ben-Gvir said that he took the step after “concluding that these visits resulted in incitement and the promotion of terrorist actions.” The policy will now revert back to that of the past when only one legislator from each political party was permitted to meet with imprisoned terrorists, and under “appropriate supervision.” Israel on Sunday also transferred 138.8 million shekels ($39.5 million) of revenues collected for the Palestinian Authority to the victims of terrorism and their families. At a press conference, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said, “We promised to fix this, and today we are correcting an injustice. This is an important day for morality, for justice and for the fight against terrorism. There is no greater justice than offsetting the funds of the Authority, that acts to support terrorism, and transferring them to the families of the victims of terrorism.” Israel’s Security Cabinet last week ap-