The policy of Israel’s police on the Temple Mount is a continuation of the anti-Semitic, Diaspora course of action: No matter who is at fault, the Jews are punished * In the name of “politically correct” dialogue and talk about human rights, Obama and his colleagues in the U.S. fail to identify the problem of Islamic terrorism by name, and thus, cannot treat it * For the same reason of “political correctness”, media commentators fail to accept the fact that the majority of Britain’s who supported leaving the E.U. want to rid themselves of the dangerous Muslim immigrants and agitators * Jews who go up to the Temple Mount and live in Judea and Samaria are a moral example for the entire world * In Memory of Dr. Irving Moskowitz z”l
‘Har HaBayit’ (The Temple Mount)
On Monday, the Israeli police announced that the Temple Mount would be closed to Jews and tourists until the end of Ramadan. The reason: incessant violent rioting by Arabs against visitors to the site, and police officers. The rioters amass stones, bottles, iron bars and who knows what else in the al-Aqsa Mosque, in order to attack Jews, tourists, and anyone they define as enemies of Islam, from within the mosque.
Justifiably, this situation calls for the closure of the Temple Mount to all Muslims, but unfortunately, the Israeli government continues to uphold the long-standing tradition contrived during the cursed days of exile: if the Jews riot, the Jews are punished; if the Gentiles riot, the Jews are punished. In other words no matter what, and just to be on the safe side, the Jews must be punished because somehow or another, the Jews are always guilty. The next day, Jews were banned from going up to the Temple Mount, so instead, the Arabs threw stones down at the Western Wall and an elderly, seventy-three-old woman was slightly injured.
Why Isn’t the Al-Aqsa Mosque Closed?
When the Israeli police suspected there were some students in Yeshiva ‘Od Yosef Chai’ in Yitzhar who were allegedly conspiring to commit a crime, in the name of the law they broke in to the Yeshiva, removed all the students, meticulously searched every room, and took over the study hall for a year and three months, without taking into account it being a sacred place of prayer and Torah study.
If this is the way the police act in the name of law and justice towards a Yeshiva and a synagogue in a Jewish state and in a case of unproven allegations, kal v’chomer (by even greater force of logic) should they act similarly when it is certain that the Al-Aqsa mosque functions as a focal point for global incitement, where small arms and light weapons are stored, and serves as a regular shelter for rioters; how much more so should the police take over the mosque, remove all destructive weapons, arrest and imprison the rioters and inciters, and close it for a few years until it becomes crystal clear to all wishing to pray in its gates, not to dare incite or riot ever again. Instead, it was the Jews who were expelled from our holiest place in the world for no reason whatsoever – except our being Jewish, which is anathema to the Muslims who forcibly seized the Temple Mount with murderous violence.
Not only did the government not close the mosque, but they continue to allow Muslims to destroy the remains of the Temple, degrade the holy site with soccer games, parties, riots and voicing blasphemies. All this under the pretext that the status quo which the Israeli government undertook requires it. In the entire State of Israel the status quo concerning the laws of Shabbat, kashrut, weddings, the status of the religious courts, and anything to do with Judaism has been eroded and undermined in the name of human rights, but only on the Temple Mount is the status quo is preserved meticulously – contrary to all rules of justice and human rights. In short, we continue to accept the basic premise of anti-Semitism, that the status of a Jew and his rights will always be inferior to any other claim.
A Wonderful Illustration
Now is the time to relate a happy story I heard from an eyewitness to the event. A traditionally religious couple, both wise and educated, were unable to have children for a several years. They had undergone various tests, but could not find a cure for their problem. A relative of theirs’ suggested the woman immerse herself in a mikveh (a ritual bath), go up to the Temple Mount according to the laws of purity, and there – whisper a prayer in her heart – maybe she would be worthy to get pregnant. After a few months the woman decided to take his advice, and in that same month she became pregnant.
In truth, this is not surprising: after all, the Temple Mount is the holiest site in the world, the ‘talpiot‘ [a compound of the Hebrew words tel (hill) and piyot (mouths)], “the hill to which all mouths turn in prayer”, and therefore prayers on the Temple Mount have more of an impact than anywhere else.
From the Temple Mount to Orlando
The problem on the Temple Mount, the site of our Holy Temple, is the source and prototype of the problem facing the world in recent years. For example, in Orlando, a Muslim murdered forty-nine people, and wounded dozens more. During the attack, the murderer swore allegiance to ISIS and Islam, declaring that he had killed in their name. In response, U.S. President Barack Hussein Obama and those who think like him, saw fit to address the issue of gun control, hatred of LGBT, and mental health problems of those suffering from unemployment – but by no means did he agree to utter the words “Islamic terrorism.” When a problem is not identified, it cannot be solved.
It’s fair to assume that if Israel dealt properly with the difficult problem of the Temple Mount, closing the mosques and arresting inciters and rioters at the slightest trace of disturbances or agitation, we would serve as a moral and a practical example to the entire world about how to deal with riotous, violent, and murderous Islam. For in truth, the entire world looks to the State of Israel which has had to deal with Arab hatred and terrorism from its inception. But when we act feebly on the Temple Mount, several moral and conscientious people throughout the world think there is no way to deal with the problem, and the terrorist attacks continue, and are intensifying.
Britain and the European Union
The same problem (Islamist violence), whose name is forbidden to be mentioned according to a considerable number of world leaders, led to the majority of UK citizens to vote in favor of leaving the European Union. Even the pollsters and commentators are apparently prohibited from mentioning the name of the problem, and for that reason erred in all their assessments.
Out of a policy of multiculturalism, equality, and aiding the powerless, the leadership of the European Union in Brussels urges EU countries to accept millions of Muslim immigrants, ignoring the incitement voiced by many of the Muslim immigrants against European culture, while at the same time, adopting a tolerant approach towards increasing acts of Muslim violence. In practice, out of a belief in values they consider as liberal, the EU ignores the terrible moral injustices that breed hotbeds of crime, violence, exploitation, prostitution, drug trafficking and terrorism.
They fail to understand that the conflict is not a result of different types of food or music, or even because of the language of prayer or religious practices, but because there are numerous Muslims who hold a fundamental, religious position of hatred and contempt for those who are not Muslim, and this belief allows them to exploit non-Muslims without remorse. This was how they behaved in the past, and there is absolutely no reason for them to act differently in the future.
Blindness in Analyzing the Results of the Referendum
When I read the results of the referendum and the media commentaries surrounding it, I could not believe how “political correctness” had blinded the commentators, to the point where even the so-called “experts” are incapable of analyzing the results correctly. All of them mentioned that among the young voters and the residents of London, a majority were in favor of remaining in the EU, as though to say the marginal British population had decided for the “real” Britain’s – the Londoner’s – and adults had decided on the future of young people, without having to bear responsibility for their own decision.
I was forced to conduct my own search for various sources of information on the Internet, and I found that already in 2012, it had become clear that the white British population had turned into the minority in London, and their numbers stood at 44.9% of the cities’ residents. Since that time, hundreds of thousands of immigrants have moved to London. I found that the proportion of Muslims in all of Britain is approaching 5%, and I found that the percentage of young people among Muslims is much higher than among the British, such that the young Muslims total about 10%, while among adults, they number only a few percent.
Based on these facts it can be assessed that in London as well, the majority of Britain’s voted for leaving the Union, but for obvious reasons, Muslims and other immigrants voted in favor of remaining. However, “political correctness” has stupefied the commentators and politicians opinions, and as a result, they talk about a variety of different reasons – everything except the main problem – the EU’s attitude towards Muslim immigrants.
Israel also suffers greatly from the EU’s position, which does not recognize our national rights to our own land – similar to their not recognizing European peoples’ right to maintain their national character. For someone who finds this consoling – the first ones to suffer from this policy are most probably the EU citizens themselves.
The Settlers: The Vanguard in the Struggle for Morality and Justice
A reader might ask: What can I do in face of all this? There are a number of answer: First, to strengthen ourselves in the study of ‘Torat emet’ (true Torah); to continue fulfilling the mitzvah of yishuv ha’aretz (settling the land); to go up to the Temple Mount in purity according to halakha; and at election times, to vote for trustworthy representatives who are capable of advancing worthy causes.
The learning of ‘Torat emet’ is the type of study which aspires for ‘tikun olam’ (repairing the world), i.e., the realization of the values of justice and truth – for the ‘clal’ (the collective) and the ‘prat’ (the individual), for Israel, and for all of the nations.
Through the mitzvah of ‘yishuv ha’aretz’, we fulfill the Torah’s values in practice. For all the beautiful ideas in the Torah do not count if there aren’t Jews who are willing to fulfill them devotedly. In the face of lies, violence, terror and hatred of Israel stand the settlers – inhabiting the neighborhoods surrounding the Temple Mount and throughout Judea and Samaria, and in their very existence, declare to the entire world that there are still men of truth and faith who do not capitulate to terror, hatred, and boycotts. Their enemies falsely accuse them every type of libel in the world, but they remain true to their beliefs and values, continuing to work and succeed. They do not give up on the right, the mitzvah, or the obligation to settle the land bequeathed by God to their forefathers and themselves, but on the other hand, do not wish ill for any Arab or Muslim who is willing to act decently.
When the people of Israel, by way of its’ Torah scholars and settlers, succeed in withstanding all the pressures, and are able to expand the settlement of Judea and Samaria, this provides all the positive forces in the world the faith and power not to give in to terrorism and violence, and to be prepared to fight for justice and faith. The stronger we become in the mitzvah of settling of the land and recognizing its value, the more instrumental we will be in helping the entire world to fight the wicked, and to base their lives on justice, morality, and peace.
Dr. Irving Moskowitz, of Blessed Memory
This column is dedicated to the ‘ilui neshama’ (elevation of the soul) of the late philanthropist and physician, Dr. Irving Moskowitz z”l, one of the exceptional people who was worthy of accurately diagnosing the ills of Western society, and understood that the remedy for these maladies will come from the most holy places – from Jewish settlement surrounding the Temple Mount, and from the study halls of the Torah of Eretz Yisrael.
This article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper, and was translated from Hebrew. Other interesting and informative articles by Rabbi Melamed can be found at: https://en.yhb.org.il/