May 17, 2010 - New York
Thousands of Orthodox Jews demonstrated yesterday May 17, 2010 in front of the
Israeli embassies in New York City, Montreal and London, against the Zionist
government's destruction of an ancient Jewish cemetery in the city of Ashkelon.
The Zionist government has proceeded with plans to enlarge
the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon by destroying an
ancient cemetery. Thirty graves, identified by experts
as Jewish graves from the Second Temple era, were evacuated
by archaeologists. Beginning Saturday night, the government
began bulldozing the entire lot, which certainly contains
countless more graves.
"According to the Torah, Jews are currently in exile
and are not permitted to have a state of their own. Therefore,
Orthodox Jews who believe in the Torah never took part in
the Zionist movement and its state. This is the reason for
the bitter irony that the state calling itself Jewish is
run by people who deny all of Judaism's basic principles," said
Rabbi Elchonon Beck, a spokesman for Neturei Karta International.
"One of those principles is the immortality of the
soul, its reward and punishment after death, and the eventual
resurrection of body and soul together. That is why we are
commanded to treat human remains with the greatest respect.
It is forbidden to move bones, and it is an even greater
offense to grind them in the blades of a tractor. We are
appalled by the actions of the state calling itself Israel,
which lacks the decency and respect for human dignity that
most countries of the world practice."
"Furthermore, there are Jewish cemeteries in other countries that are
in danger of destruction. When we appeal to those governments to save our cemeteries,
why should they listen when they see that the so-called Jewish state has no
problem with destroying its cemeteries?
"This wicked act is just another link in the chain of violence and murder
perpetrated by the Zionists, against Orthodox Jews and Arabs alike, ever since
their founding. The Zionists destroyed hundreds of Arab villages, stealing
their land and expelling the inhabitants to neighboring lands. These refugees
have already spent 62 years living in tents under wretched conditions. The
Zionists also killed very many innocent people who stood in their way, and
for 62 years running they have oppressed the Arab population living under their
government.
"The Zionists want to put an end to Jewish religious
observance. They arrest religious Jews and keep them in prison,
or use other brutal methods - even murder - against anyone
who stands up against them. The fact that they desecrate
that which is holy to Jews, and the fact that they treat
Orthodox Jews brutally, is the greatest proof that 1) they
do not represent the Torah; 2) they do not represent Orthodox
Jews; 3) their goal is not the wellbeing of Jews, only their
own political aspirations. They attempt to transform Judaism,
a religious concept, into a nationalist concept, empty of
Torah and dedication to the Almighty - which have always
been the outstanding qualities of the Jewish people. After
all this, they have the nerve to call themselves "Israel" and
base their claims to the land on the Torah - they same Torah
that they so proudly desecrate!
"They use the Almighty's promise of the Holy Land,
and at the same time they laugh in His face and violate His
law. The Almighty commanded us to go into exile, and with
three oaths forbade us to create our own country before the
coming of the messiah, when the redemption of the world will
take place and all mankind will willingly worship the One
G-d.
"Torah Jewry and all authentic rabbis of the world
have fought against Zionism since its founding day. Torah
Jews will never recognize Zionist sovereignty over the Holy
Land.
"Zionists arrogantly claim that they have created a
safe haven for the Jewish people, but their actions have
brought about just the opposite: through their provocations
against the strongest countries of the world and their leaders,
they have brought the Jewish people into terrible danger.
They have aroused anti-Semitism on a new scale everywhere,
especially among peoples who throughout history have been
hospitable to the Jews.
"True authentic Jews remain loyal to the Almighty and
His Torah, and accept the decree of exile lovingly, knowing
that it is for our own good. We are loyal to the governments
under which we live, and we do not provoke them or do anything
against their interest.
"The only solution to the Middle East problem is the
peaceful dismantlement of the Zionist state as soon as possible.
The entire land must be given back to its original inhabitants,
the Palestinians, and only then will Jews and Arabs be able
to live side by side in peace under a Palestinian government,
as they lived in peace together for many generations in all
the Arab lands. May we merit the redemption through the messiah,
soon in our days, amen."
In the Holy Land, at least 30 Orthodox demonstrators were
arrested late Saturday and Sunday as they protested the bulldozing
of the construction site. Police tackled protesters who attempted
to climb fences and stop work. Police also sprayed protestors
with a type of gas, causing them to faint on the spot. Meanwhile,
in Jerusalem, demonstrators blocked roads and set fire to
garbage bins late Saturday night in anger at the Zionists'
disrespect for human remains.
Plans for the new wing of the hospital, which is to serve
as an emergency room, have been in the making for more than
three years. When the ancient graves were discovered, which
experts identified by their shape and style as Jewish graves
from the Second Temple era, Orthodox Jewish groups asked
that the emergency room be built in a different place. Engineers
proposed several alternative plans, none of which the government
adopted.
Yaakov Litzman, Deputy Minister of Health in the Zionist
government, told Rabbi Dovid Shmidel, head of Asra Kadisha,
an organization to save ancient cemeteries, that in reality
the government cannot afford to build the emergency room. "They
will probably not build it now in any case," he said. "They
are only bulldozing the area in order to create facts on
the ground and put the opposition of the religious community
behind them."
Aside from today's demonstration in Montreal, demonstrations
were held at 2:00 PM yesterday and today in front of the
Israeli Consulate in New York City.
Other demonstrations
were in London, England and Montreal, Quebec Canada
À L’INTENTION DES RÉDACTEURS SPÉCIALISÉSDANS
LES DOMAINES DE LA RELIGION ET DE LA POLITIQUE
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