When Yad Vashem first opened in 1957, very few museums in the world even mentioned the Holocaust. Today, as the new Yad Vashem museum opens, there are at least 250 Holocaust museums and memorials worldwide - in Israel, the United States and Europe, but also in such far-flung places as Australia, Argentina, South Africa and Japan.
The most elaborate and expensive of these Holocaust Memorials is the new wing of Yad Vashem, which was inaugurated on Tuesday, March 15, 2005, in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
A large number of presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and other dignitaries from abroad were invited to attend the Tuesday opening of Yad Vashem's new History Museum.
Leaders from some 40 nations attended the ceremony. Those who took part in the two-day, invitation-only opening events included U. N. Secretary-General Kofi Anna, the presidents of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia-Montenegro and Switzerland, the prime ministers of France, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Romania, the deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom, the vice president of the Dominican Republic, the foreign ministers of Germany, Norway, et al.
Yes, even the children and grandchildren of our executioners came to attend this festive opening of this new Holocaust museum.
Their parents or grandparents may have either collaborated in the murder of six million Jews, or were complicit, or stood by in indifferent silence.
But shouldn't we Jews forgive and forget? Shouldn't we Jews be grateful for this show of support? Such a distinguished international influx does not show up here every day! In fact, there has been nothing to compare to it since the funeral of Yitzhak Rabin almost a decade ago!
I cannot help but think that my family in Europe, many of whom were exterminated like so much vermin, would have preferred to be allowed to live a normal life, rather than this continual commemoration of their untimely, violent death.
Israel's President Katzav enthused that these leaders of the free world have come to show solidarity, not only with Israel, but against anti-Semitism. That they are now more sensitive to the Holocaust!
On the contrary! In the Jerusalem Post of the same day there was an article about Canada recalling passports that by mistake listed Jerusalem as being in the State of Israel. These passports were recalled like defective automobile parts!
One thing these important world leaders agreed on was that Israel must stop building Jewish communities in their own Land, and permit their country to be divided to allow the establishment of "Palestine," a country that never was, and inhabited by a never-was people.
Was there one of these illustrious visitors who spoke against "Disengagement"? Was there one voice raised against forcibly deporting families from their homes, from their own Land?
But U. N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan takes the cake! By the way, I feel that Sharon's fawning over Kofi Annan, the head of the United Nations, is reprehensible, certainly at the inauguration of yet another expensive Holocaust memorial. The U.N.'s track record has been viciously anti-Israel since its inception.
U.N. Secretary-General Annan said that the Holocaust was an "inconceivable event," but commended the Prime Minister on the Disengagement Plan, and expressed his hopes that Israel's budget issue will be "successfully resolved," so as to "enable the continuation of dealing with this important issue." (RM: this issue being to once again deport Jews from their homes?) Of course, Kofi Annan is an expert on manipulating budget issues (the Oil for Food scandal, which is alleged to have involved both Kofi Annan and his son!). He certainly realizes the relationship between budgets and politics.
We Jews have a terrible "genetic flaw." We refuse to face reality. Anti-Semitism is growing by leaps and bounds worldwide, in the very countries whose leaders were invited to the inauguration of Israel's new Holocaust Museum. Even "law-abiding" Switzerland experienced its very first synagogue burning a few days ago.
At the same time, Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has turned out to be a ghetto-type Jew par excellence, is wining and dining the descendants of those who were either collaborators or stood silently by while European Jewry was being murdered.
I believe that the most shocking statement of this whole conference, at least from what was published in the papers, was that of Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon: "The State of Israel is the only place in the world where the Jews have the right and the power to protect themselves by themselves. This is the only guarantee that the Jewish People will never know another Holocaust."
This is the man who plans to deport fellow Jews from their Biblical Homeland, Gaza and Samaria. These areas are specifically mentioned in the Judeo-Christian Bible as being part of the eternal inheritance promised to the Jewish People by the G-d of Israel. These Jews are to be violently dragged out of their homes and their Land given to the Arab enemy for yet another terrorist state. Sharon has even promised the Arabs that the remains of Jews buried in Gaza will be disinterred, to make the very earth "Judenrein."
Unfortunately, with dictator Ariel Sharon as Prime Minister, the State of Israel is no longer a guarantee that the Jewish People will never know another Holocaust.
And, if a Jewish Prime Minister can uproot and deport Jews from their homes, what will prevent other world leaders from doing the same? This is a very dangerous situation for all Jews worldwide.
Are then, the Jews completely without friends? Be of good courage! There are millions of Bible-believing Christian Zionists in the world, especially in the United States.
I am hereby including a very interesting article by Michael Freund, who served as an aide to former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Calling all Christians (The Jerusalem Post, March 15, 2005)
"Is George W. Bush missing a couple of pages from his Bible? In a speech last week at the National Defense University, the president repeated what has become one of his primary foreign policy mantras.
Asserting that the only way to bring about tranquility in the Middle East is through the establishment of a Palestinian state, Bush said, 'We seek two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security.'
In addition, Bush insisted that Israel must 'freeze settlement activity' and 'ensure that a new Palestinian state is truly viable, with contiguous territory on the West Bank,' meaning that he expects the Jewish state to withdraw not only from Gaza and northern Samaria, but from large chunks of the rest of the territories as well.
The president's statement, of course, is nothing new. It is a theme he has harped on for the past few years, laying down his conviction that the Land of Israel should be partitioned between Arabs and Jews.
But what is truly remarkable, and as yet inexplicable, is that a man so committed to his Christian faith and to belief in the Bible could possibly be unaware of the inherent contradiction in his policy toward the region.
Indeed, how is it that the most devoted Christian to sit in the White House in decades is the same person pressing to divide God's Holy Land, the very same land promised exclusively to the Jewish people by Divine right?
Now, I am neither a theologian nor a Christian, but I do know that the words 'Palestine' and 'Palestinians' do not appear anywhere in the New Testament. So Bush could not have gotten the idea to establish 'Palestine' while attending Sunday school. Did he not learn that Jesus was a Jew who, like the Jews who today are called 'settlers,' lived in land given by God to the Jews, the same land in which he would now create a hostile Palestinian state?
To be fair, Bush has been a great friend of Israel, deflecting international criticism over the Jewish state's efforts to defend itself while pushing to reform and democratize some of our nasty neighbors.
Nonetheless, his insistence on pressing for the establishment of a Palestinian state remains baffling, if not incomprehensible, as it would appear to conflict with both his religious and his ideological worldviews.
Even in terms of the war on terror, Bush's stance on the Middle East is laden with inconsistency. In that same National Defense University speech last week, Bush said, 'The theory here is straightforward: Terrorists are less likely to endanger our security if they are worried about their own security. When terrorists spend their days struggling to avoid death or capture, they are less capable of arming and training to commit new attacks. We will keep the terrorists on the run, until they have nowhere left to hide.'
And yet, when it comes to the Palestinians, that is precisely the opposite of Bush's policy, as the creation of a Palestinian state would inevitably give terrorist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad a perfect place 'to hide.'
In light of the president's position, as well as his religious beliefs, there is one group in particular that should seize the moment now and come out against the current drive toward Israeli withdrawal and retreat: American Christians.
As the core group of Bush's Republican constituency, and as a growing factor to be reckoned with on the American political stage, evangelical Christians have the clout, the numbers and the conviction to help forestall the creation of 'Palestine.'
Efforts by Bush and by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to carve up the Holy Land and turn over parts of it to the Arabs should offend anyone who takes the Bible seriously, including evangelicals. To stand by and watch this process unfold without speaking out is simply unthinkable. There are three things the three P's that US Christians can and should do to make their voices heard: protest, pressure and pray. They shouldn't wait for a divided American Jewry to take the lead, because time is of the essence, as the planned withdrawal from Gaza is just four months away.
Hence, there is no reason why American Christians can't start taking to the streets to organize rallies and protests under the banner of 'Don't Divide the Holy Land.' What a powerful message it would send to decision-makers in Washington and Jerusalem to see hundreds of thousands or even millions of non-Jewish Americans speaking out on this important issue.
U. S. Christians can also apply pressure on their elected representatives. Next Thursday, March 24, when Jews mark the Fast of Esther, a grassroots effort is being planned to get as many American Jews and Christians as possible to phone, fax and e-mail the White House, with the central theme being 'President Bush: Honor God's covenant with His people. Stop Disengagement.'
Lastly, it is time for Jews and Christians to pull out the most potent weapon in their arsenal, the power of prayer. The Land of Israel is in danger, and there can be no better way to influence events than by turning in prayer to the One who guides all human events.
There is still time to act, to make a difference. American Christians have been put in a unique position, one in which they can have a direct impact on the future of Israel and its land. At this critical hour, when the integrity of the Holy Land is at stake, they cannot and must not be silent."
* * *
Unfortunately, President George W. Bush believes that the only way to bring about tranquility in the Middle East is through the establishment of a Palestinian state. In his words: "We seek two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security."
Michael Freund suggests three things - the three P's - that U. S. Christians can and should do to make their voices heard: PROTEST, PRESSURE AND PRAY. I do agree with Michael Freund as to what we should all do. I do disagree with him on one point. Even though American Jewry is divided on this issue, there are many Jews who will be just as interested as the Christians in the survival of the Promised Land as the eternal inheritance of the Jewish People.
Emergency call to American Christians and American Jews! Start PRESSURING your elected representatives, and PRAY that the Master of the Universe should take pity on all of us. As you well know, it is written: "Those who curse Israel shall be cursed, and those who bless Israel shall be blessed."
Just as important is the planned PROTEST in Washington, D.C. on May 19th, 2005.
Circle this date on your calendar. That is the date when we all, please G-d, will join a major rally in Washington, D.C. against the "Disengagement-Deportation-of-Jews-by-Jews Plan." The rally will probably take place on or near the Washington Mall.
I will publish further particulars as soon as they become available.
TOGETHER, WITH G-D'S HELP, WE SHALL OVERCOME.
With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Ruth Matar
THE WORLD LOVES DEAD JEWS, by Ruth Matar
LETTER FROM RUTH MATAR (WOMEN IN GREEN) JERUSALEM
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Holocaust Museums are mushrooming all over the world. Even Germany has a very elaborate museum.
Poland has decided to contribute $26 million towards the construction of a Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. (This is 75% of the cost of the Warsaw Museum Project, despite difficult economic times in Poland!)
When Yad Vashem first opened in 1957, very few museums in the world even mentioned the Holocaust. Today, as the new Yad Vashem museum opens, there are at least 250 Holocaust museums and memorials worldwide - in Israel, the United States and Europe, but also in such far-flung places as Australia, Argentina, South Africa and Japan.
The most elaborate and expensive of these Holocaust Memorials is the new wing of Yad Vashem, which was inaugurated on Tuesday, March 15, 2005, in the Holy City of Jerusalem.
A large number of presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers and other dignitaries from abroad were invited to attend the Tuesday opening of Yad Vashem's new History Museum.
Leaders from some 40 nations attended the ceremony. Those who took part in the two-day, invitation-only opening events included U. N. Secretary-General Kofi Anna, the presidents of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Lithuania, Poland, Serbia-Montenegro and Switzerland, the prime ministers of France, Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Romania, the deputy prime minister of the United Kingdom, the vice president of the Dominican Republic, the foreign ministers of Germany, Norway, et al.
Yes, even the children and grandchildren of our executioners came to attend this festive opening of this new Holocaust museum.
Their parents or grandparents may have either collaborated in the murder of six million Jews, or were complicit, or stood by in indifferent silence.
But shouldn't we Jews forgive and forget? Shouldn't we Jews be grateful for this show of support? Such a distinguished international influx does not show up here every day! In fact, there has been nothing to compare to it since the funeral of Yitzhak Rabin almost a decade ago!
I cannot help but think that my family in Europe, many of whom were exterminated like so much vermin, would have preferred to be allowed to live a normal life, rather than this continual commemoration of their untimely, violent death.
Israel's President Katzav enthused that these leaders of the free world have come to show solidarity, not only with Israel, but against anti-Semitism. That they are now more sensitive to the Holocaust!
On the contrary! In the Jerusalem Post of the same day there was an article about Canada recalling passports that by mistake listed Jerusalem as being in the State of Israel. These passports were recalled like defective automobile parts!
One thing these important world leaders agreed on was that Israel must stop building Jewish communities in their own Land, and permit their country to be divided to allow the establishment of "Palestine," a country that never was, and inhabited by a never-was people.
Was there one of these illustrious visitors who spoke against "Disengagement"? Was there one voice raised against forcibly deporting families from their homes, from their own Land?
But U. N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan takes the cake! By the way, I feel that Sharon's fawning over Kofi Annan, the head of the United Nations, is reprehensible, certainly at the inauguration of yet another expensive Holocaust memorial. The U.N.'s track record has been viciously anti-Israel since its inception.
U.N. Secretary-General Annan said that the Holocaust was an "inconceivable event," but commended the Prime Minister on the Disengagement Plan, and expressed his hopes that Israel's budget issue will be "successfully resolved," so as to "enable the continuation of dealing with this important issue." (RM: this issue being to once again deport Jews from their homes?) Of course, Kofi Annan is an expert on manipulating budget issues (the Oil for Food scandal, which is alleged to have involved both Kofi Annan and his son!). He certainly realizes the relationship between budgets and politics.
We Jews have a terrible "genetic flaw." We refuse to face reality. Anti-Semitism is growing by leaps and bounds worldwide, in the very countries whose leaders were invited to the inauguration of Israel's new Holocaust Museum. Even "law-abiding" Switzerland experienced its very first synagogue burning a few days ago.
At the same time, Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who has turned out to be a ghetto-type Jew par excellence, is wining and dining the descendants of those who were either collaborators or stood silently by while European Jewry was being murdered.
I believe that the most shocking statement of this whole conference, at least from what was published in the papers, was that of Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon: "The State of Israel is the only place in the world where the Jews have the right and the power to protect themselves by themselves. This is the only guarantee that the Jewish People will never know another Holocaust."
This is the man who plans to deport fellow Jews from their Biblical Homeland, Gaza and Samaria. These areas are specifically mentioned in the Judeo-Christian Bible as being part of the eternal inheritance promised to the Jewish People by the G-d of Israel. These Jews are to be violently dragged out of their homes and their Land given to the Arab enemy for yet another terrorist state. Sharon has even promised the Arabs that the remains of Jews buried in Gaza will be disinterred, to make the very earth "Judenrein."
Unfortunately, with dictator Ariel Sharon as Prime Minister, the State of Israel is no longer a guarantee that the Jewish People will never know another Holocaust.
And, if a Jewish Prime Minister can uproot and deport Jews from their homes, what will prevent other world leaders from doing the same? This is a very dangerous situation for all Jews worldwide.
Are then, the Jews completely without friends? Be of good courage! There are millions of Bible-believing Christian Zionists in the world, especially in the United States.
I am hereby including a very interesting article by Michael Freund, who served as an aide to former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Calling all Christians (The Jerusalem Post, March 15, 2005)
"Is George W. Bush missing a couple of pages from his Bible? In a speech last week at the National Defense University, the president repeated what has become one of his primary foreign policy mantras.
Asserting that the only way to bring about tranquility in the Middle East is through the establishment of a Palestinian state, Bush said, 'We seek two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security.'
In addition, Bush insisted that Israel must 'freeze settlement activity' and 'ensure that a new Palestinian state is truly viable, with contiguous territory on the West Bank,' meaning that he expects the Jewish state to withdraw not only from Gaza and northern Samaria, but from large chunks of the rest of the territories as well.
The president's statement, of course, is nothing new. It is a theme he has harped on for the past few years, laying down his conviction that the Land of Israel should be partitioned between Arabs and Jews.
But what is truly remarkable, and as yet inexplicable, is that a man so committed to his Christian faith and to belief in the Bible could possibly be unaware of the inherent contradiction in his policy toward the region.
Indeed, how is it that the most devoted Christian to sit in the White House in decades is the same person pressing to divide God's Holy Land, the very same land promised exclusively to the Jewish people by Divine right?
Now, I am neither a theologian nor a Christian, but I do know that the words 'Palestine' and 'Palestinians' do not appear anywhere in the New Testament. So Bush could not have gotten the idea to establish 'Palestine' while attending Sunday school. Did he not learn that Jesus was a Jew who, like the Jews who today are called 'settlers,' lived in land given by God to the Jews, the same land in which he would now create a hostile Palestinian state?
To be fair, Bush has been a great friend of Israel, deflecting international criticism over the Jewish state's efforts to defend itself while pushing to reform and democratize some of our nasty neighbors.
Nonetheless, his insistence on pressing for the establishment of a Palestinian state remains baffling, if not incomprehensible, as it would appear to conflict with both his religious and his ideological worldviews.
Even in terms of the war on terror, Bush's stance on the Middle East is laden with inconsistency. In that same National Defense University speech last week, Bush said, 'The theory here is straightforward: Terrorists are less likely to endanger our security if they are worried about their own security. When terrorists spend their days struggling to avoid death or capture, they are less capable of arming and training to commit new attacks. We will keep the terrorists on the run, until they have nowhere left to hide.'
And yet, when it comes to the Palestinians, that is precisely the opposite of Bush's policy, as the creation of a Palestinian state would inevitably give terrorist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad a perfect place 'to hide.'
In light of the president's position, as well as his religious beliefs, there is one group in particular that should seize the moment now and come out against the current drive toward Israeli withdrawal and retreat: American Christians.
As the core group of Bush's Republican constituency, and as a growing factor to be reckoned with on the American political stage, evangelical Christians have the clout, the numbers and the conviction to help forestall the creation of 'Palestine.'
Efforts by Bush and by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to carve up the Holy Land and turn over parts of it to the Arabs should offend anyone who takes the Bible seriously, including evangelicals. To stand by and watch this process unfold without speaking out is simply unthinkable. There are three things the three P's that US Christians can and should do to make their voices heard: protest, pressure and pray. They shouldn't wait for a divided American Jewry to take the lead, because time is of the essence, as the planned withdrawal from Gaza is just four months away.
Hence, there is no reason why American Christians can't start taking to the streets to organize rallies and protests under the banner of 'Don't Divide the Holy Land.' What a powerful message it would send to decision-makers in Washington and Jerusalem to see hundreds of thousands or even millions of non-Jewish Americans speaking out on this important issue.
U. S. Christians can also apply pressure on their elected representatives. Next Thursday, March 24, when Jews mark the Fast of Esther, a grassroots effort is being planned to get as many American Jews and Christians as possible to phone, fax and e-mail the White House, with the central theme being 'President Bush: Honor God's covenant with His people. Stop Disengagement.'
Lastly, it is time for Jews and Christians to pull out the most potent weapon in their arsenal, the power of prayer. The Land of Israel is in danger, and there can be no better way to influence events than by turning in prayer to the One who guides all human events.
There is still time to act, to make a difference. American Christians have been put in a unique position, one in which they can have a direct impact on the future of Israel and its land. At this critical hour, when the integrity of the Holy Land is at stake, they cannot and must not be silent."
* * *
Unfortunately, President George W. Bush believes that the only way to bring about tranquility in the Middle East is through the establishment of a Palestinian state. In his words: "We seek two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side-by-side in peace and security."
Michael Freund suggests three things - the three P's - that U. S. Christians can and should do to make their voices heard: PROTEST, PRESSURE AND PRAY. I do agree with Michael Freund as to what we should all do. I do disagree with him on one point. Even though American Jewry is divided on this issue, there are many Jews who will be just as interested as the Christians in the survival of the Promised Land as the eternal inheritance of the Jewish People.
Emergency call to American Christians and American Jews! Start PRESSURING your elected representatives, and PRAY that the Master of the Universe should take pity on all of us. As you well know, it is written: "Those who curse Israel shall be cursed, and those who bless Israel shall be blessed."
Just as important is the planned PROTEST in Washington, D.C. on May 19th, 2005.
Circle this date on your calendar. That is the date when we all, please G-d, will join a major rally in Washington, D.C. against the "Disengagement-Deportation-of-Jews-by-Jews Plan." The rally will probably take place on or near the Washington Mall.
I will publish further particulars as soon as they become available.
TOGETHER, WITH G-D'S HELP, WE SHALL OVERCOME.
With Blessings and Love for Israel,
Ruth Matar
Posted by Joseph Alexander Norland at March 17, 2005 02:16 PM