Words From Rabbi White

Hazaq u Varukh to the Haimovici Family for the unifying Sefer Torah!

JEWISH VOICES FOR PIECE. (Not misspelled: see below)

Dear mitpallelim,

This coming Monday is 28 Iyyar, (Yom Yerushalayim)

I have often related the story of that morning in Spring, ‘67, when I was a student at Yeshiva University. We were expected to use the morning hours to prepare for the “shiur,” the class in Talmud, that would soon follow. However, that morning, everyone was concerned about the situation in Erets Yisrael. Jews living both inside and outside of Israel were afraid that the destruction of Israel could be imminent.

Someone brought a portable radio into the preparation room. (The young people will ask: how come they all didn’t bring their cell phones?) It was just before what would later be called the six-day war. We all listened attentively to the speaker, Ahmad Shukeiri, the founder of the PLO and its first chairman, who welcomed the journalists to his press conference being held in Amman, Jordan. And I remember so well his remarks to the journalists: that they will be welcomed to his next press conference, to be held in his new office, which will be in the Sheraton Hotel in Tel Aviv. In other words, Israel will be conquered, Jews thrown into sea (“chas ve-shalom”,) and a Palestinian State will replace Israel.

His guiding philosophy was that Palestine should be liberated from the Israelis. Earlier, he had been quoted as saying that the Jews living in Israel will have to depart to their countries of origin. For Jews born in Israel, he stated “whoever survives [the war] can stay in Filastin, but in my opinion no one of them will remain alive.”

His famous successor, Yassir Arafat, advocated the conquest of Israel “piece by piece.” [That explains the title that I gave to this article: Do Jewish students on campuses who are advocating for Palestine understand the implications of their desires?]

BH, a great miracle occurred. Not only was Israel not destroyed, but parts of historic Erets Yisrael came under Jewish control.  Those who witnessed the events of ‘67 can appreciate the great miracle that we celebrate on 28 Iyyar. Unfortunately, many of the younger generation do not understand.

As we declare after the reading this week, “hazaq hazaq ve-nithazeq”

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Rosh hodesh of Sivan is Tuesday night and Wednesday.

Molad will be Tuesday morning, 14 minutes and 3 halaqim after 9.

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Mr. Erdstein observes yahrzeit for his wife Julie, Yechet bat Shlomo Tzvi HaKohen, on Friday, 3 Sivan. May the neshama have `aliya.

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Shabbat shalom, Rabbi Menahem White, Chevra Shaas