Thursday, December 26, 2013

Bath-Ayin Caves into the State's Demands

כ"ה לחודש העשירי תשע"ד 

Yeshiva World News: Yishuv Bat Ayin Sends a Stern Message to the Extremists
YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem, December 25, 2013
 
For many, Yishuv Bat Ayin is synonymous with extremist behavior and a total disrespect for law enforcement agencies. According to the [leftist] daily Maariv, quoting the head of the community council Elchi Fine, things are changing for the better.

There have been many attacks against Arabs and even IDF soldiers attributed to residents of the community. In one case, a number of residents were arrested in connection with a firebomb attack against an Arab taxicab. According to Fine, the straw that broke the camel’s back was an incident that took place a number of weeks ago in which masked men attacked an Arab truck driver at the community entrance. IDF soldiers responding to the incident were then attacked by the same people.

Fine says residents are fed up with the bad reputation, so much so they are now cooperating with police of the National Crimes Unit, providing information which will lead to the arrest of some of the extremists. The community is taking action to oust those families that identify with the extremist, but it appears this effort is only partially successful at best.

“We are willing to do what it takes to halt the violence” Fine is quoted saying. In addition, the community has finally announced a willingness to have a security fence built around parts of the yishuv, which to date has been contested by the so-called extremists, who feel such a move exhibits weakness and defines a community’s boundaries, which they did not wish to do.

(Tip: Tomer Devorah)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
A friend of mine and his family were living in Bath-Ayin temporarily. They did not get accepted through va'ad haqelitah (absorption committee). During the process, this friend of mine was asked if he was a "Kahanist," and told that...
"It's OK to be a Kahanist."
He said that no, that he was not, because, like many of Jews including myself, he does not fit neatly into a box.

Either there is still some conflict within this town regarding hashqafah (Torah perspective), offers and/or threats from the government. Probably all of the above.

What tipped me off in the above report was the issue of the fence. In the eyes of the so-called "extremists," the fence surrounding a town does not send the message to the Yishma'elim (Arabs) that the land inside of it belongs to us. Rather it sends the message that what is outside of the fence does not belong to us.

Eretz Yisra'el (The Land of Israel) is Divinely promised to Am Yisra'el (The People of Israel). Bath-Ayin is not any less Eretz Yisra'el than Tel-Aviv is.


Artificial lines whether drawn by non-Jewish, international organizations, or counter-Torah declarations by Jews themselves are irrelevant. They have meaning, only when we allow them to have meaning; they have power, only when we allow them to have power.

The results of the Israeli Government attributing meaning and power to those elements undeserving of meaning and power? Last month's bulldozers plowing through Bath-Ayin.

Rabbi Binyamin
Kahane hy"d
And speaking of being a"Kahanist," whatever that is supposed to mean, and "reputation," Rabbi Binyamin Kahane hy"d said that one should not be concerned with ones reputation, only with doing the right thing (paraphrase).

The town council of Bath-Ayin has made its choice, as have several other Jewish towns in Yehudah and Shomron (Judea and Samaria).

Towns in Azza (Gaza) made similar choices. These towns no longer exist. Some communities have tried to stick together, and to rebuild their lives together. After eight years, some still do not have permanent housing.

The residents of these former border towns have yet to find to comfort (TB Sanhedrin 97a).

1 comment:

Shy Guy said...

Rock and a hard place.

Even should the Israeli government miraculously today declare sovereignty over Judea, Samaria and Gaza, the violence that would ensue would make a fence a good idea in the interim.

Even more so under present circumstances, where one cannot rely on the GOI and the IDF to properly defend its Jewish citizens.

All of the blame goes to GOI and its IDF.

As for the violent rabblerousers, these individuals are indeed making things worse for the community because the political and military thugs on the outside are still overpowering.

Bat Ayin's administrators are not cow-towing. They are dealing with the reality on the ground of a tyrannical Israeli authority, which they cannot overcome, hard as they might try.

May we be zocheh to real Jewish leaders to come to Am Yisrael's rescue Bimhera Beyameinu.