Expulsion From Azza, Sixth Anniversary: Who Was To Blame?

י' לחודש החמישי תשע"א

More than six years ago, Efraim Tashnady, long time resident of Neve Deqalim, approached his local rabbis to ask what they were doing to organize the struggle against their impending expulsion from their homes in Gush Qatif (Southern Azza).

The rabbi's response?

Rabbi: "Pray." 

ET: "To pray is good. But which practical steps are being taken?" 

Rabbi: "None. Pray. It is upon everyone to take personal inventory, with whichever rabbis he listens to. Not once in history have entire communities been led to such ruin." (What about Yamit?)

Most of the residents of Azza proceeded to follow this advice, and to remain in the same denial until it was too late.

And, what did other rabbis do?

Some rabbis actually aided in the expulsion. That's right. They actually told residents to leave their homes, and helped remove their belonging. Those "rabbis" included Shlomo Aviner, who is still prohibited from making rulings on niddah, yet continues to do so anyway, and Moti Elon, whose coercion of his students to engage in sexual acts with him was recently exposed by his peers.

This all took place the day after the Fast of the Fifth Month (9 b'Av). The day after the destruction of the Temple, it was still burning, thus the custom of Am Yisra'el to continue the refrain from eating meat, drinking wine, cutting ones hair, trimming ones beard, listening to music, and laundering clothes until the afternoon of the 10th.

The first tragedy to befall Am Yisra'el was the negative report on the Holy Land, brought back back the meraglim (spies), sent out by Moshe Rabbeinu (Numbers 13:23-33). The negative report resulted in the curse of mass deaths, each year on the 9th of the Fifth Month, killing off an entire generation of men. Only Yehoshu'a Bin-Nun and Kalev Ben-Yefuneh expressed their faith in HaQadosh Barukh Hu (The Holy One, Blessed Be He), defending the Land.

Meanwhile, Rabbi Dov Lior (Hevron-Qiriyath Arba) and Rabbi Zalman Melamed (Beth-El) were barricaded in a K'far Darom synagogue, fighting for Eretz Yisra'el, while watching over our youth, who were doing the same. These rabbis were the Yehoshu'a and Kalev of the day. The other "rabbis?" Well,...you can do the math on your own.

Heroes defending the Land were accused of being "provocateurs" of the Shabba"k (General Security Service) and otherwise demonized.

Daniel Pinner was acquitted of aggravated assault, a charge lessened from an original charge of attempted murder. He still had to serve a two year jail sentence. Go figure...

Others were place in "administrative detention," at the whim of the Israeli Justice system, on advisement of the Shabba"k.

So, on this sixth anniversary of the expulsion of Jews from Gush Qatif and the rest of Azza, we must take a look at who is really to blame, and whether we are going to trust these people again:

Mamlakhti "Rabbis" and the YeSh"A Council.

Below, for your convenience, I have re-posted the entire film Meraglim (Spies, 40 min.). You have not yet see it, I highly recommend that you do. If you have seen it, I recommend that you see it again.

Then after you get angry, you can cry by watching the video montage of Jewish life in Azza, and the subsequent expulsion, created by Efraim Tashnady's son P'niel.

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Part 1
This first part of the series introduces us to the lying liars of the Yehudah, Shomron, and Azza [YeSh"A] Council, and to the activists who regret having listened to them.

The lying YeSh"A Council members were honest about one thing. They were concerned about their public image.

Part 2
This part begins with the real manner in which YeSh"A Council members regard rabbinical rulings it does not like. It ignores them, or worse. (We have seen this approach before, among the members of the National Religious/Jewish Home Party.)

This part also brings forth the truth about then Rosh Yeshivath Merkaz HaRav Rabbi Avraham Shapira ztz"l's opinion regarding which takes precedence, Torah or Israeli law, when there is a conflict between the two. Mamlakhtim (religious, yet undying state loyalists) have tried to distort the presentation of Rabbi Shapira's views.

The YeSh"A Council found "other rabbis," who agreed with them. Shlomo Aviner, emphasized their presence, and then yelled to "listen to the rabbis!" Pure hypocrisy!

The YeSh"A Council's imprisonment of activists at K'far Maimon is the focus of this part, as well as its collaboration with police.

Take note of then MK Effie Eitam hugging the police commander. One year later, he would incur a head injury at the Amona Pogram. Let's hope he has learned his lesson.

Part 3
Rabbi Avraham Shapira ztz"l did NOT care about public image (ie. PR). The YeSh"A Council distorted the presentation of the plan to enter Southern Azza (Gush Qatif) through its "military expert." This convinced Rabbi Shapira to withdraw his support for the plan.

In actuality, the YeSh"A Council's military expert Ami Shaqed provided activists with a different story, than that which was presented to Rabbi Shapira.

The YeSh"A Council continued to sabotage the protest efforts through the sneaky activities of Pinhas Wallerstein (Ofra, Then Binyamin Counil Head) and newly appointed member Rafi Ben-Bassad (Neweh Tzuf), including the dispersion of activists and more staged arrests.

Rabbinical collaboration is also exposed in this part.

Some IDF rabbis actually claimed it was permissible according to the Torah to expel all of these Jews from their homes, and to hand over the land to our most deadly enemies.

Shlomo Aviner is shown convincing the residents of Gan-Or to allow the IDF soldiers into their town. Until he arrived, Gan-Or residents had been preventing their entry successfully.

Rabbi Mordechai Elon uses his rhetorical skills to convince Netzer-Hazani residents to leave quietly. "Rabbi" Elon's sexual predation was recently exposed by his peers.

Meanwhile, everyone seems to be ignoring the greatest poseq and dayan of them all, Rabbi Shapira.*

The end of this part exposes the collaboration of YeSh"A Council Head Bentzi Lieberman with police, putting the nail in the coffin of Newe Deqalim, the largest Jewish town in Azza.

Part 4
This part begins with more collaboration on the part of Bentzi Lieberman, followed by the staged removal of Tzviki Bar-Hai and Ze'ev "Zambish" Hever, who then directs the violent expulsion from the Neweh Deqalim synagogue. (You've got to see this! It's so blatant and ridiculous that they thought they could hide it.)

The last two minutes provides a conclusion of not only this particular blot on Jewish history, but of the deeper issues facing the Jewish People:

We will let this happen again? Will we let the meraglim fool us again?

Will we again hold Israeli law above the Torah?

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*Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ztz"l showed his praise of Rabbi Shapira ztz"l by calling him "Dayan Eretz Yisrael" (The Judge of the Land of Israel).

Video Extras:

1. Staged expulsion of Sha'ul Goldstein, Mayor of Efrat.

2. Shlomo Wollins eyewitness account of Shlomo Aviner attacking a rabbi and Jewish children (English with Hebrew subtitles).