A Difference Of Opinion
Seeking An Atonement
For A Horrible Act
SHARMA SHAPIRO SPEC AL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
I
struck the match, touched
the flame to the wicks, closed
my eyes, hands curling, tried
to recite the Sabbath candles
blessing and I began to weep.
The needless deaths of 40 Mus-
lims, young and old, the de-
struction of hopes and dreams
for peace between Israelis and
Arabs and the instant wiping
out of much of the inroads to-
ward trust for Jews and Mus-
lims were all thoughts that
flashed through my mind as I
desperately tried to welcome
Shabbat... and I could not.
There are those in the Jew-
ish world who called Dr. Baruch
Goldstein a modern-day
Mordechai. Mordechai in my
studies in Megillat Esther un-
derstood diplomacy under a gov-
ernment that he did not
personally choose, understood
humility when led through the
streets of Shushan by Haman
and restrained himself from
pelting this evil personality with
rocks and stones, with harsh
words or cruel jokes, and un-
derstood patience and trust in
God that ultimately the Jewish
peoples' safety and survival
would prevail.
Dr. Baruch Goldstein, armed
and wearing the uniform of an
IDF officer, barged into the Cave
of the Patriarchs (Machpelah),
the Tomb of Abraham and
Sarah, Leah and Rebecca and
Isaac — one of the holiest sites
of both Judaism and Islam. He
entered the area known as the
al-Ibrahimi Mosque, to find the
congregation of 400 Muslims
praying on the occasion of Ra-
madan.
Aiming his rifle at the
prostate rows of worshippers,
he opened fire. When the shoot-
ing stopped, 40 Arabs lay dead
and 170 were wounded. This
massacre inaugurated a spate
of violence in the territories un-
rivaled since the beginning of
the intifada. The Temple Mount
in sacred Jerusalem was again
the scene of bloodshed and the
significant progress which had
been made in the PLO-Israel
talks in recent weeks for peace,
precious peace, came to an
abrupt halt.
No longer could I comfortably
point my finger to Arab ex-
tremist groups like Hamas and
pronounce that they are the ma-
jor hinderance of the peace
process. Now I must look with-
in to find uncompromising ex-
tremists that use God, Torah
and Israel as tools for their own
means, murder.
Our rabbis point out that
Torah begins with the Creation
story to express explicitly that
all humanity is one. I was filled
with anguish to read demonic
statements attributed to those
claiming to be rabbis. Said one,
"One million Arabs are not
worth a Jewish fingernail."
Statements like this belittle
who we are individually and
who we are to the world.
I extend my tears and my
hopes to the families of the vic-
tims of this craven act of terror,
both Muslim and Jewish, that
the peace process will be accel-
erated and a workable settle-
ment reached to the conflict that
has inflamed the Middle East
and cost the lives of so many
Arabs and Jews.
In working within one of our
tradition's binding precepts,
Tikkun Olam, we must all be in-
volved in the search for peace
and resolve that extremists on
either side can never be allowed
to block the critical path to the
resolution of this conflict.
This past Shabbat, we read
from Ki Tissa. The phrase,
lichafer al not sho techim, to
make atonement for your souls,
is one of the sublimist teachings
of the Torah. We learn that the
Torah expresses the horror of
shedding human blood and in-
structs all to make atonement
for the murdered souls before
God. On Shabbat Ki Tissa, I be-
gan to weep and beat my breast
to begin my atoning. ❑
Sharma Shapiro is Michigan area
director of the American Jewish
Committee.
A 'Sensitive' Man
Cried Out With Action
RABBI ALON TOLWIN SPEC AL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
B
efore I express my feel-
ings about last Friday's
massacre, evoked by a
conversation with my
brother who lives in Israel, I
need to state clearly that I be-
lieve this act was a tragic er-
ror. I believe that the act was
wrong in that it took the lives
of many people who were not,
as far as we know, active ter-
rorists, and even more so, in
that it has already evoked
Arab venegeance and put the
lives of Jews around the world
in danger.
It is easy for us in "comfy-
cozy" America to feel sad, lib-
eral and egalitarian toward
our "Arab cousins." Most of us
don't "live on the edge," with
the Damocles' sword dangling
above our heads.
But our brothers and sis-
ters in Israel, especially those
who moved to the West Bank
with government assurances,
do live that way. They live
with fear that their children
are open prey when they go to
school, that their husbands
are stoned daily as they drive
to shop and work. They wor-
ry for their wives and moth-
ers as they walk under Arab
eyes. For them life is real, de-
cisions have consequences, an
enemy is an enemy, whether
carrying a gun or kneeling in
prayer.
Thank God that we have
the luxury of feeling safe. This
feeling gives us the ability to
analyze such an event with a
degree of objectivity.
trained and committed doc-
Yet we cannot afford to for-
tor, one who heals people. He
get the anguish and pain of
was the father of four chil-
those who don't live this way.
dren, a teacher, an idealist
Golda Meir said once that
and an ardent Zionist.
though we can forgive the
Dr. Goldstein worked in a
Arabs for killing our sons, we
clinic on the West Bank. Day
cannot forgive them for forc-
in an day out, for years he
ing us to kill theirs.
treated the victims of Arab
A tragedy happened in Is-
terror, usually at no charge.
rael last week. An American-
He applied the skills and tools
trained doctor opened fire
of his trade to patch up those
with automatic weapons on
he loved and cared for, those
Arabs who were
kneeling at
prayer in the
Tomb of the Pa-
triarchs. The
press went nu-
clear. "An abom-
ination, a
holocaust." The
response of the
Israeli govern-
ment was swift
and sure: it will
disarm any Jews
living on the
West Bank who
are associated in
any way with
these "extremist
organizations."
The PLO's re- Hebron residents debate an Israeli soldier.
sponse was swift
and clear: "Peace talks are
with whom he shared his vi-
discontinued."
sion. He did what he did and
And Jews throughout the
where he did it because his vi-
world hang their heads in
sion was a free and peaceful
shame and worry.
land of Israel.
Who did this cowardly
He patched the split skulls
deed? Perhaps a madman, a
cracked by rocks hurdled by
fanatic no doubt. No, the per-
Arab terrorists. He extracted
petrator was a doctor, a well-
bullets from children, events
that we don't hear about in
the paper. His heart was sick-
ened with the lack of support
and protection granted the
Zionist settlers. His mind
ached from the convoluted re-
sponses given by the govern-
ment to "Palestinian
demands."
Several months ago, two
bodies were brought to his
clinic. The coverings were
pulled back and he found
himself staring
into the faces of
his best friend,
Mordechai Lap-
idas, and Mr.
Lapidas' 19-
year-old son,
both stabbed to
death by Arabs.
Dr. Goldstein
wept and
prayed that
this insanity
cease. He was
deeply hurt.
Several
weeks ago, a
Jewish woman
was brought in
on a stretcher,
dead and pre-
gant. She had
been shot by Arabs.
Again he wept. His mind
exploded. And the govern-
ment announced that Prime
Minister Yitzhak Rabin will
no longer pay respect to the
dead by attending the funer-
als of those killed by the
Arabs. The world's response
was a predictable silence.
Jewish blood is cheap.
Who will express the rage
and injustice of spilt Jewish
blood?
Purim in Israel is a time of
joy and celebration. Dr. Gold-
stein was with his children in
shul. The Megillah was read,
recounting how the Jews were
saved in those days. Today,
yesterday and, most probably,
tomorrow are different. With-
out a Mordechai and an Es-
ther to articulate to the Jews
the danger they are in, the
Children of Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob are in double jeop-
ardy. Only 30 percent of the
Jews in Israel support Rabin's
plan now, down from 70 per-
cent. Arab killings are more
frequent and more brutal.
We've become the world's
"bad guys" once again.
Dr. Goldstein was a sensi-
tive man, a healer. He picked
up his weapons and cried out
so that someone in the world
will notice what is happening
to Jews.
This morning's papers
printed Rabin's government
response: "Weapons will be
taken from the settlers and
several hundred more terror-
ists will be released." The
PLO reply, "These are hollow
gestures."
❑
Rabbi Alon Tolwin is executive
director of the Detroit area of-
fice of Aish HaTorah.
CC