'World

GUARDIANS OF YESHA

On Guard

Israeli security activist spotlights the struggle of the settler movement.

Jewish Defense League. Danziger heard
the confrontation-minded Kahane speak
at a Brooklyn synagogue in 1969. In April
2008, Danziger told the Jerusalem Post that
he learned from the rabbi's speech that
Jews could fight back and use force to pro-
tect themselves and their families.
Danziger made aliyah three years
later at age 20. He settled in Kiryat Arba.
Currently a resident of Efrat, he has lived
in Judea for 35 years.
"Arab infiltration of our communities is
the No. 1 threat to the Jewish civilian pop-
ulation in Judea and Samaria;' Danziger
said during an interview at the IN. "East
Jerusalem Arabs are heavily involved in
terror in Yesha!'
Since 2004, Mishmeret Yesha has
trained 4,000 Rapid Response Team
members. The yearlong training requires
marksmanship, fitness, studies and giving
up 20 workweek days.
The key is that even 2-3 Rapid Response
Team members have a good chance of
holding off a terrorist force until Israeli
soldiers arrive. The soldiers can be up
to 25 minutes away. "That's a universe of
time when you are talking about terror-
ism; Danziger said. "The team members
can freeze a situation and buy time.
Otherwise, the terrorists will finish off
everyone!'
In the case of a yeshivah, all 12-14
team members typically are on campus
most of the time. "So it's worth our effort:'
Danziger said. "They're there, with weap-
ons. The yeshivah has an instant force
without having to pay for it!'
Danziger has served as an active or
reserve Israeli officer since 1973.

Robert Sklar

Editor

ews living in the West Bank were
attacked by Palestinian Arabs
indoctrinated to hate Zionism
and the people it represents. The vast road
network serving Jewish areas and their
schools, groceries and businesses proved
especially vulnerable to roadside bombs
and rock throwing. Then the Jew-haters
graduated to sniper fire.
By the time of their second inti-
fada (uprising) against Israelis in 2000,
Palestinian terrorists had set their gun
sights on bigger targets as well: entire
enclaves of Jewish settlers. In 2003, they
began to dress up as Israeli police officers,
for example, infiltrate Jewish areas and kill
civilians in yeshivot or other buildings.
Believe it or not, friendly fire among the
settlers also was a problem.
Enter Mishmeret Yesha — Guardians
of Yesha (Judea, Samaria, Gaza). The
Jerusalem-based activist umbrella orga-
nization emerged in 1988. It represents
several groups, programs and projects that
improve the lives of Jews in Israel. Its main
work is in the spheres of security, medical
aid, legal assistance, education, and land
reclamation and development.
Rapid Response Team training is a cen-
tral component of the Mishmeret Yesha
lineup. These anti-terror teams — which
serve residential enclaves, yeshivot and
other institutions — are trained and
equipped to respond immediately to terror
in their midst and neutralize it in hopes of
saving the hostages.
"The deteriorating situation in Israel
is not something that will go away:' said
Israel "Izzy" Danziger, the Brooklyn native
and scrappy founder and operations
director of Mishermet Yesha since 2000.
Danziger, 55, is a fiery spokesman for the
Zionist cause throughout Eretz Yisrael, the
biblical Land of Israel. Eretz Yisrael includes
Judea and Samaria, which comprise the
Palestinian Authority-controlled West Bank,
and Hamas-run Gaza. Yesha is a Hebrew
acronym for Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
A private board oversees and raises
money for the Rapid Response Teams, but
the Israeli army allows their bases to be
used for training. The army also provides
additional firearms to the government-
paid security coordinator in each commu-

Izzy Danziger: "Arab infiltration of our communities is the No. 1 threat to the
Jewish civilian population in Judea and Samaria."

nity; these support weapons can be issued
during actual terrorist strikes. Mishmeret
Yesha provides protective equipment and
night-vision goggles.
The highly trained teams consist of vol-
unteers who know how to react quickly to
acts of terror and can instantly distinguish
the victims from the perpetrators who are
often disguised.

Behind The Danger
Danziger stopped by the Southfield offices

of the Detroit Jewish News on Dec. 3 dur-
ing a two-week visit to Detroit, Cleveland
and New York. The next night, he spoke
before 100 people at Young Israel of Oak
Park in a program co-hosted by YTOP,
Young Israel of Southfield, the Sara
Tugman Bais Chabad Torah Center and
Yeshivat Akiva. The Zionist Organization
of America/Michigan Region sponsored
Danziger's local visit.
One of Danziger's inspirations was
Rabbi Meir Kahane, who founded the

Spreading Its Wings
Today, 260,000 Jews live in 250 com-
munities in the West Bank. The largest
community, Maale Adumim southeast of
Jerusalem, has 40,000 residents.
Before the second Palestinian reign
of terror against Israel began in 2000,
Mishmeret Yesha also got involved in land
reclamation after the Palestinian Authority
set up a Ministry of Settlement, which
funded and encouraged Arab land devel-
opment near Jewish villages. "That left us
in a situation that had it been allowed to
continue, we would have been

On Guard on page A28

IN December 18 • 2008

A27