The ultimate aim of all leftists in Israel -- whether expressed through their extreme giveaways of historic Israel, or the sacrifice they demand of the staunch settlers in Hebron and towns in Judah and Shomron is to replace the Jewish religion with secularism. This drive has now reached the Israeli school system, where ugly and ferocious attacks on the Jewish religion are a daily occurrence. In support of giving the Reform and the Conservatives movements -- despite their weak support of Zionism in many cases -- an equal say in all educational decisions, government officials have made some of the following statements:

1. Teachers should no longer teach Bible and Jewish history from the Orthodox viewpoint.

2. Non-Orthodox teachers should speedily be trained to take over education.

3. "Judaism is too important to be left only in the hands of the Orthodox." That illogical statement would like saying, "America is too important to be left to Americans, it should also be given over to the Chinese and the Rwandans.

4. They managed to get one educator to agree with their statements, whom they designate as a "modern Orthodox Jew who believes deeply in pluralistic Jewish education." He is Avi Ravitzky, whom I recently met in Jerusalem. He is an extreme leftist, who is totally in the pocket of the Peres and Beilin government in all areas. He gave no indication to me that he was Orthodox. The Reform and Conservatives are making their inroads under the slogan, "We must teach alternate streams in Judaism." Only the very glib and ignorant will not recognize the fallacy and hypocrisy of such a statement!

Considering how few Reform and Conservative Jews have made aliyah (they are not even coming as tourists) and how many are until this day anti-Zionist and that their Jewish education is minimal and they lack in piety and observances, it is beyond belief that they would be considered for equal rights with the traditional Jews, who have fought for the Jewish land for hundreds of years -- even before Zionism -- and without whose religious devotion to the Jewish Land there would never be a Jewish State.

The New York Times recently reported that Israel is handing over to Egypt thousands of artifacts excavated in the Sinai desert during the 15 years of Jewish possession of these ancient areas. The Egyptians themselves, of course, never ever tried to find anything there themselves and never conducted any archaeological excavations on their own. In fact, my own observation during my visits to Egypt, from my contacts with archaeological authorities there, is that the Moslem Egyptians of today do not have the slightest interest in pre-Moslem Egypt, including pharaonic periods. In other words, they do not have any affinity with their history before Islam took over, nor do they identify with the ancient Egyptians. It is therefore illogical that Israel should volunteer to give them such an enormous gift that is relevant to Jewish history, but which may very well be neglected and ultimately go astray in Egypt. The director of Israel Museum, Dutch-born Martin Weyl, put it this way: "This is the first time I know of that as the result of political agreement, cultural property is being returned." It also sets a dangerous precedent for other precious finds of totally Jewish background and history made in Israel that one day may be claimed by this or that Arab claimant.

But in the light of Israel's unbelievably generous gesture, Israel has every right to press its own burning demand for the return of the precious Hebrew manuscripts stolen over the centuries by the Vatican and for the return of the surviving texts of the hundreds of thousands of Hebrew manuscripts that were burned by the Church.

The small remnant -- some 800 precious books -- are still in the Vatican Library and should be returned to their rightful owners, the Jewish people, by placing them in the National Library in Jerusalem. Since the Vatican, under the "good Pope," John XXIII, offered amends to the Jewish people though the "Nostra Aetate" of the Vatican Council, they can, at a minimum, be asked to return this small vestige of the rich Jewish patrimony, which they destroyed over hundreds of years.

[ HOME ] [ BIOGRAPHY ] [ ARTICLES ] [ BOOKS ] [ SPEAKERS ]
[ CONTACT US ] [ ORDER FORM ]
[ MISSING ITEMS FROM THE COLLECTION ]