The Land of Israel is an exciting place to be in, especially during the Holiday of Chanukah.  It is also special to be in Hebron during this Holiday season. Over 3,000 years ago the founders of the monotheistic Jewish Religion were buried there, and the Maccabees of Chanukah fame drew their inspiration from these ancestors.  No other People in the world has a Cave of the Machpelah where they can point with deserving pride to their distinguished ancient ancestors.  That is why Women In Green have chosen to come to Hebron each year during Chanukah to celebrate this memorable Holiday together with the children of Hebron, who represent Israel's future. As is the custom on this joyous holiday, we distribute toys and treats to them.

This year there was an additional important reason to come to Hebron and its adjoining community, Kiryat Arba.  Just a few weeks ago, Arab terrorists ambushed soldiers and those who came from Kiryat Arba to rescue the wounded.

These soldiers were protecting Jews living in Kiryat Arba, who traditionally walked to the Cave of the Machpelah on the eve of the Sabbath for religious prayer.  As a result of this tragedy, 12 were murdered and dozens wounded.  The Hebron Arabs, reminiscent of the slaughter of Jews in the 1929 pogrom, once again were murdering Jews.

In solidarity with the brave Jewish pioneers of Kiryat Arba and Hebron, Women in Green arranged to have a March over the same path that the residents of Kiryat Arba took to go to the Cave of the Machpelah in nearby Hebron.  On the 5th day of Chanukah, which was  Wednesday, December 4, 2002, four full busloads, and many private cars of friends and supporters of Women In Green, came from around the Country to Kiryat Arba to participate in the Solidarity March.  Waiting for us were the Jewish heads of the Municipality of Kiryat Arba and Hebron, as well as many of the residents of both communities.

The morning began with a short ceremony commemorating the twelve heroes who had lost their lives a few weeks ago at the hands of merciless Arabs.  The widow of Yitzhak Buanish (May his blood be avenged) lit Memorial Candles.  Yitzhak had been one of the leaders of the security force in Kiryat Arba and had been murdered while coming to the rescue of wounded soldiers.  Rabbi Shimon Ben Amram read an appropriate Chapter of Psalms.

After this Ceremony the March began from Kiryat Arba to the Cave of the Machpelah in Hebron.  It was tremendously uplifting to see literally hundreds of men, women and children carrying flags of Israel, as well as Women In Green Banners which proclaimed:  "The Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel."  Everybody joined in singing "Am Yisrael Chai"   (The People of Israel shall live forever!) as they marched along.

When we reached Kiryat Arba's southern gate on our way to the Cave of the Machpelah we found the gate locked by the police.  We learned that two extreme left-wing Knesset members, Mossi Raz of Peace Now, and Tzali Reshet, were in the area to spout their usual pro-Arab poison and the police were purportedly protecting them from us nationalists.  They kept the gate closed for about ten minutes to make sure that these Arab supporters were safely away from harm's way.

A very short time after that we arrived at the alley where the battle with the Arab terrorists took place, and admired the four young Jewish families who had already moved to this outpost to live there.  They were living in a container with the barest of necessities to establish the principle that where terrorism struck, there we would establish new dwelling places to reaffirm that this Land belongs to the Jewish People.

At this outpost, the Kiryat Arba Municipality had set up a podium with an excellent loud speaker system and it was there that we listened to several inspiring speakers.  The first speaker was Rabbi Shimon Ben Amram, himself a part of the Kiryat Arba security force, who gave a moving account of the heroic exploits on that fateful Friday night.  He described in detail how, despite heavy enemy fire, the Kiryat Arba security people dauntlessly attempted to rescue the wounded soldiers who had been ambushed.

Noam Arnon, a leader from the Hebron Jewish Community then spoke and thanked the Women In Green for organizing such an impressive Chanukah Event.  He assured us all that the Jews of Kiryat Arba and Hebron were brave warriors in the tradition of the Maccabees and  would never capitulate to the terror tactics of the Arabs.

Yitzhak Pass, the father of the baby Shalhevet Pass, who was deliberately targeted by an Arab sniper and murdered, spoke next.  He explained to us that the Jewish People's return to their historical and Biblical homeland would not be complete until we can settle in all parts of our Country.  He pointed out that we, in this generation, were committing the same sin as the Biblical spies who were sent by Moses to view the Land God was giving to them.  Our leaders today were willing to give away large parts of our holy Land to our sworn enemies.  In order for this madness to stop, he said, we must be allowed to settle in all parts of our Biblical Promised Homeland.

Nadia Matar, the co-leader of Women in Green, was the last speaker.  She stressed that Chanukah was not the time for speeches, but rather that action was required.  From Hebron, we call upon our government to stop talking and take proper action.  Twelve valiant soldiers were killed in Hebron by our Arab enemy, whose sole purpose is to kill as many Jews as possible.  They hope such action will bring an end to the Jewish People, and an end to spreading the light of Torah.

Until now, the government's reaction to the daily massacre of Jews have been promises to take action, but in fact doing very little.  The time has come to stop caving into terror, and to stop talking about eventually giving the Arabs another State within our historical heartland.

When we talk about necessary action, we mean letting our wonderful army fight as if they were in a war and not as if they were fighting a bunch of thieves and crooks.  We are at war, and we have to hurt the Arab enemy swiftly and completely, so that they beg us to stop.

In such a war we have to bomb entire Arab neighborhoods.  Polls taken continuously show that the so-called Arab civilians are extremely supportive of suicide bombings and other  terrorist action against the Jews.  Both their school systems and their propaganda spew hatred of the Jews and no one in the Arab populace speaks out against, nor does anything about the continuous murders of Jews.  On the contrary, the "Arab civilians" support the murderous Arafat, Hamas and all other terrorist organizations.   In a war, we must hurt the enemies so badly that their spirit is completely broken, and their will to fight no longer exists.

The time has come to allow the building of a Jewish neighborhood in every place where a Jew has become a victim of Arab terror.  This is the real Zionist response to those who seek to have us leave our homeland.  The more you kill us, the more Jewish neighborhoods we will build.   In this light, we demand that Sharon's mere words be made an actuality.  That there be a flourishing Jewish neighborhood created, with literally hundreds of Jewish families, connecting Kiryat Arba with Hebron, the holy city of the Patriarchs.

In order to accomplish these goals, we must do some house cleaning within our own camp.  As you all know, Chanukah has a special message to us in this regard.  Several thousand years ago,  Hellenist Jews represented a threat to Jewish survival.  Today, there are such Hellenist Jews amongst us.  They are today the Oslo criminals who have sided with the Arab enemy, have given that enemy guns and ammunition, cities of refuge, and continue to help destroy the Jewish State.  From Hebron and during the symbolic Holiday of Chanukah, we call for the indictment of these Oslo criminals, today's Hellenists in our midst.  Unfortunately, the list is very, very long, but let's at least start with indicting Shimon Peres, Yossi Beilin and Yossi Sarid.  There is abundant evidence that they have in the past collaborated, and that they continue today to collaborate with the Arab enemy and are responsible for   many, many Jewish deaths and maimings.

Sometimes things look very dark and there seems to be little hope that things will lighten up.  We know for a fact, however, that despite our weak political leadership, the People of Israel are strong and courageous.  The overwhelming majority of the Jewish People love their historical homeland, the Jewish People, and their noble ancient Heritage.   The most   wonderful and heroic segment of the Jewish.  People live in Kiryat Arba, Hebron and other Jewish communities throughout Judea, Samaria and Gaza.  They are today's Maccabees.  By just living here, and by their continuous building of the Land of Israel, they take more and more of the darkness away, and bring more and more light.  The entire Jewish People, here and abroad, has to admire them for their courage, and for what they contribute to our People and to thank them profusely. They help expel the darkness from our Land, and help ignite the  fire of love for our People, our Homeland, and the Torah of Israel.

Following the speeches, we continued our March to the burial place of our ancestors.  The adults went to pray there, and the children were taken to the Gutnik Center.  There, they enjoyed the wonderful annual Chanukah Party which Women in Green prepared for them, with musicians, a juggler, a balloon maker, and many toys and treats that were handed out to the children of Kiryat Arab and Hebron.  (The toys were donated by American Friends of Women in Green.)

A guided tour of the new neighborhoods in Hebron was provided for the adults.  The new apartments that were built in the Avraham Avinu and Tel Romeda areas were shown to us and we were told about the many new families that were waiting to come to live in Hebron.

It was a day filled with inspiration and very suitable for the Holiday of Chanukah.  We had come to identify with this vital segment of our People, and to encourage them, but came away ourselves wholly uplifted, and instilled with their spirit of dedication to our People. That indeed is the true message of this magnificent Holiday of Chanukah!

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Women For Israel's Tomorrow  (Women in Green)
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