Confusion On Campus – Chabad Can React To Increasing Arab Incitement On our terms and win
Raanan IsseroffBS”D
The following is for our valiant campus shluchim who are now under siege from anti-Jewish Arab student organizations who harass their programming.
Israel Apartied Week Displays Bash Jews
Dear Rabbi and Rebbitzin …………,
I have been following with interest, the event that you unfortunately “experienced” with your hosting of the two Israeli soldiers earlier this year and the Arab student opposition. I am sure you have gotten a flood of emails and letters on the subject-
One thing puzzles me.
That is: Why you would host this event in the first place as Chabad shluchim? Perhaps you are not aware that as chabadniks we do not “Support Israel” and her bid to give away land? “Stand with us”, the group you partnered with and used your Lubavitch name to gain legitamacy, is definitely not against the peace process.
I went to the StandWithUs.com website trying to find out just what their position is on the peace process. Looking at their www.standwithus.com website, it is hard to tell where they hold. So I clicked into some the programs they support. They appear to have programming that is definitely not against the peace process and they seem to support disengagement.
For example Stand By Us funded this program for Tel Aviv Students on finding a solution for peace:
On another page I found a lesson plan on the peace process:
Nov 1, 2011 - Wayne State students and supporters march protesting Israel
Israeli Palestinian Peace Efforts:
• To lay out the main points of the peace process that started with the Oslo Accords in 1993 and continued through the Road Map and Israel’s unilateral disengagement from Gaza in 2005, and to describe some of the obstacles to realization of these plans.
• To introduce the different leaders on each side during the peace process and to show that while leaders in Israel and the U.S. came from different parties, their different approaches still did not manage to resolve the conflict. (See grid on page 23.)
• To document some of the obstacles to realizing these peace initiatives, such as the terrorist activity that escalated between 1993 and 2000, the Intifada, Palestinian incitement against Israel, and the issue of Israeli settlements and counterterrorism measures. (See grid on terrorism.)
So “Stand With Us” supports programs that encourage peace by completely taking Israel’s position no matter what. Their goal is “peace through understanding Israel’s position”. (Called Hasbara)
That position is not anti-disengagement (as the Lubavitcher Rebbe holds).
This is what Hasbara does: It explains and promotes Israel’s position and right to continue the tragedy of land for peace. Hasbara means: “Israel is going to do whatever it will do, and will explain it to you logically; even though what it is doing by committing national suicide, is totally illogical…“
Above is the only alternative Israel offers for peace, as if there is nothing else. The solution of “Land for Peace”.
This is not the Rebbe’s answer at all!
The Rebbe has a different idea.
The Rebbe told us that the only alternative for peace is to take all the land back that Israel gave away and to stop all talks of “land for peace”. The Rebbe further said that if Israel would do that, Terror would stop within 48 hours.
Real true peace.
The Rebbe also said that the Arabs would make peace without giving land. What “support Israel website” will tell you this?
“Stand With Us” on the other hand, is a subtle “land for peace” organization that appears to pose as some independent “let’s all support Israel” organization made up of people like you and me.
There are a slew of such websites on the internet with different names and all the same links and information. Each with different owners. All the same or similar missions, flying Israeli flags. For example: “The Israel Project” which went to Annapolis to rally with the pro-peace efforts there. Well, so did Chabad. We spoke with their director, Mrs. Mizrahi before the event. We couldn’t figure out her organizations position from her website. She was very nice and explained that she was going to support the other side.
Find out what an organization stands for BEFORE you partner with them. A shaliach was partnering with another organization to bring Gilad Shalit’s father to speak. We informed him that Gilad Shalit’s father had gone on Al Jazeera TV and was promoting the release of 1000 terrorists in return for his son. Mr.
Shalit told Al Jazeera TV: “‘Gilad is being held hostage as the Palestinian population is being held hostage by extremists ever since the kidnapping”. The Shaliach was shocked. He had no idea and canceled his sponsorship.
To find out what an organization stands for, you have to dig into the website and find out what they support. An easy way is to Google the organization name with the word: “Disengagement” or “Peace”.
Chabad Is Not Confusion
We have a Rebbe and his directives are very clear, yet with all of this, there is a lot of confusion amongst Chabad Shluchim today about what to do against the flood of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish feeling that is sweeping America.
- Should Chabad have rallies to bash “the radical Muslim menace”?
- Should Chabad partner with AIPAC and support conditional peace*?
- Should Lubavitchers join with others bashing the President & America which are cruelly forcing Israel into giving land?
The first thing a Shaliach should know is that the Rebbe has answers for ALL of these questions. Shluchim being busy (or young) simply do not know, and have not studied the subject enough to have a solid understanding. Perhaps they are pushed by their congregations.
In short, the Rebbe was never into bashing Muslims, America or the US presidents. I have yet to see one sicha or video where the Rebbe promotes this idea. In fact the Rebbe blasted Israeli officials for not having the backbone to stand up to outside pressures to give away land or give in to foreign demands.
AIPAC stands solidly behind the peace process and seeks to promote it. In fact they were probably the ones who first proposed it.
The most important point is this: The Rebbe’s opinion is that the Peace Process is CAUSING the anti-Semitism and anti-Israel feeling.
The solution therefore is for Israel to back out of the peace process. Our experience is that while Israel asks people to support Israel and decry anti-Israel feelings, Israel itself is promoting these very feelings by rewarding terror with gifts of land and natural resources. Naturally, they want more and there is more terror. The American harassment of Jewish students is simply another form of this terror made “legal”.
(See more on what the Rebbe said by clicking here! )
There is a website: “Chabad4Israel.Org” with speakers and ideas for programming.
We provide for shluchim quick information on what the Rebbe feels about peace, Israel, pressure from America and more.
We provide talking points for rallies.
We unite like minded shluchim and Chabadniks who want to make a real change in doing what the Rebbe wanted from US, to unite Jews for this life saving cause.
We also have a resource area and we advertise Chabad activities on Shleimus HaAretz, no matter what and no matter who.
Please send us a note about your upcoming event and we will advertise it.
All the very best,
The Chabad4Israel staff
* Conditional Peace - Israel wants to give land for peace, but on its terms which are a demilitarized Arab country to be created within Israel itself. Israel would provide the military support and the Arabs get a country. The plan has problems. One, in the history of the last 1000 years in the Middle East, it has never happened. Each group immediately takes advantage of the other. So, if such a country were to come about, it must, to survive, have arms. The proof for this is that Israel itself can only exist armed to the teeth. This is the only language the surrounding countries respect. The Rebbe points out as well as he told Moshe Katzav in the 1990’s that Arabs understand “Autonomy talks” to mean they are getting a state. “Go Ask Any Arab” challenged the Rebbe. “You will see what I mean”. The next problem is while Israel works through the legal process, the Arab idea of the legal process and peace with Israel is to eradicate Israel. This is evidenced by the symbol of the Palestinian Authority which shows all of Israel.
Reader Comments