"Never Again"?

Last week, the Jewish Nation suffered a fierce and devastating blow, when a synagogue was destroyed. One may question with great concern. Where? France? Poland? Prague? Of course had it been in one of these known anti-Semitic countries our lives would have been made much easier. We would all rise up in unison chanting "Never Again". The Israeli government would denounce the anti-Semitic act and possibly send emissaries to aid in the reconstruction of the synagogue. If it had happened in Poland it would surely become a new site visited by tens of thousands of Jewish youth annually.

When a synagogue was destroyed last week and our holy ark, presumably containing our holy Bible swept away into captivity, I could not help but cry and shudder with pain. No! This synagogue where G-D's divine presence rested was not in Poland or France, rather, here in the heart of the Holy Land. No! This holy sanctuary was not destroyed by neo-Nazis or French anti-Semites, rather by Israeli soldiers and police sent by the Israeli government itself.

After the Holocaust, when thousands of survivors swam to the shores of the Promised Land, when Jews from all over the world sand out in unison, a prayer- "…to be a free nation in our land…", who would have believed that we would see the day when a synagogue would be destroyed. Have we forgotten our past? Is "Never Again" a slogan recited only on Holocaust Memorial Day, which pertains to acts of anti-Semitism in Poland and Germany?

Last week while being forcefully held down by a soldier girl (in a ditch by the side of the road), all I could do was watch as hundreds of soldiers walked up to our hilltop "660"- "Tapuach West". They were not going there to protect us. No! They were marching together to destroy our synagogue. Now, several days after the construction there remain only a pile of debris. Of course, there was a successful attempt to rebuild it, but the soldiers were quick to destroy it again. In many ways it is hard to condemn them. Orders are orders, and of one refuses to obey, he or she will be put in jail. Throughout history, people have been driven to do atrocities. How? Is it because of this fear of being punished or maybe 'not accepted'? Is it because people are so easily brainwashed into believing that what they are ordered to do is always for the good of the society? Whatever the answer may be, may we so easily forgive those who do such acts?

Last week while our synagogue was being destroyed, I made several attempts to break free of my capture, in order to block an army jeep or police vehicle from going to our hilltop. Each time I tried, I was quickly seized, and once back in the ditch, told the same words over and over again. The painful sentence "Calm down, there is nothing one can do!" will be imbedded in my mind forever. What will these soldiers answer their children when asked about this black moment in history?

As for us, residents of hilltop "660", we will not give in to the self-hating, anti-Semitic whims of Minister Tomy Lapid and his friends. Unlike the soldiers who will do terrible deeds if ordered, we fear not military officers nor corrupt politicians, only the Almighty Himself. Where today a pile of debris lies, with G-D's help a new synagogue will soon stand in all its glory.

Sarah Friedman is director of community events at Kfar Tapuach she lives with her husband and their two small children on the Tapuach west "outpost"

Of course you will see no heart-rending pictures on Yahoo like they always have when terrorists' houses are bulldozed.

A few, heart rending to me, but I'm sure they please lots of folks. After all, just a bunch of crazy settler with no right to live there. This is what threatens the Arab world.

	Jewish settler prays at a synagogue in the Jewish West Tapuach outpost after settlers partly rebuilt it during the night, near the West Bank city of Nablus, January 21, 2004. Israeli troops swooped on a Jewish outpost in the West Bank and dismantled the unauthorized synagogue on Tuesday, sparking scuffles with settlers and the arrest of 20, witnesses said
	An Israeli settler cries inside a synagogue at the Jewish West Tapuach outpost near the West Bank city of Nablus January 20, 2004. Jewish settlers tried to block hundreds of Israeli soldiers sent to demolish a makeshift synagogue at a settlement outpost on Tuesday, witnesses said
	An arrested Israeli settler tries to retrieve a document from a pile of Jewish religious books in front of a synagogue at the Jewish West Tapuach outpost near the West Bank city of Nablus, January 20, 2004. Jewish settlers tried to block hundreds of Israeli soldiers sent to demolish a makeshift synagogue at a settlement outpost on Tuesday, witnesses said. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen
	An Israeli soldier (L) and settler carry Jewish holy books in front of a synagogue at the Jewish West Tapuach outpost near the West Bank city of Nablus January 20, 2004. Jewish settlers tried to block hundreds of Israeli soldiers sent to demolish a makeshift synagogue at a settlement outpost on Tuesday, witnesses said.
	An Israeli settler lies on the ground in front of a synagogue at the Jewish West Tapuach outpost near the West Bank city of Nablus, January 20, 2004. Jewish settlers tried to block hundreds of Israeli soldiers sent to demolish a makeshift synagogue at a settlement outpost on Tuesday, witnesses said.
	An Israeli settler cries inside a synagogue as Israeli soldiers remove part of the synagogue at the Jewish West Tapuach outpost, near the West Bank city of Nablus, January 20, 2004. Jewish settlers tried to block hundreds of Israeli soldiers sent to demolish a makeshift synagogue at a settlement outpost on Tuesday, witnesses said

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.