It’s a ‘Temple Mount is in Our Hands’ moment
A visit to the biblical town of Hevron for Shabbat Chayei Sarah is incredibly uplifting and enlightening. Though the wars in Gaza and Lebanon go on at terrible cost, and Israel deals with threats on five other fronts, being in the ir avot, the city of our forefathers, reminds us who we are and what we are fighting for — we fight for our family and we fight for our ancient Jewish heritage.
The name Hevron comes from the root word haaver (friend, neighbor, fellow Jew). Thus, just as Yerushalayim defines the relationship between aadam v’HaMakom (man — and woman — with Hashem), Hevron defines the relationship between aadam v’chavero (man — and woman — with their fellow Jew).
While there, surrounded by several thousands of like-minded visitors and about 1,000 permanent residents, one has the time and ability to analyze our national situation with clarity. We heard from multiple members of Knesset, ministers of the government, as well as “regular people,” citizens of this holy land. Of course everyone has an opinion. But the consensus is that we are living in the most historic period of our lifetime.
There is unanimity that the incoming Trump administration will be the most pro-Israel administration in the modern state’s 76-year history.
•US Ambassador-designate to Israel Mike Huckabee says he will never refer to the West Bank by that name, but as Judea and Samaria.
•Secretary of State-designate Marco Rubio has said the two-state solution is a non-starter.
•Defense Secretary-designate Pete Hesgeth has previously said he would not be unhappy with the prospect of establishing the third Temple on the Temple Mount!
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or those old enough to remember 1967 and the miraculous victory of the Six Day War, with the recovery of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount after almost 2,000 years, these times seem familiar. Hashem has given us an extraordinary opportunity to change our history.
In 1967, the fledgling state and its leaders were too timid and perhaps too hopeful that “peace overtures” and givebacks would lead to our acceptance in the region. They gave away the holiest site for Jews in the entire world, the Temple Mount, home of two Temples and a future third. We know the consequences of that unfortunate and misguided decision.
Every time we gave “land for peace” we got “land for terror and death.”
Despite being ostensibly a sovereign nation, Israel’s relationship with the United States is almost like parent and child. While mutually beneficial, this relationship is fraught with challenges and difficulties, especially as the “child” grows to maturity. Israel has progressed from being an essentially client state of the United States to an independent nation that yields enormous technological, medical, spiritual and philosophical advantages to the entire world . We can no longer be timid. We must be bold and assertive. We need not ask permission of anyone. We have permission; we must prepare a wish list:
• Sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria.
•Deportation of Arabs from Gaza and also those in Judea and Samaria who seek the state’s destruction.
•One Jewish State à la ambassador David Friedman’s plan.
•And of course, the first order of business is the elimination of the evil Ayatollah regime in Iran. The Iranian people for the most part have been allies of Israel for centuries; it is time to remove their tyrannical burden and once again reestablish our alliance.
The consequences of these actions will be enormously beneficial.
•First we will have demonstrated to the Trump administration that Israel is a strong and dependable ally, something Trump respects.
•Second we will have shown the world, especially the Moslem world, that we are the “strong horse.”
Saudi Arabia, which is anxious to have access through Gaza to the Mediterranean for exportation of its oil as well as a plethora of other business opportunities (thank you Jared Kushner) will rush to conclude an agreement with Israel. The rest of the Moslem world, notably Qatar (which has been funding a great deal of the anti-Israel and antisemitic protests and propaganda on college campuses) will be forced to comply.
Israel’s economy will blossom — and even more importantly, its self-respect.
Will there still be evil enemies like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Isis? Until Moshiach comes, of course. But they will be minor and contained, unfunded and no longer a threat to Jewish existence.
These “plans” are not novel; they are G-d’s plans. He made it all come together, in ways that seem miraculous. And He outlined it for us all in the Tanach.
After David Hamelech had defeated all of his enemies, his son Shlomo made alliances with all the nations around him and dwelled for 40 years in peace. The only thing that undid it was our own disunity.
We must learn the lessons of our history. We must grow up as a nation, defeat our enemies, make mutually beneficial alliances, and take on the most difficult task — maintaining national unity.
When we accept the lesson of Hevron — bein aadam L’chavero, to create and maintain respect and understanding for our fellow Jew — the peace that we will have created will endure, and Moshiach’s arrival will come as no surprise.
Dr. Alan Mazurek is a retired neurologist, living in Great Neck, Jerusalem and Florida. He is a former chairman of the Zionist Organization of America. To reach him, write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com
