|
September 13, 2005
The
Destruction of a Synagogue is Akin
to a Knife Being Thrust
into Our Very Being:
OU Deplores Synagogue Desecrations
in Gaza; Says Palestinian Authority
Fails Test of Governance
Orthodox
Union Executive Vice President Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
today expressed the pain of world Jewry suffered by the
wholesale desecration of Gaza synagogues following Israel’s
disengagement.
He criticized the refusal or inability of the Palestinian
Authority to prevent the destruction of the synagogues,
declaring, “The Palestinian Authority has demonstrated to the
world its failure to govern in a manner similar to governing
authorities around the globe by letting the wanton destruction
go on.”
“As Jews, we can only cry out in pain as a riotous mob, filled
with only hatred and a lack respect for the beliefs and
sensitivities of others, desecrates buildings in which Jewish
men, women and children once worshiped God with great devotion.
These events only remind us of desecrations of synagogues down
through the ages. Who could imagine that in the year 2005 such
violations of decency and humanity would still be possible.”
“The life of the Jew revolves around the synagogue. It is within
this sanctuary that Jews pray daily, where our life cycle events
are held, and where the study of Jewish texts are explored, both
day and night.
*The destruction of a synagogue is akin to a knife being thrust
into our very being.* When synagogues are destroyed, with either
the connivance or lack of action of a governing authority, we
can only ask, what kind of government is this?”
“We trust that all peoples of good will also recoil in horror at
such images.”
“This is why the Palestinian Authority has taken to blaming
Israel for these evil acts, suggesting that Israel left the
synagogues standing so as to embarrass the Palestinians. And so
blaming the victim continues.
This, of course, is nonsense; the Palestinians have embarrassed
themselves.
“We await the reaction of Muslim governments and religious
leaders to these outrages. With heavy heart, however, we
anticipate a long wait for wholesale condemnation.”
“Israel could not bear to demolish houses of worship because the
destruction of even of a single sanctuary is intolerable and
unfathomable. We pray for an era in which all people share that
understanding, and in which our sanctuaries, and our heavy
hearts, are restored to their former glory.”
###
|
