I am embarrassed to be in an army with you as commander.
BS”D
To Defense Minister, Moshe (Bogie Yaalon),
It was with great pain that I heard about your decision to lengthen the detention of Meir Ettinger. At the same time, I was not surprised. The harassment of those who grow out their payos is but one example of your anti-Jewish behavior. Harming Jews who live on hilltops seems to give you pleasure. So as I said, I did not expect you to act differently. Nonetheless, I am left with a feeling of embarrassment.
I am embarrassed that my grandfather and grandmother lived through the Holocaust with the dream of establishing Jewish sovereignty, that the day has come, and that one of our own has decided to specifically target Jews.
I am embarrassed for the generations upon generations who dreamed of returning to Zion and bringing about the Redemption that you have decided to impede.
I am embarrassed for those whose blood has been spilled in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Gush Etzion, and throughout Israel, who now look down at us and fail to understand why instead of avenging their blood, we are sucking the blood of a Jew who has served the Jewish people his entire life.
I am embarrassed for G-d (who in case you did not know, created you too), in whose Torah we read last week about the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people. The Creator of the world did not suffice with taking us out of Egypt, but also demanded that we be His people. And the Midrash states that had we refused, He would have returned the world to chaos. Yes, we are all embarrassed that the wicked are succeeding and that you, in particular, are returning the world to chaos. Sadly, you and your ilk are harassing those who wish to restore G-d’s Kingdom on earth.
We are embarrassed to be citizens in a state that fails to maintain security and that thinks instead of fighting the enemy, it can arrest Jews for ‘thought-crimes.’
We are embarrassed that you and your friends constantly undermine our right to exist in this land and exist as a nation. Through your actions, you are destroying once again the ruins of Jerusalem which the visionaries of a Jewish State worked so hard to rebuild. You are destroying the work of those who understand why we came to the Holyland and more generally, why we came to this world.
It is an embarrassment that a person like Meir, who even if you were to learn with him for many years would still likely not understand all of his Jewish teachings, is suffering at your hand.
And so too, it is an embarrassment for me, as I write these words, to serve in an army with you as commander. There are no doubt many other soldiers in whose name I write, that have lost morale as a result of your actions. We do not want to sacrifice ourselves evevery dayf at the end of the day we are not fighting our enemies, but instead our brothers. From your words it sounds as though the war you want to fight is not one of truth, but merely one that will ‘maintain calm.’ It’s an attempt to calm the winds of change both inside and out, without any desire to move forward and make progress. Part of the war against Meir and his friends is clearly part of a war against Jewish solidarity and consciousness.
Yet on the other hand, perhaps there is nothing to be embarrassed about. I can only be embarrassed for actions or people that I am associated with. You separate yourself from the Jewish people every day. You, yes you, put the lives of your Jewish brothers in danger on the battlefield every day through insane restrictions on opening fire and more. You and the Education Minister prefer to continue transferring funding to the terrorists of the PA while refusing to fund the yeshiva in Yitzhar, where they wear kippahs that are just a little too big for your liking. The time has come for you, who constantly claims that nothing can be done to stop Arab terror, to resign from your post. Make room for those who fear G-d and who want what is best for you even more than you do. Leave your post for people who understand the difference between friends and foes. Let those who understand how G-d commanded us to fight a war, determine how the war will be fought. After all, your failures have shown that you lack such knowledge.
You won’t manage to break Meir and his friends because they have the word of G-d on their side. They are Jews filled with joy, hope, and freedom. They are only strengthened when they see your miserable and pathetic attempts to erase the Torah of G-d, Torat Hamelech (the Torah of the King).
Signed with a heavy Jewish heart,
Menachem
From Hakol Hayehudi, here.