May 17, 2010 - New York
Thousands of Orthodox Jews demonstrated yesterday May 17, 2010 in front of the Israeli embassies in New York City, Montreal and London, against the Zionist government's destruction of an ancient Jewish cemetery in the city of Ashkelon.
The Zionist government has proceeded with plans to enlarge the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon by destroying an ancient cemetery. Thirty graves, identified by experts as Jewish graves from the Second Temple era, were evacuated by archaeologists. Beginning Saturday night, the government began bulldozing the entire lot, which certainly contains countless more graves.
"According to the Torah, Jews are currently in exile and are not permitted to have a state of their own. Therefore, Orthodox Jews who believe in the Torah never took part in the Zionist movement and its state. This is the reason for the bitter irony that the state calling itself Jewish is run by people who deny all of Judaism's basic principles," said Rabbi Elchonon Beck, a spokesman for Neturei Karta International.
"One of those principles is the immortality of the soul, its reward and punishment after death, and the eventual resurrection of body and soul together. That is why we are commanded to treat human remains with the greatest respect. It is forbidden to move bones, and it is an even greater offense to grind them in the blades of a tractor. We are appalled by the actions of the state calling itself Israel, which lacks the decency and respect for human dignity that most countries of the world practice."
"Furthermore, there are Jewish cemeteries in other countries that are in danger of destruction. When we appeal to those governments to save our cemeteries, why should they listen when they see that the so-called Jewish state has no problem with destroying its cemeteries?
"This wicked act is just another link in the chain of violence and murder perpetrated by the Zionists, against Orthodox Jews and Arabs alike, ever since their founding. The Zionists destroyed hundreds of Arab villages, stealing their land and expelling the inhabitants to neighboring lands. These refugees have already spent 62 years living in tents under wretched conditions. The Zionists also killed very many innocent people who stood in their way, and for 62 years running they have oppressed the Arab population living under their government.
"The Zionists want to put an end to Jewish religious observance. They arrest religious Jews and keep them in prison, or use other brutal methods - even murder - against anyone who stands up against them. The fact that they desecrate that which is holy to Jews, and the fact that they treat Orthodox Jews brutally, is the greatest proof that 1) they do not represent the Torah; 2) they do not represent Orthodox Jews; 3) their goal is not the wellbeing of Jews, only their own political aspirations. They attempt to transform Judaism, a religious concept, into a nationalist concept, empty of Torah and dedication to the Almighty - which have always been the outstanding qualities of the Jewish people. After all this, they have the nerve to call themselves "Israel" and base their claims to the land on the Torah - they same Torah that they so proudly desecrate!
"They use the Almighty's promise of the Holy Land, and at the same time they laugh in His face and violate His law. The Almighty commanded us to go into exile, and with three oaths forbade us to create our own country before the coming of the messiah, when the redemption of the world will take place and all mankind will willingly worship the One G-d.
"Torah Jewry and all authentic rabbis of the world have fought against Zionism since its founding day. Torah Jews will never recognize Zionist sovereignty over the Holy Land.
"Zionists arrogantly claim that they have created a safe haven for the Jewish people, but their actions have brought about just the opposite: through their provocations against the strongest countries of the world and their leaders, they have brought the Jewish people into terrible danger. They have aroused anti-Semitism on a new scale everywhere, especially among peoples who throughout history have been hospitable to the Jews.
"True authentic Jews remain loyal to the Almighty and His Torah, and accept the decree of exile lovingly, knowing that it is for our own good. We are loyal to the governments under which we live, and we do not provoke them or do anything against their interest.
"The only solution to the Middle East problem is the peaceful dismantlement of the Zionist state as soon as possible. The entire land must be given back to its original inhabitants, the Palestinians, and only then will Jews and Arabs be able to live side by side in peace under a Palestinian government, as they lived in peace together for many generations in all the Arab lands. May we merit the redemption through the messiah, soon in our days, amen."
In the Holy Land, at least 30 Orthodox demonstrators were arrested late Saturday and Sunday as they protested the bulldozing of the construction site. Police tackled protesters who attempted to climb fences and stop work. Police also sprayed protestors with a type of gas, causing them to faint on the spot. Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, demonstrators blocked roads and set fire to garbage bins late Saturday night in anger at the Zionists' disrespect for human remains.
Plans for the new wing of the hospital, which is to serve as an emergency room, have been in the making for more than three years. When the ancient graves were discovered, which experts identified by their shape and style as Jewish graves from the Second Temple era, Orthodox Jewish groups asked that the emergency room be built in a different place. Engineers proposed several alternative plans, none of which the government adopted.
Yaakov Litzman, Deputy Minister of Health in the Zionist government, told Rabbi Dovid Shmidel, head of Asra Kadisha, an organization to save ancient cemeteries, that in reality the government cannot afford to build the emergency room. "They will probably not build it now in any case," he said. "They are only bulldozing the area in order to create facts on the ground and put the opposition of the religious community behind them."
Aside from today's demonstration in Montreal, demonstrations were held at 2:00 PM yesterday and today in front of the Israeli Consulate in New York City.
Other demonstrations were in London, England and Montreal, Quebec Canada
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