Well as much as I would not like to displease the main rabbi, nor to make the committee "uncomfortable", I have asked Miriam to see if she can find a way to arrange for me to speak to her congregants at a neutral venue in her neighborhood. I am including a copy of my letter to Miriam as an example to other "Miriams" who might be facing similar problems with their "Israel Affairs Committees'. Project Shofar seeks to speak to Jews about coming home to Israel. I speak softly and carry a big Shofar. I threaten no one and am completely non violent. If there is a fear to hear me speak, it would be very interesting to consider just what inspires that fear. If there are readers out there who have had similar resistence in their synagogues, I would be interested in hearing about it. Please feel free to drop me an e-mail.
Dear Miriam,
Again, please accept my profound appreciation for all the effort you put into getting me invited to speak at your synagogue. I am not really surprised that I was rejected as I am well aware that such people are truly afraid of facing the reality of their own identity as Jews. It is precisely this attitude which inspires me to work even harder to hold a mirror to the faces of such people and remind them what their Jewishness requires of them. When I am vilified by being called a "Kahanist", I consider that to be the highest compliment possible, because Rabbi Kahane, more than anyone I knew, dedicated his life to saving Jews, even those who hated him.
As you well know, I did not approach your committee with a request of any kind. I have absolutely no connections with any of those people nor are any of them acquainted with me. Thus, we must assume that the only reason they rejected your request to invite me to speak was owing to their discovery that I had some connection with Rabbi Kahane, and they, like many other confused Jews, are still afraid of Rabbi Kahane. And what is it that they most feared of Rabbi Kahane? They were afraid that he would ask questions which they would prefer not to consider. They were afraid that Rabbi Kahane might just prove to them that it is wrong for a Jew to willingly live in Exile when a sovereign Jewish State exists.
Rather than confront uncomfortable realities, it is much easier to villify the speaker; disqualify him in advance of listening to him; and then pat yourself on the back for having saved the community from an uncomfortable confrontation with reality. Jews prefer to ignore danger and hope it will go away rather than admit that it might be a good idea to consider taking positive steps to avoid danger. Unfortunately, Miriam, your "Israeli Affairs Committee" is far too typical of American Jewish congregations today. They invite Arabs and leftists to speak to prove that they are "open minded", when in truth they do so really because they are afraid. They try to convince themselves that if they express sympathy for enemies of the Jewish people that perhaps they can avoid local anti-Semitism. It is for exactly the same reason that they refuse to listen to an honest, self-respecting Jewish perspective. By giving a platform to a Jew who lives in Hebron, it might bring an anti-Semitic response from local haters of Jews, aside from possibly reminding them who they really are. Far better not to invite such a person and just continue to live in their dream world.
I must tell you, Miriam, although I never sought to speak at your synagogue, it is exactly this kind of Jewish audience that Project Shofar seeks to reach. All the present aliyah organizations seek to help Jews who already want to come to live in Israel. But almost no one is seeking to reach out to ordinary Jews who would prefer not to contemplate even visiting Israel, much less moving there, not to mention to reach out to those Jews who are so afraid of anti-Semitism that they deliberately side with our enemies in the futile hope that this will somehow spare them.
Miriam, I would like you to try again. Only this time by-pass the prestigious committee. I am not looking to raise funds. I am looking to raise Jewish awareness. Try to find a neutral place, such as a private home or a local school auditorium or YMHA where we can invite the local Jewish community to attend an evening address by a Jew from Israel. See if you can organize a few of your friends to help you. You might even consider speaking with a reporter from a local Jewish newspaper to make a human interest story from this which can also serve as free publicity for the event. Actually, if you do it well, you might even find that your synagogue committee will reconsider, if just to avoid embarrassment.
Having me speak at your synagogue is really no favor for me. Actually I would be opening myself to needless strife which I could easily avoid by just staying home. The only reason I would want to speak at your synagogue is because I really care about my fellow Jews and feel a need to at least try to open a few eyes. It is much easier and more logical to just assume that it would be a waste of time and not bother. That is what most people would do. I watched Rabbi Kahane at work and his selfless love for his people put him into a premature grave. I cannot live with the thought that a single bullet can end that kind of dedication and selfless love. I am no Rabbi Kahane. I have no political aspirations, nor do I think I can inspire mass aliyah. But I do feel an obligation to continue to speak out to Jews about Israel because I am living in Israel today owing to the selfless efforts of Rabbi Kahane. To allow those efforts to simply end would be sinful.
I hope you don't mind, but owing to the fact that your synagogue's response is so typical of so many other synagogues in the states, I am publishing this letter as a Voice from Hebron commentary. I have not indicated your identity nor that of your synagogue as I certainly do not want to embarrass anyone. But I think it important that people realize to what extremes our people are prepared to go in order to avoid confronting Jewish reality. Perhaps if others read this it will ring a few bells and inspire others, who, like you, want to get more involved in behalf of Israel and the Jewish People, yet have been hamstringed by "Israel Affair Committees".
With Blessings from Hebron,
Gary
