PM Netanyahu at Memorial Ceremony for the Late PM Menachem Begin at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, 27/02/2012.
Photo: Moshe Milner, GPO
ϟ THE STATE OF ISRAEL HAS ARISEN !
MENACHEM BEGIN’S BROADCAST TO THE NATION 15 MAY 1948
Citizens of the Hebrew Homeland, Soldiers of Israel, Hebrew Youth,
Sisters and Brothers in Zion!
After many years of underground warfare, years of persecution and moral
and physical suffering, the rebels against the oppressors stand before
you, with a blessing of thanks on their lips and a prayer in their
hearts. The blessing is the age-old blessing with which our fathers
and our forefathers have always greeted Holy Days. It was with this
blessing that they used to taste any fruit for the first time in the
season. Today is truly a holiday, a Holy Day, and a new fruit is
visible before our very eyes. The Hebrew Revolt of 1944-1948 has been
blessed with success - the first Hebrew revolt since the Hasmonean
insurrection that has ended in victory. The rule of oppression in our
country has been beaten, uprooted; it has crumbled and been dispersed.
The State of Israel has arisen in bloody battle. The high way for the
mass return to Zion has been cast up.
The foundation has been laid - but only the foundation - for true
independence. One phase of the battle for freedom, for the return of
the entire People of Israel to its homeland, for the restoration of the
whole Land of Israel to its G-d-covenanted owners, has ended. But only
one phase.
We should recall that this event has occurred after 70
generations of dispersion and unending wandering of an unarmed people
and after a period of almost total destruction of the Jew as Jew.
Thus, although our suffering is not yet over, it is our right and our
obligation to proffer thanks to the Rock of Israel and His Redeemer for
all the miracles that have been done this day, as in those times. We
therefore can say with full heart and soul on this first day of our
liberation from the British occupier: Blessed is He who has sustained
us and enabled us to have reached this time.
The State of Israel has arisen. And it has risen “Only Thus”:- through
blood, through fire, with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, with
sufferings and with sacrifices. It could not have been otherwise. And
yet, even before our state is able to establish its normal governing
institutions, it is compelled to fight, or rather, to continue to fight
satanic enemies and blood-thirsty mercenaries, on land, in the air and
on the sea.
ϟ Menachem Begin on the Lessons of the Holocaust
In May 1981, then prime minister Menachem Begin, addressing 30 young American Jewish leaders visiting Israel, was asked what he thought the lesson of the Holocaust was.
This question was directed to Menachem Begin in 1981, while he served as Israel’s prime minister, by a group of young American Jews. Begin, one of the great Jewish leaders of the 20th century, experienced the horrors of the Holocaust first hand. His parents and older brother were murdered by the Germans, and he endured almost a year and a half as a prisoner in a USSR labor camp for Polish fighters
His answer (published recently by the Americans for a Safe Israel in their Outpost magazine, November 2010) is more than relevant today; it resonates with ideas and values that should be part of the upbringing of every Jew, and should inform the policies of current Jewish leaders regarding the Arabs of the land of Israel, Iran, and Jewish life across the globe. For sure, the week between Yom HaShoah and Yom Ha’atzmaut is an ideal time to reflect on these matters.
Begin’s words follow:
I believe the lessons of the Holocaust are these.
First, if an enemy of our people says he seeks to destroy us, believe him. Don’t doubt him for a moment. Don’t make light of it. Do all in your power to deny him the means of carrying out his satanic intent. (Note: one month later, Begin dispatched Israel’s Air Force to destroy the Iraqi nuclear facility at Osirak.)
Second, when a Jew anywhere in the world is threatened or under attack, do all in your power to come to his aid. Never pause to wonder what the world will think or say. The world will never pity slaughtered Jews. The world may not necessarily like the fighting Jew, but the world will have to take account of him.
Third, a Jew must learn to defend himself. He must forever be prepared for whenever threat looms.
Fourth, Jewish dignity and honor must be protected in all circumstances. The seeds of Jewish destruction lie in passively enabling the enemy to humiliate us. Only when the enemy succeeds in turning the spirit of the Jew into dust and ashes in life, can he turn the Jew into dust and ashes in death. During the Holocaust it was after the enemy had humiliated the Jews, trampled them underfoot, divided them, deceived them, afflicted them, drove brother against brother, only then could he lead them, almost without resistance, to the gates of Auschwitz. Therefore, at all times and whatever the cost, safeguard the dignity and honor of the Jewish people.
Fifth, stand united in the face of the enemy. We Jews love life, for life is holy. But there are things in life more precious than life itself. There are times when one must risk life for the sake of rescuing the lives of others. And when the few risk their own lives for the sake of the many, then they, too, stand the chance of saving themselves.
Sixth, there is a pattern to Jewish history. In our long annals as a nation, we rise, we fall, we return, we are exiled, we are enslaved, we rebel, we liberate ourselves, we are oppressed once more, we rebuild, and again we suffer destruction, climaxing in our own lifetime in the calamity of calamities, the Holocaust, followed by the rebirth of the Jewish State.
So, yes, we have come full circle, and with G-d’s help, with the rebirth of sovereign Israel we have finally broken the historic cycle: no more destruction and no more defeats, and no more oppression – only Jewish liberty, with dignity and honor. These, I believe, are the underlying lessons to be learned from the unspeakable tragedy of the Holocaust.”
Those were the words of Menachem Begin exactly 30 years ago. In the ensuing decades, historic enemies have continued to attack, and new enemies have risen with new challenges and old threats. The people of Israel have been bloodied and the land of Israel dissected. We have experienced unparalleled moments of national unity, as well as heartrending and anguished periods of national strife. We have heard the cries of some Jews and ignored the pleas of others.
Yet, the hope always remains that the fulfillment of Jewish destiny is quite near – as near, in the language of the Gemara (Sanhedrin 98a), as “today, if we but hearken to His voice.” Then, and only then, our past sorrows will be overwhelmed by the tidings of salvation, Jewish national life will reach its apogee and we will greet Moshiach and the dawn of a new era with joy and gratitude.
(Source: rabbipruzansky.com)
In this week’s Parsha, the Israelites betray G-d by serving a Golden Calf. It seems unbelievable that the generation that witnessed miracles like the Splitting of the Sea and the Exodus, would betray G-d by serving a god of metal.
However, despite the Israelite’s infidelity, G-d makes a…
ϟ The Menachem Begin Heritage Centre
Today, I visited the Menachem Begin Heritage Centre in Jerusalem. There are literally no words to describe what I felt while walking through it. This man was unlike any man or politician who lived before him. He was an inspiration, a fighter and above all, a hero. This was the man who without fail, stood up for Jews and Judaism everywhere. Every fibre of his being was devoted to his people and of course, to his country. I had not only the pleasure, but the immense privilege of sitting in his own original armchair amongst the furniture from his house that had been transferred to the centre.
I remember a while back, there was a fight online about Menachem Begin. I and a few of my fellow brave right-wingers stood up to the left wing and to certain individuals who had the audacity to call this man a terrorist. As someone who doesn’t get infuriated too easily, this was not easy for me to hear. To say I was enraged was an understatement. Their only redeeming feature was the fact that they compared me to him. To even put my name in the same sentence as his is a great honour and I would be proud if only that statement came from a reputable source. There was also some talk amongst the left wing that the Heritage Centre should be razed to the ground. I make an oath before anyone who reads this, that any person who gains power in Israel and declares to destroy this centre will have to deal with me. I will personally lead a rebellion to remove this charlatan from power and I promise that I will have the majority of the Israeli public’s support. I dare anyone who detests Menachem Begin to stand in the streets of Israel’s eternal capital - Jerusalem - and try to rally support for your stupidity. You will be sorely disappointed.
This is a sign on the gate of the King David Hotel just in front of the wing that was blown up in 1946. Notice how it mentions “Irgun fighters”, “warning calls” and “to the Irgun’s regret 92 persons were killed.” For those people who call Menachem Begin a terrorist - You know who you are - I see no acknowledgement of terrorism on this sign. Don’t ever say that the majority of Israeli’s agree with you because it simply isn’t true.
