by Amnon Goldberg (with slight Brit-Am editing)
My article & talk on the YK War that was printed in the Jewish Tribune in 1990, now 51 years on:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6jwPb4dru8
"Woe to those at ease in Zion" (Amos 6)
"We will found a state where matters of faith and the synagogue will once and for all be excluded from the public domain!" (Theodor Herzl,1902).
With these G-dless words, the flawed foundations of secular Zionism and the Medinas Yisroel (State of Israel) were laid. Israel is one of the few countries in the world where mention of the Creator has been deliberately and studiously omitted from its Declaration of Independence, its national anthem and even its mint (cf. the coinage of the USA proclaims "In G-d we trust", of the UK "Deus Gratia", and France "Dieu Protege": this is a great kitrug (condemnation) against the Medinah (State)). Thus failing even on a minimal level its raison d'etre: "This nation I have created for Me, that they may relate My praise" (Yeshaya 43).
The nascent Israeli army followed the doctrine of its first advisor,the military genius General Orde Wingate (hero of Burma 1944,and although a non-Jew, a firm believer in the destiny of the Am Yisroel (People of Israel)), whose motto was "whoever is planning to kill you, kill him first" i.e.pre-emptive attack. This worked brilliantly in the Six Day War; the miracles of 1967 are too numerous to relate. However, from this amazing victory arose the myth of `the new Hebrew Superman'. Worship of Zahal (IDF) became akin to worship of Ba'al: "my own strength and prowess have wrought me this victory" (Dvarim - Deuteronomy - 8).
Also, by the folly of rushing to prevent the Arabs fleeing of their own volition from Yehudah and Shomron, a future rod for the Israelis' own back was being prepared: "But if you will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you,then those that you let remain will be as thorns in your eyes and as prickles in your sides, and they will vex you in your own land. And I will do unto you as I thought to do unto them" (Bamidbar - NUmbers 33).
On 6th October 1973 commenced Operation `Badr' ("Spark" in Arabic), a treacherous assault on Yom Kippur, even more dastardly than the Sunday attack of the Japanese on Pearl Harbour: "a day that will live in infamy!". The Arab build up had been monitored weeks before hand, and on erev (eve of) Yom Kippur the Israeli Chief of Staff, General David `Dado' Elazar, pleaded with Moshe Dayan and Golda Meir, to be allowed to launch a spoiling air strike, to which she replied "and who will be our friends if we do that?"! The Arab attack was meticulously planned, with bomber and SCUD strikes on Israel's huge Sinai airbases. Hundreds of helicopter-borne commandos were dropped far behind Israeli lines, attacking radar and communication stations, troop concentrations, transports, fuel and ammo dumps: when properly led and with things going his way, the Arab soldier is no coward. FROG missiles were launched at the northern settlements and KELTs fired at Tel Aviv, miraculously being interdicted at the last minute. Although this was almost 20 years ago, their 2000 kilogrammes of explosive would have caused vastly more devastation than Saddam's paltry 200 kilogramme Scud "firecraker" warheads.
Afterwards senior officers admitted that "it was the Avot (Forefathers) - the Patriarchs that guarded the frontiers on Yom Kippur, not Zahal (IDF), which was almost not present". Though one must not detract from the bravery of those who bore the brunt: the 190th armoured brigade wiped out by a deluge of Sagger missiles whilst counter attacking the bridges over the Suez canal, entire squadrons of Phantoms and Skyhawks failing to return (over 150 shot down), the entire Mt.Hermon garrison mercilessly butchered in their pyjamas, and the handful of hopelessly outnumbered tankists on the Golan Heights, without reserves or support, desperately attempting to hold back the 1200 tank Syrian thrust, fighting to the last round. When they had been overwhelmed, there was nothing was to stop the enemy from crossing the Bnot Yaakov bridge and fanning out into the Israeli heartland. Yet for some unknown reason they mysteriously stopped:
"I will break the bar of Damascus" (Amos 1);
The prophecy "Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city and it will be a ruinous heap" (Isaiah 17) is still unfulfilled!
The initial onslaught took place at the height of Mussaf Avodah (intermediary prayer on Yom Kippur), when in the time of the Beis Hamikdash (Temple) korbanos (sacrifices) were offered up to atone for the whole of Klal Yisroel (Community of Israel).`Those soldiers who perished in that traumatic hour died as perfect tzaddikim' (saints) (R.Boruch Horovitz); cf.the Belzer Rebbe, on hearing that the Nazis had thrown his eldest son into a burning synagogue and gone to a fiery death, exclaimed "The Creator in His mercy has allowed me a share in the korbanos of His people!".
Two weeks later the tide had turned. With the Egyptian 2nd and 3rd armies surrounded, and Cairo and Damascus beckoning Israeli encirclement, the Soviets prepared to directly intervene, mobilising 95,000 paratroops and despatching their Black Sea fleet: "If you hear of Russian warships crossing the Bosphorus, prepare your Shabbos vestments!" (Vilna Gaon). On October 23 the USA declared a DEFCON 3 worldwide nuclear alert. A bolt of fear was felt by many men that day: "The day will come that will burn like an oven" (Malachi 3). Interestingly, in his work `Proof of the Accuracy of the Bible'(1971), Elihu A. Schatz repeatedly stated that the war of Gog and Magog would commence in early 5734, based on his chesbonos (calculations) of Daniel 12!
The State of Israel had, and still has, great potential for kedushah (sanctification). However, its advent has rendered the Arabian lands uninhabitable for Jews.It has incurred huge military expenditure, the loss of very many lives and constant peril, as well as creating animosity in the Third world, and exacerbating Judophobia and antisemitism in the US and elsewhere, by endless embroilment in the foreign policy of the nations.
Unfortunately 51 years on, the humbling Divine warning of 1973 has not been assimilated: 30,000 abortions performed annually; ruthless `mishtara' (police forces) itching to be ordered out of barracks to teargas and crack open the heads of Orthodox Jews with batons, with the anti-Torah judges always zealously giving the harshest penalties against the Orthodox: "In the courts of justice there is wickedness" (Koheles - Ecclesiaste- 3), the banning of Kiruv (Jewish Religious activists) workers from university campuses and army bases: "The Chozrei B'tshuva (Return with Repentance) lecturers are nothing but missionaries: we will drive them from our town!" (the Mayor of Givatayim). Meanwhile, the real Notzri (Christian) missionaries operate untramelled by the impotent anti-missionary law: "I will never prosecute anyone under it!" vowed Justice Minister Shmuel Tamir, with the Mormon Centre built right next to Mt. Scopus Hebrew University Campus, like red meat for a lion. The increasing intermarriage with Arabs and non-Jewish volunteers on Kibbutzim. Giyus Bnos (conscription of women), the repeated voting down of Giyur K'halacha (Conversion as Prescribed) and lethal fudging of the mi hu Yehudi (Who is a Jew) issue, the raising of swine and the abomination of brazen guzzling of pork (basar lavan! - "white meat"), blatant mass shabbos profanation. Drug taking in all the state schools, children encouraged by their teachers to hate Yahadus (Judaism) , the Orthodox, and even to be disloyal their own motherland; the Israeli university academicians constantly labouring, in vain, to impugn the authenticity of the Scriptures.The glorious opportunity of inculcating 18 year olds with some Torah ideology during the 3 years of army service, utterly wasted: "I am a person of secular values, and I do not believe in G-d's intervention on earth!" (Mordechai Bar-On, Zahal's Chief Education Officer). Over the years, kofrim (Deniers) of this imbecilic ilk ruined a million observant Sfardi immigrants. The enemy attacks with the cry `Allahu Akbar', whilst the poor Israeli soldier is not even taught our retort: `E-l Kabir' (Iyov - Job - 36:5), let alone the first line of the Shema. (Hear O Israel the LORD our God, the LORD is One!").
The frustrating,sickening deliberate stifling of individual initiative by the tzulachnikkers of the huge governmental bureaucracy, the Histadrut and the demonic taxation system. The daily diet of soul-destroying, demoralising, anti-patriotic selbsthas from the `criminal arsonists' of the leftist dominated radio and TV. The secularist right-wing is not much better,and in some senses even more subversive.
One might think that they were actually trying to provoke an internecine war,which may yet come to pass:
"Yehudah also will fight against Jerusalem" (Zechariah 14).
Leaders who disbelieve in a Creator have no inhibition against betraying their own countrymen eg. the Zionists who blew up the Patria in Haifa Bay (1940), drowning 272 Jewish refugees, rather than see the British take them alive to Mauritius. The Palmach officer (later to become Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin) who dutifully complied with the order to slaughter the crew of the Altalena on Tel Aviv beach (June 1948). Political assassination is not unknown: DeHaan, Lord Moyne, Arlosoroff, Bernadotte, Greenbaum, Kasztner etc. The death of General Elazar in 1975, aged 48, just days before he was due to testify before the Agranat Commision that would have implicated the Mapai leadership for their inaction before the '73 war, is regarded by many as highly suspicious. Already in 1938 the Jewish Agency, headed by Golda Meir, turned down a German offer to release Jewish refugees at $250 a head "because it would push Zionist activities to a secondary importance"! On seeing the kosher meal that President Nixon had especially prepared for her, she exclaimed "This is the first kosher meal I have ever eaten!"
The book `Perfidy' is a toned down version of what the author really knew,and shows how the Zionist leaders allowed a huge number of European Jews to be destroyed when there was an opportunity to save them, and actually acted to prevent their rescue.
Many events which in and of themselves seem absurd,only take on meaning after long periods of time (Kuzari 3): "this is not the best of all possible worlds, but it is the best of all possible ways to achieve the best of all possible worlds". As the Kabbalists state:`the Land of Israel was only given so that it could be cleansed and sublimated of the seven bad midos (viz. anger, greed, envy, impatience, impudence, indolence, and lust) that derived from the seven original K'naani nations, that have their source in the Olam Hatohu'. All these character traits are greatly accentuated in Israel. "A person who lives in Eretz Yisroel must never forget its original name, Eretz Kna'an, which means servitude and submission - hachna'ah (Shlah Hakodesh). "The air of the Land of Israel makes one wise" (Bava Basra 158) - "unfortunately the Yetzer Hara also becomes wiser in Israel!" (The Satmar Rebbe).
"When a man's ways please Hashem,then even his enemies are made to make peace with him" (Mishle 16). Notice how soon after Menachem Begin's election,a peace treaty ensued with Egypt. He was the first Israeli PM to profess to being a ma'amin, and he initially towered above his predecessors. It was mida k'neged mida that Anwar Sadat, the mastermind of the 1973 attack (and who admitted to being an admirer of Adolf Hitler) was assassinated by his own men at a Yom Kippur War parade in 1981: "He will fall in the face of all his brothers" (Breishis 25). Ominously, Egypt figures as a main protagonist in the future final conflict (Zechariah 14), just as it did at our nations birth 3300 years ago.
: "The complacency of fools will destroy them" (Mishle 1). The 39 Iraqi Scuds that slammed into Eretz Hatzvi are to be compared to the 39 lashes meeted out for violating the Torah (Dvarim 25).
"If Hashem doesn't protect the city,then the guards are in vain" (Tehillim 127): "The spoiler will suddenly come upon us" (Yirmiah 6).
"A Milchemes Mitzvah is the war against the Seven Nations, against Amolek, and assisting Yisroel against an enemy that attacks them...then all go out to battle, even the choson from his chamber..." (Rambam, Hilchos M'lochim 5 and 7). "Whoever plots to destroy Yisroel comes under the generic title of Amolek" (R.M.Soloveitchik). Interestingly "Saddam Chussein" in Hebrew has the Gematria of 240, the same as "Amolek"!
The Zohar foretold that before the Moshiach, Israel would be ruled by descendants of the Erev Rav: "Ben David will not come until the contemptous government ceases from Yisroel" (Sanhedrin 98): "You have sat too long for any good you have done. In the name of G-d, go!" (spake Oliver Cromwell to the corrupt English `Knesset' of 1653).
"In the last three hours before the Redemption, it will be as difficult to cling to one's Judaism as to climb a wall of ice" (R.Israel of Rizhyn). May the wayward of the Medinah return soon to the Eibershter, before is fulfilled: "And I will purge out from among you the rebels and those that transgress against Me" (Yechezkel 20).