From arutz Sheva.

The IDF soldiers who refused to take part in the destruction of the Hevron Jewish Community’s Shalhevet neighborhood are being awarded by activist groups for their moral bravery.

Simultaneously, as the IDF awards citations for soldiers who served in the Second Lebanon War on Sunday, Rabbis and the Committee to Save the Nation and the Land will award moral citations to soldiers who recently refused to act against the Jewish families who were forcibly removed from Jewish-owned property in Hevron.

Posters declaring a “Salute to the Heroes” have been plastered around the country, “inviting the public to an awards ceremony for the distribution of citations of bravery and excellence for the heroic soldiers, prisoners of Zion, who out of self-sacrifice sanctified the name of Heaven publicly when they chose obedience to the laws of the Torah and refused to carry out the criminal expulsion orders in Hevron.”

The event is taking place in the community of Beit Horon, on Highway 443 between Jerusalem and Modi’in. It is being organized by Rabbi David Wolpe of the Committtee to Save the Nation and the Land and was welcomed by Rabbi Micha Peled, the rabbi of Beit Horon. Rabbi Dov Lior of Kiryat Arba and the Yesha Rabbinic Council, as well as Professor Ezra Zohar, will deliver addresses on the topic of refusal.

Rabbi Wolpe told Arutz-7 he hopes no such awards are necessary in the future, but that as long as the government decides to send soldiers to perform political tasks that run counter to Jewish morals and ethics, refusal is a badge of honor. He believes awarding and honoring those who had the courage the go to jail for their beliefs will make the phenomenon much more widespread in the event of a future attempt to evict Jews from parts of the Land of Israel.

Atty. Eran Hermoni of the Labor Party’s Young Guard has petitioned Attorney General Menachem Mazuz to prosecute the organizers of the event, saying it constitutes rebellion against the state.

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12 Comments

  • … just a fraction of the fawning, front-n-center media coverage lavished on the handful of leftie soldiers who also refused orders – to defend their countrymen, not evict them.

  • Putting belligerent nationalism before a peaceful solution to a destabilizing, heart wrenchingly violent conflict. Bravo indeed.

  • Elon, there is no peaceful solution against an enemy who wtill charters our annihilation as part of its national aspirations. Who are you fooling?

  • I’m not trying to ‘fool’ anyone. The answer to Hamas’ extremism is not Jewish extremism. The answer to spilled Jewish blood is not the spilling of even more Arab blood.

    The modern state of Israel was born out of International law and like it or not Israel is beholden to that law. Either a peaceful two or bi-national one state solution will be found within that context or the bloodshed will continue forever at the hands of this sort of belligerent nationalism on both sides.

    What IS the solution ShyGuy? Moshiach? Total annihilation of the Arabs?

  • Elon Says:
    August 30th, 2007 at 11:55 pm
    What IS the solution ShyGuy? Moshiach? Total annihilation of the Arabs?

    Always the same question…….. Very well!

    Moshiach? That would be perfect and ultimate. Can you arrange this within the hour?

    If you cannot, we might have something in common. Of course, if you don’t believe there will ever be a Moshiach, that’s another story, and it diverts from the topic at hand.

    Total annihilation of the Arabs? Not that I would mind if it rained Steinway grands all over their lands but that’s not what I was thinking of.

    I was thinking of calling a war a war. I was thinking of defending ourselves, no matter what it takes. Once upon a time, The Israeli Defense Forces served the purpose of their name. They now do the bidding of the fantasists in charge.

    Jordan is Palestine, as far as I’m concerned. No one came here to build a terrorist state housing the world’s worst Islamic animals right at our doorstep.

    There are still a few nails in the coffin that haven’t been hammered in. It’s not too late to kick the lid off.

  • Is this a “moral” objection? I don’t think it is. A moral objection is to refuse to kill unarmed civilians. A moral objection is to stop at the last second from dropping a bomb where you see children. This is a religous objection.

    These were well planned, medeocrely executed non-violent orders of soldiers, who should have respect for a chain of command. Moral objections in the military stop where the loss of a life would begin. Everything else is simply insubordination.

    The roosters simply cannot rule the henhouse. To do so is to allow a soldier to nitpick his or her duties as an representative of a government that has more to consider than the individual.

  • Uh…. boomer: this was one of several orders to evict Jews from any property they legally acquire in Hebron.

    These decisions are not reached by the Knesset or any other representative body – and they don’t flow from any obligation or treaty signed by Israel.

    They are imposed unilaterally by the military commander of the area. They are motivated more by the commander’s animus towards his (internal Israeli) political enemies than by any consideration of the greater good.

    In effect, they make one of Judaism’s holiest sites Judenrein.

    Yes, oh yes, this is a moral issue – on so many levels:
    -democracy and the rule of law
    -equality of property and other rights among all citizens

    -AND the glaring double standard of Muffti’s tut-tutting about the praise these guys received – compared to the lionization and kid-glove treatment left-wing refuseniks received when THEY “nitpicked their duties”.

  • Grand Muffti Says:
    September 1st, 2007 at 5:42 pm
    glaring double standard of what-tutting??? Muffti is just quoting everyoen fav right wing news organization!

    The use of the negative and derogatory term “shirk” is nowhere to be found in Arutz 7’s article.

    Right wing news? Heaven forbid it should be called a pro-Israel news site. Yes, let’s knock them. Can’t have too many of those in this day and age.

    Waiting for you to consistantly call Ha’aretz a left wing Jew-loathing newspaper.

    I thought not.

  • Hmmm…Ha’aretz is a left wing newspaper. Muffti sees no evidence whatsoever that they are jew hating. So, you’re right. Muffti will consistently not call it that.

    ‘Shirk’, as your link points out, invovles evading your duty. Which is waht the soldiers did. So what can Muffti tell ya?

  • I would love to arrange Moshiach within the hour…do you really think that slandering jews calling them jew-loathing or anti-semites (as the author of your linked article does) because they disagree with your politics will hasten Moshiach?

    I was thinking of calling a war a war. I was thinking of defending ourselves, no matter what it takes. Once upon a time, The Israeli Defense Forces served the purpose of their name. They now do the bidding of the fantasists in charge.

    Defending ourselves no matter what it takes…so annihilation isn’t out of the question? Wow.

    Beyond the fact that devoting resources and personnel to protecting settlers outside of Israel’s internationally recognized borders doesn’t help in the defense the state of Israel, there is the issue of the settlements being a major obstacle for peace. And frankly peace is the only solution to Israel’s security problem. See, you can in fact end a war by making peace, even it is a cold one. It happened in Egypt, it happened in Jordan, and it can happen with the Palestinians.

    And c’mon, Arutz Sheva is a Right-Wing news source…of course it is. Was that even up for debate? At least Mufti didn’t call it a Jew-loathing right wing news paper….