Continuing Coverage of President Katsav, the Vatican and Mt. Zion — David HaMelech’s Kever …

In continuing coverage of the situation of Mt. Zion, David HaMelech’s Kever and the Vatican, it must be reported that despite 2 denials from President Katsav’s Office and this report in last Thursday’s Jerusalem Post, things just don’t seem right, something still seems amiss.

Jerusalem City Councilwoman Mina Fenton continues expressing nagging concerns about a variety of church activities in the Land of Israel over the years.

Two opinion pieces covering this issue also appear in today’s Jerusalem Post:

1/ Rabbi Stewart Weiss penned an op-ed entitled Don’t Do It , President Katsav.

Exerpts;

“The Foreign Ministry has labeled the story as ‘nonsense,’ and Rabbi David Rosen, head of interfaith relations for the American Jewish Committee and arguably the best-informed Jew in the world on Christian-Jewish matters, tells me the story is ‘fabricated, a tempest in a teapot.'”

“And I have no doubt that if the story is true, the Jewish world would shift into 4th gear (we only go into overdrive when Madonna visits the Western Wall or Shimon Peres wins an election) and create such a balagan that even the Vatican would back off.”

“BUT WHAT I find so bizarre about the whole episode is the notion that we would trade a sought-after chunk of Jerusalem for a shul-turned-church in Toledo. As bad a bargainer as the Israeli government can be – after all, Ehud Barak was willing to give away the Temple Mount and east Jerusalem for an autographed picture of Yasser Arafat and a suite in the future Gaza Hilton – this would set a new low. It would rank right up there with the Indians selling Manhattan for $24 and some trinkets, or the Chicago Cubs trading future Hall of Famer Lou Brock to St. Louis for the unknown and soon-forgotten Ernie Broglio.”

2/ An Exchange that Makes Sense, written By Elwood McQuaid, a pastor and leader in the Christian Zionist movement, supports the swap. Pastor McQuiad feels:

“BUT IS the controversy just one more bit of sound and fury, or are there substantive issues here, some of which are positive? Granted, Israelis have had their fill of giving up land and national treasures without receiving anything in return but paper promises and trampled agreements. This time, however, there is a difference. Israel will give, and the Vatican will give in return. That’s what’s new about this issue.”

“Since the founding of the modern State of Israel, yeshivot have been located there, and the site is believed to be situated over the traditional Tomb of King David.”

“Since the Upper Room came under the control of Israelis, it has been a freely accessed center for visits and worship by Christian pilgrims – one of the most revered sanctuaries in the city of Jerusalem.”

“THE SYNAGOGUE now known as the Synagogue of St. Mary the White in Toledo bears an illustrious history. It was built in the 12th century when Toledo was a great city filled with Jewish families. It was also a center for Jewish intellectualism. However, with the onslaught of the Inquisition, Jews in Toledo and throughout Spain were subjected to a reign of terror during which dozens of synagogues were abandoned or destroyed, and Jews driven from the country. The fabulous synagogue of Toledo was converted into a Catholic church.”

There are two points to be made here;

1/ To agree to the concept of such a swap; to give away, to hand over a Religious Holy Place in Eretz Yisrael — of such importance as the burial place of David HaMelech; to expel the Talmidim and Rabbanim of the long-established Diaspora Yeshiva on the momentum of, on the backs of our brethren, Anshe Gush Katif who were expelled in August, in exchange for a transient Synagogue on foreign soil, is the height of stupidity. It would represent total separation and disengagement from Hashem, Torah, Yiddishkiet, Jewish History and Heritage.

2/ As written above, something seems amiss, not quite right, despite the denials from the President’s Office. What am I talking about here? Two simple words which speak volumes and beyond — Truth and Candor, both sorely lacking in Israel, both on the governmental leadership scene and how leaders relate to their constituencies as well as, in the street, in one-to-one business and interpersonal relationships at all levels.

The point is, I don’t care how many times the President’s Office denies the existence of such a sign-over deal, denies the intent to actually sign-over; owing to utter contempt for the character of, and lack of trust in any utterance of any Israeli Political Leader, I do not put past an Israeli Leader to go to Rome, quietly sign over Mt. Zion under cover of media censorship and in such a way that we will not know or have conclusive proof for years until some surprise revelation occurs, until we find out how certain Israeli politicians got rich on the deal. And this point stetches far beyond the issue of Mt. Zion, beyond “no further disengagements”, “no talks with Syria”, etc.

Such is the Wild, Wild West when character, truth and candor are absent. MB