December 2015 / January 2016 Established 1923 Volume 20. No 4 March 2014 █ HASHALOM 1 CONTENTS EDITORIAL THE 37th WORLD ZIONIST Editorial 03 Out of Perspective 04 CONGRESS Israel 05 By Prof Antony Arkin Has the Acra from 2,000 years ago been found? 05 I have just returned from an exhilarating few days in Jerusalem, Why Palestinians do not want Cameras on the Temple Mount 06 attending the 37th World Zionist Congress. Since Theodore Herzl Twenty years on, Rabin’s vision of peace is still unrealised 07 convened the first Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland on March 29, 1897 it has been the forum to move forward the Zionist enterprise, Jewish World 08 the national liberation of the Jewish people. While the work of nation Europe, ISIS and Us: Now What? 08 building continues, much of the focus has shifted from building Israel, Munich Marks this Kristallnacht by Making Room for 09 the state, to shaping Israel, the society. Boycotters of the Jewish State Community News 10 The Congress, made up of 500 delegates from Israel, North America and Past Tense 10 all around the Jewish world, (6 from South Africa) met in Jerusalem in the Bubkes 11 midst of the current wave of violence and incitement. At the Congress, KwaZulu Natal Zionist Council 12 delegates voted on resolutions that ranged from constitutional and budgeting procedures to passionate statements of values that reflect the Durban Holocaust Centre 13 diversity of Jewish community, practice and beliefs. The Congress serves Durban United Hebrew Congregation 14 as the vehicle whereby the budgets and positions of influence in Israel’s Council of KwaZulu-Natal Jewry 15 national institutions, are determined. These resolutions impact future Eden College 16 priorities, programming and practices. This matters, as the Congress Umhlanga Jewish Centre 17 presents Arzenu with the platform to express its ideals of democracy, Umhlanga Jewish Day School 18 religious equality, religious pluralism, human rights, peace and social Union of Jewish Women 19 justice and for these to be reflected in the policies of Israel’s government Netzer 20 and its national institutions. (Jewish Agency, World Zionist Organization, Divote 21 the Jewish National Fund and the Israel United Appeal) Durban Progressive Jewish Congregation 22 Sisterhood of Temple David 23 Arzenu’s pre-Congress Program surrounding the WZC gave us the Wotsup Wizo 24 opportunity to meet with high-level individuals that left significant Beth Shalom 25 impressions. During the opening session we were challenged by Rabbi Talmud Torah 26 Michael Melchior, the former Cabinet Minister, to raise the level of discourse Limmud 27 in the Congress. Rabbi Gilad Kariv, Executive Director of the IMPJ, took us Above Board 29 through the growth of the Israeli Reform Movement and its impact on Israeli Cooking with Judy and Linda 29 society. We spent an afternoon in the Knesset, meeting with MK’s from Social and Personal 30 across the political spectrum. This was inspiring and challenging, as they Diary of Events 30 pulled no punches. We benefited immensely from meeting; MK Michal Biran -Labour (Zionist Union), MK Michael Oren –Kulanu, MK Ayman Odeh - Joint Arab List, MK Benny Begin - Likud, MK Tammy Zandberg - Meretz The views expressed in the pages of Hashalom are not necessarily those of the Editorial Board or any other organisation or religious body unless otherwise The keynote address of the Congress, was delivered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He described the “ten lies that the Palestinians individual. are telling”. Included in his remarks was a statement about the Second World War, claiming that the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Hashalom Editorial Board: convinced Hitler to annihilate the Jews rather than simply expel them. Editor: Prof Antony Arkin Editorial Board: Mrs Mikki Norton, Mrs Michelle Shapira We heard from the leader of the opposition, Yitzhak Herzog, who Commitee: Dr Issy Fisher, Ms Diane McColl, Mrs Lauren Shapiro, Mr Colin Plen offered a more conciliatory message, and Minister of Defense Moshe Production Manager: Mrs Robyn Bradley Yaalon, whose address on the situation facing Israel was a highlight. Notice to Organisations/Contributors: Yet the most important messages coming out of the 37th Zionist All material to be submitted by email to Congress were those delivered by the delegates themselves. Their votes [email protected] DEADLINE FOR THE FEBRUARY ISSUE: 7 JANUARY 2016 indicated that Zionism has entered the 21st century with increasing focus on the character of Israeli society. By passing resolutions that called for Advertisements the combating of racism and hate crimes, fostering democracy and Contact: Robyn Bradley P.O. Box 10797 Marine Parade 4056 equality, promoting religious pluralism and supporting protections for the Tel: (031) 335 4451 Fax: (031) 337 9600 Email: [email protected] LGBT community, the delegates gave a clear message that the work of Zionism has entered a new phase. A modern Israel must be defined by Hashalom is published under the auspices of the Council of KwaZulu-Natal Jewry, the KwaZulu-Natal Zionist Council and the Durban Jewish Club. the values enshrined in Israel’s Declaration of Independence. Typesetting Supplied. Clearly resolutions do not immediately establish realities on the ground, but Designed by RBG Studios, email: [email protected] they do give an indication of the direction in which Zionist thought and Israeli Printed by Fishwick Printers society, is trending. I came out of the Congress aware that our vision of a Visit our website: www.hashalom.co.za strong, proud, pluralistic and inclusive State of Israel is alive and well. 2 HASHALOM █ December 2015 / January 2016 December 2015 / January 2016 █ HASHALOM 3 OUT OF PERSPECTIVE ISRAEL Crime stories from Has the Acra from 2,000 Israel’s Gotham City years ago been found? DAVID ARKIN By Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lead sling stones and Bronze arrowheads stamped with the symbol of the reign of hat headline is grossly unfair, because if the mayor of Modi’in read it, he would banish me from the city (although I have sighted Batman, (website: http://mfa.gov.il) Antiochus Epiphanes but more about that at the end). One can glean a lot from reading a local newspaper. And my local paper is full of news of planned activities for residents under the auspices of the municipality (arts, sport, culture and religious events, for child and adult alike), glossy esearchers with the Israel Antiquities Both the Book of Maccabees, as well as the time of the Hasmoneans, in their attempt to adverts from local businesses, and a real estate section where my apartment keeps gaining value. Not to be nostalgic or anything, but I Authority believe they have found historian Josephus Flavius, locates the Acra conquer the citadel which was viewed as a Tdo miss the local papers back in Durban: the Northglen News, Berea Mail, Umhlanga Globe etc. The local-paper crime stories of armed robberies, the remains of the stronghold - the within the City of David. ‘thorn in the flesh’ of the city. hijackings, murders and rapes made for far more-gripping reading than my current fare in the Modi’in News. None the less, if one looks below Acra - which the Greeks used to the surface of this quiet (dare I say dull), family-oriented, centrally-planned city, the seedy-side comes to light. So what follows are some of the Rcontrol the Temple more than 2,000 years ago “And they built the city of David with a great Historical sources state the stronghold was crime stories scoops from the Modi’in News over the last few months. - and evidence of the Hasmonean attempts to and strong wall, and with strong towers, and occupied by mercenaries and Hellenized conquer the stronghold. made it a fortress [Greek: Acra] for them: And Jews and tell of the suffering Jerusalem’s First of all, there seems to be a preponderance of teenage cannabis dealers in this town. At least once a month, some unlucky teen gets busted. they placed there a sinful nation, wicked men, residents were exposed to at the hands of The paper hardly ever mentions quantities. One story did describe how the suspect was caught throwing out his apartment window an electronic A fascinating discovery recently uncovered and they fortified themselves therein.” (1 the Acra’s inhabitants. The fortification’s scale and 70g of a “suspected cannabis-type drug”, already divided into portions for use. In a separate interview, the local police chief claimed in archaeological excavations the Israel Maccabees 1:35 - 38) mighty defenses withstood all attempts at Antiquities Authority is conducting in the conquering it, and it was only in 141 BCE, that the amount of light drugs entering the city has halved, and that several drug smuggling networks have been smashed. So if one is looking Givati parking lot at the City of David, in “....and when he had overthrown the city walls, after a prolonged siege and the starvation of to smoke a joint here, think again… the Jerusalem Walls National Park, has he built a citadel [Greek: Acra] in the lower the Greek garrison within the Acra that Simon apparently led to solving one of Jerusalem’s part of the city, for the place was high, and Maccabee was able to force its surrender. Then there was the story about two teenagers who stole an electric bike in Tel Aviv, and attempted to sell it online. The victim persevered, didn’t greatest archaeological mysteries: the overlooked the temple; on which account he give up hope, and searched second-hand bike websites, until he saw the stolen goods advertised two months later after the theft. He then question of the location of the Greek fortified it with high walls and towers, and According to archaeologists, Dr.