Not
To Sit Quiet
Interview with Mr.
Michoel Mattar, one of the founders of “Women in Green”
By
Shai Gefen
Mr.
Michoel Mattar, please tell us about your past.
I
used to live in the U.S. I studied at a number of universities
there and attained a degree in law. When I moved to Eretz Yisroel
in ‘76, I did not continue practicing law; I got involved in
building up the country. I built homes in Efrat, my own home in
Yemin Moshe in Yerushalayim, Har Nof, etc. I brought all my
children to Eretz Yisroel with me. Along with my wife, I
established an organization called Nashim L’maan Atid Yisroel
(Women for the Future of Israel), which we call Women in Green.
We
came to Eretz Yisroel because we believe in what Hashem said in
the Torah that the land is ours. The whole family believes this.
When we came here, we discovered people who don’t know what it
means to be Jewish, and we saw leaders who have no connection with
the Jewish people. That is why we found it necessary to establish
this organization.
When
did you found the organization?
When
Rabin went to the Oslo Accords in ‘93, we decided we had to do
something. We were shocked that there are Jews who willingly and
happily transgress the laws of the Torah by giving away parts of
the Holy Land. Even Ben-Gurion at the Zionist convention of 1939
said that no one has the right to give away parts of Eretz Yisroel.
For
the last seven years, our organization has worked on educating the
public about the great danger in withdrawing from our land. Women
in Green has already held hundreds of protests and is in the
forefront in fighting for Eretz Yisroel.
How
do you sum up the work of your organization?
We
work on all fronts — whether by means of explanation or protest,
parlor meetings or workshops — in order to explain our position.
We have classes on the radio in Hebrew and English, and my
daughter-in-law, Nadia Mattar, who runs the organization,
broadcasts an hour-long program every week on Arutz Sheva. My wife
teaches a class in English on the radio. We run ads in the English
and Hebrew newspapers. Lately we have been paying to run
caricatures in the Israeli papers as a means of advertising the
absurdity of the “peace process.” So for example, we had a
cartoon of Assad holding the Golan in his hand and shooting at
Barak and Dovid Levy, who are running for their lives, with a
caption that reads: “Everything could have been wonderful if
only they didn’t lie to me.”
A
few years ago, we led the fight on the hill near Efrat, when the
Rabin government wanted to give it away to the Arabs. Thanks to
our stubborn battle it remained ours, and later on they built a
new community on that very hill.
What
is unique about Women in Green?
Women
in Green is an organization demonstrating total commitment to the
struggle without compromise. There is a phenomenon here in Eretz
Yisroel that astonishes me as an American. People here are afraid
to say what’s on their mind. They are unwilling to fight for
what they believe in, which is really a shame.
Women
in Green has demonstrated just what a committed struggle is all
about. Members of the organization have been arrested dozens of
times, have gone to court countless times, but they don’t give
up. There are still ongoing court cases against the movement of
Women in Green.
We
don’t miss an opportunity to express our displeasure with what
is going on here. How can Jews rip apart Eretz Yisroel while we
sit quietly as though nothing is going on? At every area of
contention there are members of the movement on the scene, whether
to force the opening of a “secure travel zone,” resisting
giving back other territories, the battle for Yerushalayim,
demonstrating for the Temple Mount, etc.
Last
week when Barak gave the Palestinians the access road that leads
to Yishuv Negahot, so that now people will have to rely on
“favors” by terrorists, activists of Women in Green went to
the yishuv in order to encourage the settlers and to
protest this catastrophic move.
We
held our annual dinner on Purim. There were greetings and
blessings from Knesset member Rabbi Meir Porush, Rabbi Yitzchok
Levy, Mr. Ariel Sharon, Mr. Silvan Shalom, and others. They all
praised the organization working on behalf of the Jewish people in
Eretz Yisroel.
How
do you explain the utter silence of the Israeli Right in the face
of Barak’s continuing withdrawing?
I
say the following with great sorrow: People who believe in Eretz
Yisroel and who have fought on its behalf in the past, today are
afraid to openly express their views and to fight for what they
believe. The Left has instilled fear and confusion and has planted
despair among the Right. I include the Lubavitcher Chassidim, who
we used to hear more from in the past.
I
turn to you Lubavitchers as a soul friend, since we have fought
side by side for years. This is a fateful moment for Eretz Yisroel.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, a giant of giants, the gadol ha’dor,
understood the significance of withdrawal far better than the rest
of us, and he expressed his views. Lubavitcher Chassidim must take
part in this battle, a battle that has nothing to do with
politics; it is a battle for the spirit of Eretz Yisroel. Will we
be able to continue living here in the near future? Will Eretz
Yisroel remain ours?
What
are we waiting for? In the Torah it says that we are a holy nation
and we were given a holy land, so we have no right to sit quiet.
What
is your reaction to the fact that Barak has given back 6.1% of the
territories of Yehuda and Shomron?
Unfortunately,
Ehud Barak is a Jew who doesn’t believe in Torah values and who
does things in opposition to Jewish morality and even common
sense. No matter how you look at Arafat, he is a murderer. His men
murdered children in Maalot, and hundreds of Jews have been
butchered by his direct order. This is the man Barak is
collaborating with!
My
argument is not with Arafat or this government, which was
established in order to continue the policy of withdrawing. What
hurts me most is Jews who believe in G-d and the Torah who sit
quietly and do nothing.
I
repeat, in my opinion Chabad must lead the battle and do what it
has to do. How can you remain quiet when every day the Arabs
humiliate us and do what they please? They block traffic in Gaza,
mock our Israeli soldiers, and threaten the settlers with weapons.
Is
your work focused only in Eretz Yisroel?
No.
We have 25 branches in the United States. There are good Jews who
care about what is going on in Eretz Yisroel and who see
themselves as full partners in the battle for Eretz Yisroel.
Nadia
went on a lecture tour around the U.S. When we meet Jews, we tell
them that we represent the majority of the Jews in Israel, who
absolutely oppose these accords that endanger their future. We
explain how, unfortunately and to our great shame, our leaders are
weak, shortsighted individuals. These leaders cave in to any
pressure from the U.S., but it certainly doesn’t reflect the
opinion of the nation as a whole.
How
do you explain the leaders’ continual withdrawal and
capitulating despite the fact that a majority of the country
opposes the “peace process”?
I
think it is a problem of our own making, in that Jews who are
believers enable the non-religious public to run the show. Look at
what is going on today in Yerushalayim. The Temple Mount, the
holiest place for the Jewish nation, the place where the Jewish
people yearn to see the rebuilding of the Beis HaMikdash
by Moshiach, has been given over to Arab rule!
Maybe
the biggest problem is that they put the Right into power. After
all, it was the Right that gave back the Sinai and Chevron, and
Netanyahu who signed the Wye Accords, which they are fulfilling
today.
Netanyahu
was a tremendous disappointment. When he rose to power, we thought
he would stop the political process. His actions defeated his
government. He moved slower than Rabin and Peres, but he was going
in the same direction. The problem with our leaders is that they
don’t have Jewish sentiments. They operate without Torah.
Without Torah, you lose your human and rational conscience. We see
this on a daily basis. There is also a lot to correct in the
Israeli mentality, which leans more towards Bolshevism and less
towards democracy.
We
have a problem in that the media is primarily under the power of
the Left. They try to strangle the battle against withdrawal, and
they sow despair. This is why we have begun a massive publicity
campaign in the papers with paid advertisements.
But
Barak still declares that Yerushalayim will always remain ours?
Proclamations
are one thing and actions another. At the same time that he makes
his bombastic announcements, he is in the process of dividing
Yerushalayim, and the Temple Mount is not in our possession. In
recent months, the entire world saw this. The destruction the
Palestinians are causing is unbelievable. Barak intends on giving
large portions of Yerushalayim to Arafat. The problem is that we
remain quiet. We must cry out and protest and not wait until
it’s too late!
Do
you still think there’s a chance to stop the withdrawal?
Of
course there’s a chance. We have fought many battles and won.
Just recently, when Barak wanted to include Anata on the outskirts
of Yerushalayim in the withdrawal he carried out at the time, upon
hearing a hue and cry, Barak backed down.
While
talking about the fight over Yerushalayim, I’d like to mention
the huge parade we organize every year on Erev Tisha B’Av around
the walls of Yerushalayim. Tens of thousands of Jews participated
in the last parade, though we ran into great difficulties at
first. The police didn’t want to give us a permit, so we had to
appeal to the courts, which finally approved our march.
The
other week you won a court case against the Organization of Reform
Rabbis for Citizen’s Rights. What was that about?
It
began a few months before the murder of Dov Driben (may Hashem
avenge his blood) in Chavat Maon a few years ago. Those
“rabbis” showed up there and spoke with the Arabs against
Drebin. They were actually the ones who incited the Arabs against
the Jews and a few months later, he was murdered. Women in Green
publicized a scathing pronouncement against those “rabbis,”
which said they were responsible for Drebin’s murder.
The
“rabbis” responded with a libel suit and the district court
found them innocent and fined us 30,000 shekel for not
apologizing. We decided to appeal the decision before the Supreme
Court, headed by Aharon Barak, who found us innocent and refused
to accept the libel suit. The Supreme Court also instructed the
“rabbis” to return the 30,000 shekel to us.
By
the way, Aharon Barak said something interesting. He said that
Israel needs an organization like Women in Green! This is despite
the fact that the organization severely criticizes the Supreme
Court. We describe that as “the evil angel being forced to
answer amen...”
The
Arabs recently declared Earth Day, and the disturbances were
primarily by Israeli Arabs. What is your view about Israeli Arabs?
Unfortunately
what’s going on here is almost a natural progression. You must
understand that there is no vacuum in these areas. When we are
tired and try to placate them, it displays weakness and the Arabs
take control. People think that if you give the Arabs more and
more there will be peace. We know that there won’t be peace and
there will be no end to things like this, because they are
interested in carrying out the Final Solution, r’l.
They
thought they would give them land in Yesha and it would be quiet
here. What did we see? After 400 families returned from Egyptian
camps to territories under Palestinian control, one of the senior
Palestinian leaders in Gaza clearly stated, “As far as we are
concerned, the Palestinian people have the right to return to
Yavne, Lud, and Ramle!” This was broadcast throughout the media.
They
state their intentions very distinctly, and mean what they say,
while we seem to have no limits. Each day we offer more sacrifices
and take another step in the direction of utter dissolution. The
Arabs are explicit. They have goals and are working to achieve
them.
Do
you think that the failure at the talks in Geneva is a good thing?
I
don’t think it was a failure. It was a strategy designed to
prepare the public for withdrawal from the Golan; making a show as
though Israel stood strong. I’m sure they will renew
negotiations.
See
what’s happening in Lebanon now? Barak spoke about a unilateral
withdrawal, and there were organizations that supported this and
everybody was sure there would be peace and quiet. Now the
assistant secretary of the Hizballa announced that there wouldnbe
quiet in Israel even after Israel leaves southern Lebanon. He
explained that they were fighting for the Palestinian problem, the
Golan and Yerushalayim, and they would continue the battle; except
now the katyushas will be within range of Chaifa and Acco. In
Lebanon they have already threatened us with missiles all the way
to Tel Aviv. Whoever wants additional proof that withdrawals and
capitulations are no recipe for peace but, ch’v, for a
terrible war, can see this in the most recent negotiations. The
winds of war are blowing from just those places where we were
going to capitulate, and nevertheless, the government has decided
to leave Lebanon.
What
do you say to people who point to American and international
pressure as being insurmountable?
The
United States has its own agenda. They want oil and they want
quiet in the Middle East. They couldn’t care less for the future
of the Jewish nation in Eretz Yisroel. The U.S. always looks out
for its own interests first. We too must look out for ourselves.
Therefore, if we know that this process will lead to the
endangerment and destruction of six million residents here, we
must say no.
Let
me state clearly: a country that doesn’t look out for its own
vital interests because of some pressure or another, is in deep
trouble. Which victorious country in the world was ever coerced
into conceding land? We are the only ones in the world who take
strategic territory and hand it over to our enemies. We are the
ones who established the Palestinian terrorist army, which today
is a mighty army of soldiers armed with sophisticated weapons. The
very weapons we gave them could, ch’v, be used
against us! We are about to offer our water sources to the
Syrians. In short, total chaos. Who ever heard of such a thing?
I
want to add something. We in Israel have always relied on the U.S.
and see them as our supporter. Yes, today the U.S. is a world
power, but who will guarantee that this will continue? Can we
count on it? We know that chesed l’umim chatas (the
kindness of the nations is a sin)! What we do know is that
the Jewish people, the Torah, and Hashem are eternal. We will only
be successful if we act according to the Torah’s dictates.
The
Arabs do not respect us for giving them land. On the contrary, the
more we give them, the more they want and the greater their chutzpa.
They spit at our faces and humiliate us. They despise the very
ones who give them land. Whoever thinks they respect this and see
it as an overture to peace is gravely mistaken.
As
someone who moved here from the U.S. and sees what’s going on
here, aren’t you broken?
Despite
what’s going on here, I strongly believe that this land is ours.
It is an eternal land for the eternal people. I certainly don’t
regret moving here, but if you look back on our history, it was
always a minority of the people who kept the faith. It was always
the minority who fought on behalf of the Jewish people until we
were finally saved.
The
Jewish people have faced difficulties many times before. “In
every generation they arise to destroy us,” but as the Hagada
continues, “Hashem rescues us from their hands.” Although only
a minority is waging the battle, I have no doubt that in the end
we will be victorious.
Why
is your organization called Women in Green, rather than Men,
who are typically the ones who wage war?
As
you know, the Exodus from Egypt came about in the merit of the
righteous women, and in every generation there were women in whose
merit the Jewish people were saved. The daughters of Tz’lafchad
loved Eretz Yisroel and wanted a share of it, and all the Jewish
women in the desert loved Eretz Yisroel and merited to enter it,
unlike the men.
We
see that today, erev ha’Geula, in a time of such
concealment and danger, victory will come about through the women
who insist on rescuing Eretz Yisroel and who refuse to compromise
even when the situation seems hopeless. In the merit of these
women, Moshiach will come.
I
am sure that if we heard the Rebbe speak today, the situation
wouldn’t be what it is. We must be strong and overcome all
obstacles, and act on our beliefs without fear. If our voices are
heard, I am sure we will succeed. At a time like this, it is
Chabad who can breathe life into us and provide the missing
dimension – the fire and faith in the battle to save Eretz
Yisroel, with Hashem’s help.