Jerusalem, ב' Adar II תשס"ח
March 9th 2008

Dear Friends,

On Thursday evening at 8:30 PM, terror returned to Jerusalem, and the State of Israel and the Jewish People suffered a harsh and painful blow.

An Arab terrorist, armed with huge amounts of reserve ammunition, infiltrated the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in the heart of the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood in Jerusalem. In cold blood and with a cruelty that can neither be described nor comprehended, he murdered eight students, children and young men who were in the library, and injured dozens more, some of whom are still in serious condition, fighting for their lives.

It is difficult to describe in words what happened in Israel as soon as the catastrophe in Jerusalem became known.  An entire country held its breath, following the news anxiously with feelings of anger and great pain and praying for good news, which unfortunately did not arrive.

Slowly, the picture in all its horror became clear. The neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe was a battle zone, the Mercaz Harav yeshiva a killing field.  The tally of victims rose from minute to minute.  Besides reports from the terror site -- the horrible pictures of children wallowing in their own blood, holy books and prayer shawls stained by victims' blood, cries of pain of the wounded - thousands of people gathered at the yeshiva, including: hundreds of worried parents whose world had collapsed; heads of the yeshiva, who, though they already knew the extent of the horror, tried to maintain a measure of calm during the crisis; security forces and ambulances.  And we all came to more fully realize that Palestinian terror has not stopped, that it continues to indiscriminately attack, that terrorists have no qualms about killing children in cold blood in order undermine our beliefs and our right to a national home for the Jewish People in the State of Israel.

Yohai Lipshitz, age 18 from Jerusalem, Yehonatan Yitzhak Eldar, age 16 from Shiloh, Yehonadav Chaim Hirschfield, age 19 from Kochav Hashachar, Neria Cohen, age 15 from Jerusalem, Ro'i Roth, age 18 from Elkana, Segev Pniel Avihail, age 15 from Neve Daniel, Avraham David Moses, age 16 from Efrat, and Doron Mehereta, age 26 from Ashdod, were killed in this horribly cruel  attack, their only crime being that they were Jewish children, studying in a national religious educational institution in the heart of Jerusalem - an institution which is the flagship of religious Zionism, an institution which has trained generations of graduates, thousands of whom have served in the IDF and have become integrated in all walks of life in Israel.  They paid with their lives the price of the cruel terror perpetrated against Jews in Israel and around the world by our enemies who will not accept the existence of the State of Israel as the state of the Jewish People.  If not for the courage and heroism of an IDF officer living close to the yeshiva, who arrived within minutes of the initial attack and killed the terrorist, it is hard to imagine how many more children would have lost their lives in this murderous rampage.

It was not without meaning that the terrorist chose to strike in Jerusalem.  It was not without meaning that he chose to attack a school, a religious Zionist institution, precisely on the eve of Rosh Hodesh Adar, when we are commanded to be happy in welcoming the start of this joyous Hebrew month.  It was not without meaning that, immediately after the attack was reported, we heard about the reactions of Hamas in Gaza and terrorist groups elsewhere, dancing in joy and expressing solidarity with the attack.

The attack against a religious institution in the heart of Israel's capital, the cruel murder of innocent and helpless children, the perverse act of a terrorist shooting again and again at wounded children begging for mercy, the expressions of pleasure among terrorist organizations – all this shows the hatred, cruelty and total lack of humanity that characterizes the enemy we face.

Israel is at the forefront of the war against this enemy, but this enemy is not ours alone.  It is the enemy of peace.  It is the enemy of the entire free world.  It is an enemy who threatens the future security of the world - an enemy aided by arms, resources and the support of many terrorist states, Iran among them.  Although these arms and resources are being directed today against the State of Israel, they will be directed tomorrow against targets throughout the free world.

On Friday, the eight murdered young people were buried in their communities, after a painful farewell ceremony at the Mercaz Harav yeshiva attended by thousands. The State of Israel, since Thursday evening, is in a state of mourning.  Bereavement, the feeling of loss of young lives and pain fill each and every person in Israel as it fills you, our brothers and sisters and partners around the world.  But I can promise you that the State of Israel, struggling since its inception for its existence and for the security of its citizens, is a determined country despite the heartbreak which we all share.  Our spirit will not waver.  Our belief is steadfast, and our commitment to our right to live as an independent and sovereign nation in the State of Israel, the state of the Jewish People, is strong.

On this day, I turn to you, heads of Jewish communities, organizations and movements throughout the world, synagogues and schools, young people, emissaries of the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization, friends of the Jewish People and the State of Israel in the free world – I call on you to demonstrate your solidarity with the State of Israel and express your support for Israel at this difficult and painful hour.  It is our duty to come together as one and spread the word of this horrible terror attack to every corner of the world, in order to widen the circle of support of the State of Israel and the solidarity with the continuing struggle against terror. Hold demonstrations and memorial gatherings for the murdered, pray for their souls, stand in silence in memory of the innocent victims murdered in cold blood.  Pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded.  Publicize details and photos of the attack in your newspapers and on your internet sites and increase hasbara efforts on this matter.
The hasbara team of the Jewish Agency and World Zionist Organization, headed by Amos Hermon, will send you shortly a comprehensive activity plan, coordinated with Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the hasbara team of the Prime Minister's Office.  Please put it to good use and spread the knowledge of what happened to the widest possible circles throughout the world. For more information, background material, photos, posters and activity suggestions, please see the Jewish Agency website: www.jewishagency.org/solidarity which is regularly updated.

Through these activities and demonstrations, you will be expressing Jewish unity, which exists during good times, but which we need so much more in difficult times.  Please don't hesitate to contact me personally, or our hasbara team, for any information or assistance you may need.

Let us all pray that the Jewish People and the State of Israel shall live in peace and security.

Sincerely,

Zeev Bielski

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