History must be remembered

Letters

Editor: There is a great deal I can say to Mr. Kawas regarding his recent letter ("Bulletin award is scandalous," Nov. 29) and so could many other Jewish people, but I will try to curtail my words.

First of all, he must realize how unusual it is for a Jewish community paper to publish his repetition of distorted history created by Arab countries and contained in their textbooks for many generations. Millions who went through their education system were fed falsehoods and imbued with hatred for Israel and all Jewish people.

The sad truth is that all people who went through Arab education since infancy and childhood passionately believe the lies that were fed to them. They were even taught that world history books, based on actual fact, are false. No wonder Mr. Kawas seems to believe that Arab people who lived in "Palestine" (a name given by the Romans and maintained by the British occupiers) are the only "Palestinians" and that their land was taken from them. The Palestine he speaks of was historically the land of the Jewish people, conquered by many who either killed or drove the Jews away. For many centuries, it was a desolate land where different people roamed, then settled. However, for Jewish people, who were either living there or living elsewhere in exile, this was always their country, waiting to be re-settled and reclaimed. Recent history with the pogroms in Russia and Nazi Germany, among others, has brought to light this necessity. The rest can be read in serious history books.

Mr. Kawas never seems to question why all Arab countries have not only continuously bred "future" murderers of Jews and destroyers of Israel, but formally allied themselves with the Nazi regime during the Second World War to help Hitler capture and kill the Jews of Europe. I wish there were more articles on this subject, which is being muffled and consequently not known by many. On the other hand, despite oppression by the British, Jewish people formed fighting forces to help the British fight Nazi Germany, sacrificing their lives in the process.

Mr. Kawas, like all Arab countries, and other Arab Palestinians, selectively "forgets" what happened to Jewish people living in Arab lands. Throughout centuries, Arabs killed, raped and forcefully converted Jews in Arab countries. They also divested them of assets and personal belongings. If any Jew dared mention the word Israel or was seen listening to radio broadcasts mentioning Israel, that Jewish person was arrested and tortured.

After officially stealing the businesses and personal possessions of Jewish people, Arab countries let them out. Destitute Jews (in risk of their lives) immigrated to Israel (unofficially, since they would have been incarcerated or hung at the mere mention of Israel). Israel received these Jews with open arms, where they re-started their lives. They were happy to have fled alive with their families. We never hear Jews from Arab countries claiming a stake in Arab countries despite centuries of residence there and despite the great contributions made by them, a simple example being Rav Moshe Ben Maimon (Maimonides), not to mention more recent personalities.

Arabs living in the British Mandate of Palestine (which was not an actual country) regularly launched murderous attacks on Jews (also living there). Then, when the re-establishment of Israel became a fact they had to face, they either fled across the border at the urging of the surrounding Arab countries or chose to continue living in a Jewish land. Those who remained had a very good life and were given the benefits of Israeli democracy. Those who fled were kept in barbed wire camps by the Arab countries. Actually, it is the Arabs who did not take care of their own people, keeping them for decades in decaying refugee camps, throwing the blame on Israel and feeding hatred into their hearts. The Arab leaders did not want to integrate Arab Palestinians into their own lands, although it is they who urged them to flee. They kept fanning hatred towards Israel and Jews in general. They created and nurtured many generations of people with vengeful and murderous intent.

What Mr. Kawas and the others have to realize is that what happened was actually an exchange of people across borders. Jews from Arab lands went to Israel following oppression and theft of all their possessions, while Arabs who lived in the historic land of Israel fled towards Arab lands when the revival of the land of Israel became a reality. The blame for the treatment of those Arab refugees lies with the Arab countries.

On the basis of Arab claims, maybe Jewish people who lived in Arab countries and their descendants should be given portions of the different Arab countries from which they fled as independent states of their own and given restitution for loss of their businesses and other assets, as well as restitution for the suffering? Why do Arabs choose to forget what happened to Jewish people in Arab countries? Why does the rest of the world forget? If this is highlighted then maybe "peace loving" Palestinian Arabs will finally understand what really happened. Because Jews were residing in Arab lands and Arabs were residing in historic Israel, neither was the rightful "owner" of the land where they resided.

I urge Mr. Kawas to consider this, as objectively as possible: In Canada, he has the right to free expression. We in the Jewish community always give the benefit of the doubt and fiercely uphold democratic principles. This is not so in Arab countries or institutions, and certainly not with other Islamic institutions. Why is it that educated people like him never use their influence and the means at their disposal to question Arab and Islamic policies? He knows, as we all know, that he would risk his life and well-being if he does so. Does this not indicate that something is drastically wrong with the institutions and policies he espouses? Why is it that whenever we hear from a Palestinian Arab all we hear is a repetition of lies and condemnations? There never seems to be an intelligent scrutiny of real facts but continuous nourishment of hatred based on distorted history and education.

We will achieve peace only when Arabs and Islamic people shed off all those lies and distortions and face up to the truth. Now they even pretend there was never a Second Temple. They have built a mosque on top of the grounds of our own holy Temple and have consistently erased any signs of Jewish life in the West Bank.
Another question for Mr. Kawas: What is Jordan actually? Is it not actually the land of Arab Palestinians?

I regret to have had to discuss sensitive political issues here but the letter of Mr. Kawas, which for some reason the Bulletin decided to publish, required a refutation. It would indeed be good if the Bulletin would not overindulge in political issues but deal more with community issues.

(Name withheld)

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