Lonely Men in Jaffa (Part 2)

I'm sorry about the last (lonely men in Jaffa) post; for the lack of clarity, for the jumping from one topic to the next. I'll try and make good here.

There are two or three issues that we can discuss here.

1) Why the Kanoyim are the only ones fighting grave excavations in Israel - and basically the world. [You see them in Europe and elsewhere, but they do act differently there. No fighting with the cops, no jumping into graves. Mostly diplomatic channels. They don't get covered in dirt like they do in Israel...] Is it just because it's in their veins, so they don't stop, or do they really believe? It's become a sort of "rite of passage" for some. You had the Rebbe of Khal Chassidei Yerushalayim (a Karliner offshoot) arrested, as well as the Satmar Rebbe's great grandson. Why those two decided to show up is kinda weird, unless they had never been in the slammer before, and needed it on their respective resumes. It's as if you're not one of the true Jews if you've never sat in prison after being arrested by the Zionist police... I guess we all have our issues; some Lubavitchers had their day during the Gush Katif fiasco several years ago, but they were very few and far between. There too some felt that to get arrested for that cause was a feather in their hat. But they chose to ignore that this isn't and wasn't the Rebbe's way, not when it came to graves and not when it came to expelling Jews from their homes.

2) why the Agudah and Degel no longer consider it a priority when they officially did consider it important a while back. [Or have only their methods of protest changed?] Is it the fact that it happens too often now? Is it because they can't afford to burn their bridges with the Israeli Gov't? Or is it not really an issue and never was, meaning that A"P din you were always allowed to excavate l'tovas progress? [In truth that's more of a dati leUmi answer to why it's ok to excavate, although they were quite upset that it happened after the Gush Katif expulsion, and were upset that the kanoyim had no problem with the Gov't removing tens of graves - vaday yidden.] Some of them would tell you that it's because they have enough of a rapport with the Government now that they can talk to authorities now. No need to burn garbage and demonstrate. In any case "Chitutei Shichvei" is no longer an issue with those in the mainstream in Israel and the Diaspora. There's a lot more talk about the Slonimers in Emanuel and the terrible decision of the BaGaTZ. The frum ones now will tell you that the bones are not of Jews, or that they can be moved to build the hospital ER in Ashkelon, or that the Satmars are doing this just to flex their political muscles.

3) Then there's Lubavitch, everybody's favorite whipping boy. "Lubavitch never demonstrated with us, they never cooperated, they never cared about any of the issues that were of concern to frum Jews in Israel, and by extension, the world." It would seem to this objective observer that Lubavitch is simply ahead of their time, as far as the rest of world Jewry is concerned. We always did what they're doing now! Most disputes now are resolved by a simple sit down, where the police and/or Government officials sit down with the Rabbonim and try to please all parties involved. People are disgusted by the demonstrators and that they give all of them a bad name. That's as far as demonstrating and kol korehs go. We all know how the Rebbe worked tirelessly to build Yiddishkeit all over the world, so to say that he didn't care is simply not practical. You can say that about people that opened their own little shuls on Clymer and Wilson and Hooper and Penn, and made nice money from it over the years and married off their kids from it, but you cannot say that about the Rebbe, unless you're a total buffoon, which many of you are, if I may say so myself. And to point to his basically worthless signature on a KK nobody saw and use THAT as proof that he worked l'maan haKlal is laughable.

What I also don't get is why they would want Lubavitch on board at the same time that Lubavitch was MiChutz LaMachneh... Would they have the Rebbe become big in their circles, avade nisht. There would be no room for him. Others like the Skverrer Rebbe were also not into signing and screaming. But I guess his image was protected by the fact that he was into Hisbadlus, so they let him pass. He also was not a threat to them and their positions of power. Back in the 50's, when they needed the Rebbe to support their battles they used him, but then he was discarded like a used kleenex. We cannot turn back the clock, but we sure can defend our positions. We can also maybe, efsher question what - if anything - the violent demonstrations did other then alienate millions of secular Israelis that felt that the Charedim are a fifth column in their country and no nothing but get in the way.

I know I had more to say about the subject, but being that it's been 2 weeks since I started this thread ideas and opinions get lost along the way. I apologize for making y'all wait so long for part II.