An Interview From Ma’asiyahu Prison

Question: Why did they put you in jail?
Answer: There are two different charges here. One is the planning and carrying out of a “pogrom” (!) in an Arab village. The other, which is much more serious, is sedition.

Question: What does that mean, “sedition”?
Answer: Without getting into the details of the case, it must be known that the leadership in Israel fears us not because of one action or another, but rather because of the words which we speak. They are well aware of how the hearts of the people are receptive to our message, which only we say. But since they are not capable of dealing with us on an intellectual basis, they have tried over the years to silence us in every way possible. Now they have tried to use a piece of legislation from the old British rule which is called “sedition”, which in essence gives freedom of action against anyone they don’t like. This is how I “merited” to be the first Jew in the history of Israel who has been convicted of this charge.

Question: I understand that your father, HY”D, was also charged with sedition.
Answer: And it never even got to court. That was in the 70’s, and the government knew that continuing on such a course could boomerang against them.

Question: But against you they didn’t change their minds?
Answer: On the contrary! Despite the fact that I was acquitted at the beginning, the state insisted on appealing the decision, and they finally got the conviction they wanted. The thing is this: There is no doubt that in recent years, (way before the left rose), the trend has been to silence those belonging to what they term the “extreme right”. The political establishment reached the conclusion that the real threat does not come from the Arabs, but rather from the Jews who cling to Jewish and Zionist ideology.

Question: What do you think one must do in such a situation?
Answer: To continue to circulate the Jewish idea non-stop. I believe this is our most urgent mission. The weapon of words, no one can take from us! This is what the government fears.

Question: Is it worth the price?
Answer: That can’t even be a question. Saying the truth is a very part of us. And if the price is prison, then so be it!

Question: Doesn’t the changing of governments have any influence in this area?
Answer: You have to understand that there is a Hellenist control over the two major functionaries in this country – the judiciary and the media. And they have a clear goal: Hellenism! Only a strong and decisive government who has a clear and definite direction can change this. The present governmentis just like the last Likud government – it is weak and confused, and so it is irrelevant. The real government today in Israel is the leftist and dictatorial judiciary with its media backing, which is leading the Hellenist war against Jews and Judaism.

Question: Do you have any more trials?
Answer: Yes. The truth is that the real trial will take place very soon – onRosh Hashana. I want to tell you that exactly a year ago, four days before Rosh Hashana, they were supposed to sentence us. I prepared a little”speech”. I wanted to say to the judge that in four more days we will allstand before a real High Court, and I hope THAT THERE, we, the ones “on trial”, will be able to give an answer to the question regarding what did we do to prevent the situation where Jews are blown up on buses in their owncountry. In short, I said one sentence, and the judge cut me off saying, “I won’t let you turn the court into a media stage”, despite the fact that at the time there was not one journalist in the entire room..but the judge simply was not capable of hearing such words.

Question: How is life and how are the conditions in prison?
Answer: Look, prison can be a beneficial period in a man’s life if he takes advantage of it. In essence, you are given what you need, and you can’t leave the place. In short, the conditions are ideal for learning, for thinking, for introspection, and for strengthening oneself for the future. For one who can take advantage of the time and not waste it, jail can be a prize instead of a punishment. Not that it isn’t difficult. But who said it was easy to be a Jew?

Question: How long will this harassment keep up?
Answer: Let me tell you a personal thought that came into my head when I entered the prison. I remembered that exactly 17 years ago, my father, HY”D entered prison Ma’asiyahu, where I am now. The memory remains clear, because exactly then I was celebrating my Bar-Mitzvah, and the army commander in Judea and Samaria then was “Fuad” Ben Eliezer, who had the authority at the time to make all kinds of decisions. He gave my father a real hard time about letting him out for my Bar Mitzvah. At the time, “Fuad”proposed to my father that he would cancel his prison sentence on the condition that he would stop making “problems”. Obviously, my father rejected this “proposal”. What I want to say is that one can get depressed when after so many years nothing seems to change. But the truth is that at least from the point of view of the idea that has been penetrated amongst the Israeli public, a great deal has changed. We are getting very close to finally deciding in the struggle between Judaism and Hellenism. We are much closer than we think.