PAN ARAB UNION FOR PEACE
 
                      NEWSLETTER
SPECIAL Issue                                           March 1, 1998
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            DEDICATED to THE TORAH TRUTH (NYT,3/1/98,p.16)
         ". . .May divine blessing and guidance illuminate
          the quest for truth -- for all those who truly seek it."
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Reprinted in its entirety below

                    T H E   T O R A H   T R U T H
Issued By: THE CENTRAL RABBINICAL CONGRESS OF THE U.S.A. & CANADA

A recent political declaration, published as a full page advertisement 
in the New York Times on Monday, Jan. 19, '98, by a group of rabbis, 
expressed opposition to the peace process in the [M]iddle [E]ast, 
particularly to the return of land to Arab control.  It further dec- 
lared as a matter of Halacha(Jewish Law), that Israel must remain firm, 
"undaunted by world opinion", and "not to cede one inch of land".
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It is incumbent upon us to refute such statements in a manner and forum 
that will undo the repugnant impression of rabbis intent to shape Jewish 
Halacha into a sword of conquer and conquest.
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Any call -- in the name of Halacha -- to retain Jewish control over the 
[W]est [B]ank territories, is not only sacrilegious in its 
counterfactual interpretation of Halacha -- but plainly heretic.  The 
very fundamental tenets of Judaism are being inverted for unworthy and 
misguided political purposes.
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Jews are forbidden by the Torah, explicitly by the Talmud, to proclaim 
or maintain any type of sovereignty prior to the eternal redemption.
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Having violated this principal by the declaration of independence 50 
years ago, [t]he Zionist entity compounded this violation of Torah and 
Halacha by capturing additional territories and turning the [M]iddle 
[E]ast into a powder keg -- increasingly dangerous to its very own 
people.

It is a sad commentary that a call to hold on to the territories is done 
in the name of "Saving Jewish Lives", when in reality, many thousands of 
young Jewish lives have been sacrificed on the alt[a]r of capturing 
these lands.  It is a mockery of logic to present a so-called Halachic 
argument to an entity that by definition, existence and conduct -- is a 
total contradiction to every facet of the Jewish Halacha.

Torah Judaism has opposed all forms of Zionism from the very beginning, 
and has made its stand known very publicly during the years.  While we 
must now specifically rebut an instance of politicized and erroneous use 
of Halacha as a "rabbinic ruling" against surrender of land to Arab 
control, we remain faithful to the Torah teaching against any form [of] 
Jewish sovereignty prior to the eternal redemption.

Stray and errant proclamations not withstanding, Jews will remain 
forever faithful to Torah and Halacha.  May divine blessing and guidance 
illuminate the quest for truth--for those who truly seek it.

CENTRAL RABBINICAL CONGRESS OF THE U.S.A. & CANADA
85 Division Ave., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11211 -- Tel. (718)384-6765-6