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Amona and resistance

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Rabbi Elchanan Lewis

16 Shevat 5766
Question
Let me preface this be stating that I am wholly sympathetic to the youth wearing orange resisting the evacuation and/or destruction of Jewish Land, and the turning over of our Land to the Enemy. Would it be permissible for the protesters opposing Israeli government policy such as what has happend in Gush Katif or Amona to wear tefillin, even if it is after Shaharit? Perhaps a visual physical reminder of our connection to Torah and Mitzvot such as tefillin will have a more powerful deterrent effect on the police and soldiers than kipa and tzitzit (which may only inflame the secular policemen). I find it difficult to imagine both the policemen using batons on Tfillin-donned men as the men wearing tefillin cursing and throwing stones. I think of the government and the Yassamnikim as Misyavnim; it is hard to think of them as Jewish when they clearly go against Mitzvot. Unless the resistance movement is prepared to go to war with the state of Israel, which seems to me complete and utter folly in the current state of affairs, the movement should behave only as they did in Gush Katif, and take a lesson from M.Gandhi. Israelis are civilized, and cannot win against a determined nonviolent civil resistance movement. As soon as stones are thrown, human nature (more precisely human rage) will kick into high gear and you have what happened at Amona. If the thousands of people who were in Amona stood aside, let the bulldozers in, let the army and police leave, and then remain in Amona and rebuild the buildings each and every time, what would the government do? Shoot? Arrest thousands? So wait a week and go back and rebuild again. Make sure the court ruling cannot be permanently implemented. My only interest is the unity of the Jewish people and maintaining the Land of Israel inviolate. I wish there was something I could do. Are my ideas valid?
Answer
You might be right; I wasn’t there to witness the destruction and pictures can lie, let alone journalists. These things can’t be planned to that level, when people are attacked they retaliate, it is impossible to ask young vibrant idealistic adults to look at a group of Jewish policemen destroy all they believe in, and stay calm and silent. We should pray for unity and love among the Jews in Israel and worldwide.
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