This week marks 25 years since Baruch Goldstein shot and killed 29 Muslim worshipers in the Ulam Yitzchak of Ma’aras HaMachpelah, leaving some 100 injured before he was attacked when his gun jammed, and killed by the mob.
According to a report on the dati leumi Srugim website, few are aware than 12 years earlier, when he arrived in Israel from the United States, Goldstein tried to “create a provocation” on Har Habayis. He planned the first Jewish wedding on Har Habayis since Churban Bayis Sheni, inviting then Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Shlomo Goren Z”L. The invitation included a photograph of Har Habayis without the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque, replaced by the Beis Hamikdash and the names Baruch Goldstein and Miriam Cohen.
The invitation read:
“נעלה את הר הבית על ראש שמחתנו. בשבח והודיה להשי”ת שפתח לנו פתח לגאולת הר הקודש ובנין הבית. ד”ר ברוך גולדשטיין ומרים כהן מתכבדים להזמינכם לחתונתם, החתונה הראשונה על הר קודשו”.
The date for the chasenah was set for Tu B’Av 5742, a few months before Israel expelled the Jewish communities from Yamit and Sinai.
The invitation ended by instructing participants to prepare themselves in accordance with halacha before coming to the wedding.
“המוזמנים מתבקשים להקפיד על דיני מורא מקדש. לא לבוא בנעלי עור ולטבול במקווה יום לפני החתונה”
Marking the 25th anniversary in the left-wing community, as reported by the daily Haaretz, there is a “furious debate” regarding his matzeivah, his tombstone, as he is buried in Kahane Park, outside Kiryat Arba. The left-wing is troubled by the fact that many go to visit the kever to be mispallel, a shrine to his memory, which they feel should be undone. Meretz officials on Monday, 25 February, insisted that the site “extols a murderer”. The party adds that in the next Knesset, it will introduce a bill that will call to erect a sign near the kever to describe the massacre he perpetrated, as well as calling for holding educational activities against violence and racism at that site.
Meretz is outraged the tombstone states, that he “gave his life for the Jewish people, its Torah and its land. He was blameless and upright.” The extremist left-wing party also plans to work to have the name of the park changed from Kahane Park.
It is added that while Goldstein is reported by the world to have shot and murdered the 29 worshipers without provocation, as few reported that he was a decorated IDF officer in the medical corps, the first to respond to many terrorist attacks in the Hebron area, a man who slept in his clothing to reduce response time to medical emergencies as the only area physician, and was admonished by the IDF when he refused to treat the enemy wounded during the Lebanon War.
The military informed him of a plan they received via intelligence networks that the Arabs in the Hebron area were planning to perpetrate another massacre of Hebron’s Jews as was the case in 1929, instructed by the IDF to prepare a field hospital to treat the many expected wounded. This was recorded by some newspapers, a few books, and many feel his actions were intended to prevent that massacre. Most Israelis prefer to go with the story that he was a right-wing fanatic, who without provocation, murdered innocent Muslims, in no small part because he was a staunch chossid of the late Rabbi Meir Kahane HY”D.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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59 Responses
And why should this horrific crime and its perpetrator be remembered and noted?
“He planned the first Jewish wedding on Har Habayis since Churban Bayis Sheni”
Were there ever weddings on har habyis? In any case the Hebrew wording of the invitation suggests that he thought it was the first ever.
I am not in the least bit a Leftist. But even as an ordinary Orthodox Conservative Jew, I am bothered by the wording on the gravestone – Isn’t “gave his life for the Jewish people, its Torah and its land. He was blameless and upright” taking it too far? Where does the Torah advocate unprovoked killing Arabs? How did his suicidal ‘giving his life’ help the Jewish people? And without answering these two difficult questions, how can he be ‘blameless and upright’?
I admit – 25 years ago when I first heard about his action, I was at first happy. I did not personally say so, but I remember my friends calling him a Kodosh. But then after learning more details and thinking about it, I realized that it was pointless and wrong.
BTW – If someone were to eliminate enemies of Israel, at least they ought to do it:
a) in a fashion that makes it obvious that they dies because the were actively engaged in activities against Israel. A great example might be to booby trap their tunnels to explode – rather than revealing that you discovered the tunnels, and waste money destroying them.
b) anonymously and from a safe distance – he who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.
once again rt side with the enemy of the Jews.
I wouldn’t condone his actions. I would add that he was very affected when he treated Asher Ahron Gross HY’D (kikar Gross is in his memory). Asher Ahron was stabbed and then kidnapped while dying. Boruch Goldstein had difficulty getting to the scene due to arabs, men women and children intentionally blocking his path. When he finally traced the blood, it was too late to save him. After that story, he was convinced that they’re all murderers. I don’t think many disagree with that point however, his actions were dangerous and probably caused more Yidden to be killed.
There is no evidence whatsoever that the people he killed were “worshipers”. There is no reason we should accept that assertion. If he had gone there to murder people he would have brought a few grenades. Nobody knows what happened, but the most likely explanation is that the Arabs were meeting to plan the Purim pogrom and he went there to spy on them, bringing only his personal weapon that he carried everywhere for self-defense. He was discovered and attacked, and used his weapon to defend himself until it jammed and the mob murdered him.
His entire known history shows him to have been a tzadik and kodosh, dedicated to saving Jewish lives, and for that alone he deserves the highest honors even if we were to assume the worst of his final day; but it also gives a powerful reason not to make such an assumption.
Also, even if we do assume the worst of his final actions, why were no Arabs charged with murdering him after he was no longer a threat to them? Every time a Jew kills a captured terrorist he has the book thrown at him, even if he claims he thought the terrorist was reaching for a weapon or a suicide belt, so why did the Arabs not get the same thing when it was proven beyond doubt that they chopped him to death with hatchets while he was helpless?
And why were they not charged with possessing the hatchets in the first place? Why did they have a store of hatchets in the mosque, if not to perpetrate a pogrom?
yitzyk, he prevented the planned pogrom. There was no possible doubt that it was going to happen, the Arabs were openly announcing it, and the army told him they knew about it and were not going to do anything to prevent it.
Goldstein was a crazy Zionist who is responsible for the murder of Jews. After he murdered 29 Arabs, the Arabs retaliated by murdering several innocent Jews, whose Jewish blood is on Goldstein’s hands.
Very good that he killed 29 Arabs, the less we have of them the better, but most of you have missed out on a vey important point… WHAT RIGHT DID HE HAVE TO GO ON TO HAR HABAYIS??????
yeshiva world news?
The article proposes that “many feel his actions were intended to prevent that massacre”. Maybe. But most of that is speculation and supposition. It is quite far from “yitzyk, he prevented the planned pogrom. There was no possible doubt that it was going to happen.”
In any case, you are correct. I should certainly have judged him favorably and assume there was actually a valid reason for the seemingly crazy deed that he did. Although in my defense I will say that the alleged reason is in fact quite far-fetched, and also came out way later than the original story (in fact I just read it here for the first time.)
Goldstein was a amazing צדיק and saved the lives of many. If he wasn’t there to stop those Arabs, they would’ve mowed down and kill the Jews of חברון. He killed them becuz the Arabs promised on that day that they would kill the Jews of חברון after their prayers. I don’t get why these lefty traitors are saying. He did what the Tora commanded.
tgsm:
The right that every Jew has. Because your rosh yeshiva does not allow it does not discredit the rambam and other gedolim who ruled it is allowed.
It sounds like there are a few poskim here. I suggest asking a real posek about the situation. Enemies all around us r’l are calling for our destruction, but with overwhelming thanks to the Shomer Yisroel nothing comes from most of it.
Without condoning or condemning his actions, that is for the Gedolim to do and our Rov actually condemned it at the time. However I understood that at the time when the place was cleared after the attack guns and weapons were found under the prayer mats.
“The military informed him of a plan they received via intelligence networks that the Arabs in the Hebron area were planning to perpetrate another massacre of Hebron’s Jews as was the case in 1929, instructed by the IDF to prepare a field hospital to treat the many expected wounded. This was recorded by some newspapers, a few books, and many feel his actions were intended to prevent that massacre.”
Does the author of this article have any evidence of any kind to support this assertion? At the time there was talk of posters in Arabic urging Arab residents to lay in food supplies because they (the Arabs) would be confined to their houses by the Jews. This was, presumably to be in the aftermath of the supposedly planned pogrom. I have yet to meet anyone who has ever seen one of these posters (and most of those who claim that they know of their existence don’t understand Arabic).
Now the story is that the information about the planned pogrom came from the IDF. Is there a single witness to the orders to set up a field hospital?
It is bad enough that some readers of this site believe in unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, it’s even worse when journalists who should know better publish such things.
There is enough evidence to at least point to a probability of a planned massacre, hence,(while it’s true that he would no+t treat an outright enemy he did treat many Arab patients), the dati leumi are correct in their call. Furthermore being a Kahanist was an ideology, and only meant that he wanted the Arabs sent out of the land legally. As far as daily action, he was a very calm and thinking individual. Such an act did not fit with his character, unless it was to stop a massacre. This was even agreed upon at the time by many Yeshivish Rabbonim, if my memory is not mistaken that included Rav Dovid Cohen shlita.
Yitzyk, that there was going to be a pogrom is not speculation or supposition, it’s a hard fact. And if this is the first you’ve heard of it then you are not qualified to comment on the whole story, because everyone knew it was coming before Dr Goldstein acted. The Arabs openly announced it, for crying out loud. How could you not have heard?
ujm, the Arabs are fully responsible for their own crimes. Dr Goldstein did not force them and is not responsible for them at all. It is extremely offensive to blame the victim, as if the perpetrators had no free will. You might as well blame Hershel Greenspan HYD for Kristallnacht.
ujm, the Arabs are fully responsible for their own crimes. Dr Goldstein did not force them and is not responsible for them at all. It is extremely offensive to blame the victim, as if the perpetrators had no free will. You might as well blame Hershel Greenspan HYD for Kristallnacht.
ולטבול במקווה יום לפני החתונה How does his solve anything? No Mikva can undo Tumoh vis a vis Har haBayis, without the intervention of the Poro Adumo.
That being said, I am in awe of all the Zechusim that Dr. Boruch Goldstein HY’D merited to accumulate, and inspire us with.
anon1m0us : please quote me the exact words and location of the rambam and the ‘gedolim who hold it’s mutar.
Putting aside conspiracy theories, the fact that Netanyahu engaged with the most vile extremist groups in Israeli politics aligned with the racist views of the former Kahane terrorists (at least from the perspective of U.S. security agencies) is itself reason for concern. There are a number of legitimate and pragmatic political leaders in EY who are strong on national defense but haven’t adopted the Netanyahu/Trumpian style of demonizing their opponents and framing every issue in racial and existentialist terms. Hopefully, Netanyahu will realize he has opportunities to win a coalition majority by aligning Likud with these other groups and rejecting once and for all the right wing, racist extremists.
I’m wondering if Meretz is as outraged whenever the Palistinians celebrate killing a Jew.
There is no hetter to go on the har habayis with out being metaher with “eifer poroo”
Going up on the bar habayis is “hisgarus buimmes” that cost already tons of Jewish blood rach”l
When a yid gets killed rach”l we all pray HY”D that means that hashem should avenge his blood. But since we are in golus we have no right to take action on our own.
So going in to the meuras hamachpeilu and killing 29 Arabs is nothing more than רציחה and התגרות באומות that resulted in nekuma by the Arabs causing the spilling of so much Jewish blood rach”l and it’s all on his hands
Baruch Goldstein put Jewish lives & Israel first. I wish I would have had the zchus to have known him.
Baruch Goldtsien murdered Ari Halberstam HY”D http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/1687744/today-25th-yartzheit-of-ari-halberstam-hyd-murdered-by-muslim-terrorist-on-brooklyn-bridge.html
@hml tell me 1+1 how he put Jewish lives first by killing 29 Arabs when the results was just the opposite
hml: Anyone wishing to get to know this murdering terrorist who put so many yiddeshe lives at risk may get their wish at some point in the future.
He avenged Jewish blood spilled by Arab terrorists, and as noted above, simply lost it when Asher Gross was left to die.. The terrorists continue to murder Jews with or without a Goldstein. Halevei, we had more Goldsteins in 1941. He’s a kodosh, H”YD.
“.. in golus we have no right to take action…..”
Absolutely false, there is no such prohibition. The most you can say is that in the long run it won’t be a total success as long as golus exists.
Additionaly, it’s high time to understand that just being a Jew enrages anti-Semites to motivate and kill. They killing Jews before Goldstein.
Don’t go too far back.. Just read about the murderous pogroms from 1880 and on all over Eastern Europe and in Arab lands. Kahana was right..!!
> Ferd
You are asking us to take for granted that in less than one week the perpetrator arranged to find out the schedule of a complete stranger (the Lubvitcher Rebbe) whom he had never heard of before and who had o connection to the Goldstein? The U.S. government described the incident as road-rage, no more, and no-one at the time (including the perpetrators) mentioned anything about Goldstein during the investigation (it came up by the defense at the trial and it was so transparent even the jury thumbed its nose at it). It took years of immense pressure by Lubavitch to even call it terrorism. Wikipedia quotes the perpetrator:
> In his confession in 2007, Baz said, “I only shot them because they were Jewish.”
Milhouse, between Hashem and us Jews (not as a legal matter in B”D shel matta but as a matter in B”D shel maala) Hershel Greenspan IS responsible for Kristalnacht. They idiot had no right killing a diplomat that triggered the killing of Jews.) ujm is correct. Goldstein had no right doing what he did triggering the Arabs killing Jews directly as a response.
Both Greenspan and Goldstein have Jewish blood on their hands.
@ZionGate I don’t know if u remember history but after the רציחה that burich goldstein did the Arabs were very wild and there was a lot of terror attacks and Jewish blood was spilled like water till the zionists were forced to give back a part of the meuras hamachpeilu to the Arabs to calm them down
@ZionGate u’r right that during WWII were a lot of burich Goldsteins that caused the spill of lots of Jewish blood. For an example when chayim veizman called out that the Jewish people declared war on Hitler and Hitler yms”h dropped himself on the floor and bit the carpet and the holucost started
And what u say that there is no such prohibition to take action on our own while we’re in golus… I don’t know from which Torah you’re speaking but in the Torah that we got on har sinei it is prohibited
The דיין האמת has already judged him as He will judge each and everyone of us when our time comes.
Your desperate to know the verdict? Have patience. I guarantee you will find out.
You want to know whether to do or encourage the same?
I suggest not. Ask his family whom he left behind.
Close look,
Unfortunately, you’re re-babbling the same lies and nonsense that the antiZionist revisionists have been peddling for decades… you haven’t told us where the Torah forbids what you said.
Joseph,
You kidding?? Grynspan started Kristallnacht? You have more intelligence than that. Every creature with minimal intelligence knows it was only an excuse..
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.timesofisrael.com/the-goldstein-massacre-and-the-danger-of-escalation/amp/ @ZionGate here I posted a link of the times of Israel reporting about the aftermath and terror attacks following the burich Goldstein massacre
Close look,
I’m not interested in the link.
You’re stuck on the fact that Goldstein caused a reaction, while ignoring murderous events visited upon Jews before Goldstein and after him.
I’m stuck on the fact that Jews have been murdered by the billions because they’re Jews and did nothing wrong. You share a galus mentality with blames Jews first and our murderers second.
I submit that this is a twisted logic.
I further submit that my grandparents for sure craved a Goldstein before they were incinerated in Auschwitz.
Kahana was right and will always be right.
@ZionGate the role of the Zionists by the holucost is all documented and you can see it in Sefer מן המצר from rabbi Michael ber weissmandel zatza”l. and there you can also see the note he found saying רק בדם תהיה לנו בארץ explaining why they refused to give the money to rescue the Hungarian Yiden. And that’s the reason they were spreading antisemitism throughout Europe the last 130 years that the yiden should feel in danger there so they will have no choice and migrate to Israel. So when you are denying your role in the holucost you’re just like the poles denying their role. I know that it’s hard to swallow just like it’s hard for them but facts are facts and history you can’t deny!
@ZionGate the ramb”m hilchos aci”m I think it’s Peirik yid Halacha 1’ says that it’s user to kill a non Jew שלא בשעת מלחמה
@ZionGate I never said that Jews weren’t murdered before but when u trigger them they doing it much more so that’s what the times of Israel is reporting the rise in terror attacks in result of the burich Goldstein massacre. So this רוצח isn’t a kodosh just a murderer that has Jewish blood on his hands and he’s a מאביד עצמו מן דעת that Chaz”l says אין לו חלק באולם הבא!
Close look,
The blame for Holocaust on the Zionists is a vile fabrication.
Suffice it to say, that R’ Weissmandel’s famous ” note” BEDAM, etc. has never been proven despite that he saved all kinds of documents. The BEDAM, etc. note is nonexistent. I ‘ve read Min Hameitzar… R’ Weissmandel didn’t have all the information, he omits that that the Jewish Agency in then Palestine sent him 50,000 $$$, and he jumped out of the train saving himself and leaving his family on it, and they perished. I’m not blaming Weissmandel, just giving you some facts .
You should read other historians besides the Zionist hatets who fabricate info and reprint their stuff and stuff the Internet with it.
I can go on forever. Zionist emissaries came to Satmar and such places and the grand rabbi refused to let them urge the people to emigrate.
It really gets worse, with R’ E….etc..
Letz just leave it right here.
Close look,
Zionists spreading fear for a 130 years?????
Have you ever in your ignorant life opened a history book???
Do you even know of the thousands of pogroms from 1870 and on????
You think everybody here is unread like you??
What’s wrong with you???
Close look,
Bottom line is that Goldstein wouldn’t have happen if Israel annexed Judea,Samaria in 1967, if they would’ve recognized the awesome miracle that Hashem did.. That Moshe Dayan gave away the keys to the Waqf because he was a non-believer.
Failing that, if they listened to Rav Kahana who wanted Arabs who didn’t wish to recognize Israel’s sovereignty to leave with compensation.
Hashem gave us a miraculous gift, but both secular Zionists and frum pshetlach pilpul chachomim rejected it.
And that’s the truth.
Shabbat Shalom.
@ZionGate a gita voch! So basically what you saying is that rabbi weissmandel that was a famous tzadik and Rosh Yeshiva is a liar… chayim weizmans declaration of war isn’t true… the times of Israel u don’t wanna see… when I wrote a mareh mukom that it’s user to kill goiyem u took a silence…. when I told you the reason why the zionists were spreading anti semitism u answered that in 1870 tousends of yiden got murderd…. just stay in your zionist box (what is btw כפירה) and keep on denying history what it’s all documented!
@ZionGate a gita voch! So basically what you saying is that rabbi weissmandel that was a famous tzadik and Rosh Yeshiva is a liar… chayim weizmans declaration of war isn’t true… the times of Israel u don’t wanna see… when I wrote a mareh mukom that it’s user to kill goiyem u took a silence…. when I told you the reason why the zionists were spreading anti semitism u answered that in 1870 thousands of yiden got murderd…. just stay in your zionist box (what is btw כפירה) and keep on denying history what it’s all documented!
@ZionGate And btw Rabbi Weissmandel only saw the רק בדם note at their office and he wasn’t a ganev so he didn’t took it. And i’m wondering why you don’t know of this fact if you read min hameitzer!
@ZionGate and I would like to see what you will come up with to answer why kastner was silenced a day before he was scheduled to show up in court. Just wondering..
There should be a CLOSE LOOK at your yichus if you’re not chav”sh from the eirav rav…. Same for your buddies.. Yup, just like decades ago when you didn’t give a hoot about Jewish blood being spilled , when your leaders refused to let Zionist emissaries help
Jews escape, then lying about it… Feh…!!
You feel guilty so you want to throw blame…
@ZionGate You are sounding very angry and instead of answering on all documented history I argued you’re coming up with stories just keep on sticking your head in to the soil rather then facing the truth
@ZionGate And btw our leader Rabbi Weissmandel z”l gave away his life to rescue yiden by the war he rescued thousands of Slovakian yiden he had already negotiated a deal with the natzies to free all Hungarian yiden for 2 million dollar and he went around to fundrais the money and when the Zionists showed him their back he suffered a heart attack and after he woke up he ran away from hospital – with his sick heart and suffered from his sick heart the rest of his life till he passed away as a young man – knowing that every minute counts and kept on negotiating till the Zionists destructed the plan because רק בדם תהיה לנו הארץ. So you tell me who was the saver and who was the killer….. but as I said before just keep on sticking your head in to the soil rather than facing the truth!!!
One last time.
You want a debate based on sheker, and that’s a waste. You offered no documentation other than a Weissmandel fictitious note. You have no idea about pre-war and inter-war Zionists and/or non-Zionist Jewish conditions.
You offered no Torah evidence about not taking up arms in golus. You have no empathy for the slaughter of Jews from 1870 and on and cannot answer it.
You disregard your “LEADERS” ordering Jews to stay put in Europe while some themselves abandoned their flock and escaped. I would name names for everyone to see, but the Mods may delete them.
So this is a courtesy response only… You are ignorant of Jewish history.
Weissmandel, with help from his Zionist cousin Gisi, only was able to temporarily delay the deportations of Slovakia , and the delay is a subject of historians and scholars. In essence , Wiscilecy was moved to Greece by Berlin to continue deporting Greek Jews. Nobody is sure why the transports temporarily stopped. Wiscliceny stole the money for himself, but there’s no hard evidence that the halt had to do with Weissmandel, even though he believed it himself.
Your comment about saving Hungarian Jews is a figment of imagination because Eichmann stepped in and continued deporting till the bitter end.
I’m writing only a little of this tragic episode to alert those who don’t have a clue about Weissmandel who abandoned his family, not to believe all this poster writes. Please do your due diligence and read credible sources, not hogwash, revisions and distortions. Midvar Sheker Tirchak is a d’oireiseh.
Finally, I want to clarify that Rav Weissmandel was a gadol, but did not have all the facts, misinterpreted others and unfairly blamed not only Zionists but other Jews when he should have put his blame squarely where it belonged… on the Germans and henchmen.
He expected a small yishuv under British control who blockaded ports of entry to save 6 million Jews, and blamed American Jews, when FDR refused to help. Unfortunately, he fell into the anti-Semitic trap that Jews control the world and have all the influence and money.
@ZionGate I’m trying to think did you read my previous posts? Seeing You reargue all I already answered… or maybe you have read it and even listening to keep your head sticking in the soil and not facing the truth… so let answer again.. I posted a mareh mukom of a ramb”m that it’s אסור to kill a goi שלא בשעת מלחמה…. when weitzman have declared war against Hitler he knew that he hasn’t the ability to do nothing only to trigger him he should kill Jews so answered …rebabling the same lies of the anti Zionists… but it’s interesting that google and all other resources are also rebabling the same lies….. Rabbi Weissmandel z”l was a famous tzadik and Rosh Yeshiva and was respected by all gdoilem from all sects and he published a Sefer מן המצר reporting all he saw with his eyes but when it’s not like you imagined so he is just a …liar… with out saying any evidence why…
And now to you’re so beloved 1870 argument which is supposed to be an answer to two of my arguments I don’t know why?! But this is what you answered so let discuss it. I argued that after the Baruch Goldstein massacre was a rise in terror attacks what goes on his hands so you answered that in 1870 yiden got murderd.. u don’t understand the answer? don’t break your head to understand…. I argued that for the same reason of רק בדם תהיה לנו הארץ the Zionists kept on spreading anti semitisim in Europe so you answered that in 1870 yiden got murderd.. u don’t understand the answer? Don’t break your head to understand….. and now you taking it to the next level that I don’t have empathy with the yiden who got murderd in1870….. u don’t understand? I neither just don’t break your head to understand….