Page 56 - issue
P. 56
Then one night, at 3 a.m., all hell audience were asked to share their when Mapai was in power. But it was
broke loose – but there are two very personal experiences. One elderly not only Mapai that was involved. The
different versions of what happened. lady from Iraq related how her father cream of Israeli society has been
According to the police, Meshulam’s told her that when he was disembark- accused: from Moshe Landau (later a
men began firing rounds from the ing from the plane that landed in member of the Israeli supreme court),
compound. But according to Israel, “a chalutz – yes, that was the who signed adoption papers; to Yosef
Sampson Giat: word my father used – came over to Burg, the NRP leader; to Moshe
my father and grabbed his baby son. Chaim Shapira (NRP), minister of
They cut off the electricity and ‘What are you doing!?’ my father immigration and health (1948-9); to
the phone lines and started screamed. We never saw the child Yitzchak Meir Levin (Agudah), minis-
shooting indiscriminately into again. The Nazis tore children from ter of welfare (1949-51).12 They are all
the house in which Mrs. the arms of Jewish parents, and now innocent until proven guilty, of
Meshulam and her young chil- we experienced it from Jews in the course, but a cloud hangs over their
dren ages between six months land of Israel.” names until the records are made
and five years were sleeping. The available to the public.
bullets shattered the windows The audience was aghast. Then
over the heads of the children. one Ashkenazi woman, in her sixties, I know this topic is disturbing to
When I visited the home, I saw barked at Ami Meshulam, Uzi’s son, readers of the Where What When. In
countless bullet holes in the who was visiting from Montreal, our love of Israel, we don’t want to look
Venetian blinds, the living room “What’s the matter with you activists? at a painful chapter that raises such
walls, and the bedroom walls. You say there is damning evidence! serious moral and ethical questions.
Why don’t you put it on the internet? How could it happen? Many (like Dr.
Without any provocation, Shlomo You just talk and talk but where is the Steven Plaut of Haifa University) say
Asulin a student and a sergeant in the evidence for all to see?” that it never did: case closed. But the
IDF, was shot in the neck from behind, anecdotal evidence and the hundreds
by a marksman using a telescope. “You don’t understand!” Ami coun- of families that are screaming seem to
(Asulin was not carrying a weapon!) He tered. “You don’t understand how the contradict his bland assertion. As it
was trying to start a generator since the ma’arechet (system) works!” She did- said about the Plague of the Firstborn
electricity was cut off. Court testimony n’t understand what he was saying in Egypt, “There isn’t a single house
proved Asulin never fired a weapon. and neither did I. What was he talking that doesn’t have a dead one inside.”
about? She made a good point. Was it
Asulin was not dead but bleeding illegal to post “security” documents? There are three lessons that speak
profusely. A young man, Nathan Is that what he meant? to me from all this:
Shifriss, picked up a megaphone
and called out to the police to ◆◆◆ First, I am amazed at the power of
bring over an ambulance that was the yetzer hara, which, in its brilliant
close by. The police refused, and The Yemenite Children Affair has cunning and deviousness, misleads
as a result Shlomo Asulin bled to been shrouded in mystery for some of the most educated and
death.10 decades. This was understandable
Meshulam was arrested and incarcer- 10 www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/rabbi-uzi-meshulam-60/2013/06/21/
ated for five years. He was released on 11 www.veteranstoday.com/2013/06/22/chronicle-of-a-slow-state-assassination-rabbi-
the condition that he never bring up meshulam-died
the kidnappings again. He left prison
seriously ill and died at age 60. I had 12 On September 17, 1997, Menachem Porush was interviewed about his knowl-
heard rumors that he was being edge of the Yemenite Affair on Channel 2 news (http://wp.me/p5bcnW-88). He was
injected with poison.11 I once inter- one of the few people who had been in a senior position in government at the time
viewed Rabbi Yitzchak Peretz (one of of the abductions who was still alive to be interviewed. “It is a great stain on the
the founders of Shas and later the State of Israel,” he said. He pointed his finger at social workers from leftist organ-
chief rabbi of Raanana) and asked if izations, who believed that they were doing the children a favor by saving them
this was true. He told me that he from near starvation. Porush also claimed that he brought up the matter with
heard that Meshulam’s condition was David Ben Gurion, and Ben Gurion reacted with astonishment and disbelief – he
deteriorating and that even though he demanded that Porush provide him with proof. Porush countered that Ben Gurion
was the minister of the interior at the should check out the matter himself. Porush revealed to the skeptical TV interview-
time, he was denied access to visit er that some of those people involved in the kidnappings were still alive, but he
Meshulam in prison! adamantly refused to reveal their names. He said he knew who they were but was
afraid for his own safety Ani ah’geed lecha kach: Ha-levai ve-lo ha’yiti
◆◆◆ me’phachaid le-galot et ha-shaimot. ). He also refused to divulge names when he
testified before the commission headed by Judge Yehuda Cohen. It just begs the
After the screening, people in the question: Who was he afraid of who was obviously above the “system” and the law
and who could have done him in?
52 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
broke loose – but there are two very personal experiences. One elderly not only Mapai that was involved. The
different versions of what happened. lady from Iraq related how her father cream of Israeli society has been
According to the police, Meshulam’s told her that when he was disembark- accused: from Moshe Landau (later a
men began firing rounds from the ing from the plane that landed in member of the Israeli supreme court),
compound. But according to Israel, “a chalutz – yes, that was the who signed adoption papers; to Yosef
Sampson Giat: word my father used – came over to Burg, the NRP leader; to Moshe
my father and grabbed his baby son. Chaim Shapira (NRP), minister of
They cut off the electricity and ‘What are you doing!?’ my father immigration and health (1948-9); to
the phone lines and started screamed. We never saw the child Yitzchak Meir Levin (Agudah), minis-
shooting indiscriminately into again. The Nazis tore children from ter of welfare (1949-51).12 They are all
the house in which Mrs. the arms of Jewish parents, and now innocent until proven guilty, of
Meshulam and her young chil- we experienced it from Jews in the course, but a cloud hangs over their
dren ages between six months land of Israel.” names until the records are made
and five years were sleeping. The available to the public.
bullets shattered the windows The audience was aghast. Then
over the heads of the children. one Ashkenazi woman, in her sixties, I know this topic is disturbing to
When I visited the home, I saw barked at Ami Meshulam, Uzi’s son, readers of the Where What When. In
countless bullet holes in the who was visiting from Montreal, our love of Israel, we don’t want to look
Venetian blinds, the living room “What’s the matter with you activists? at a painful chapter that raises such
walls, and the bedroom walls. You say there is damning evidence! serious moral and ethical questions.
Why don’t you put it on the internet? How could it happen? Many (like Dr.
Without any provocation, Shlomo You just talk and talk but where is the Steven Plaut of Haifa University) say
Asulin a student and a sergeant in the evidence for all to see?” that it never did: case closed. But the
IDF, was shot in the neck from behind, anecdotal evidence and the hundreds
by a marksman using a telescope. “You don’t understand!” Ami coun- of families that are screaming seem to
(Asulin was not carrying a weapon!) He tered. “You don’t understand how the contradict his bland assertion. As it
was trying to start a generator since the ma’arechet (system) works!” She did- said about the Plague of the Firstborn
electricity was cut off. Court testimony n’t understand what he was saying in Egypt, “There isn’t a single house
proved Asulin never fired a weapon. and neither did I. What was he talking that doesn’t have a dead one inside.”
about? She made a good point. Was it
Asulin was not dead but bleeding illegal to post “security” documents? There are three lessons that speak
profusely. A young man, Nathan Is that what he meant? to me from all this:
Shifriss, picked up a megaphone
and called out to the police to ◆◆◆ First, I am amazed at the power of
bring over an ambulance that was the yetzer hara, which, in its brilliant
close by. The police refused, and The Yemenite Children Affair has cunning and deviousness, misleads
as a result Shlomo Asulin bled to been shrouded in mystery for some of the most educated and
death.10 decades. This was understandable
Meshulam was arrested and incarcer- 10 www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/rabbi-uzi-meshulam-60/2013/06/21/
ated for five years. He was released on 11 www.veteranstoday.com/2013/06/22/chronicle-of-a-slow-state-assassination-rabbi-
the condition that he never bring up meshulam-died
the kidnappings again. He left prison
seriously ill and died at age 60. I had 12 On September 17, 1997, Menachem Porush was interviewed about his knowl-
heard rumors that he was being edge of the Yemenite Affair on Channel 2 news (http://wp.me/p5bcnW-88). He was
injected with poison.11 I once inter- one of the few people who had been in a senior position in government at the time
viewed Rabbi Yitzchak Peretz (one of of the abductions who was still alive to be interviewed. “It is a great stain on the
the founders of Shas and later the State of Israel,” he said. He pointed his finger at social workers from leftist organ-
chief rabbi of Raanana) and asked if izations, who believed that they were doing the children a favor by saving them
this was true. He told me that he from near starvation. Porush also claimed that he brought up the matter with
heard that Meshulam’s condition was David Ben Gurion, and Ben Gurion reacted with astonishment and disbelief – he
deteriorating and that even though he demanded that Porush provide him with proof. Porush countered that Ben Gurion
was the minister of the interior at the should check out the matter himself. Porush revealed to the skeptical TV interview-
time, he was denied access to visit er that some of those people involved in the kidnappings were still alive, but he
Meshulam in prison! adamantly refused to reveal their names. He said he knew who they were but was
afraid for his own safety Ani ah’geed lecha kach: Ha-levai ve-lo ha’yiti
◆◆◆ me’phachaid le-galot et ha-shaimot. ). He also refused to divulge names when he
testified before the commission headed by Judge Yehuda Cohen. It just begs the
After the screening, people in the question: Who was he afraid of who was obviously above the “system” and the law
and who could have done him in?
52 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
