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The Peace-Seeking Settler Rabbi

Video: A portrait of Menachem Froman, the peerless Gush Emunim leader who sought ties with Palestinians

by
Harvey Stein
March 12, 2013
Israeli settler leader and peace activist Rabbi Menachem Froman, center, marches with Palestinians in protest the burning of a West Bank mosque apparently by extremist settlers, near the West Bank village of Beit Fajjar, near Bethlehem, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010.(Sebastian Scheiner/AP)
Israeli settler leader and peace activist Rabbi Menachem Froman, center, marches with Palestinians in protest the burning of a West Bank mosque apparently by extremist settlers, near the West Bank village of Beit Fajjar, near Bethlehem, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010.(Sebastian Scheiner/AP)

Rabbi Menachem Froman, the West Bank spiritual leader famous for his pioneering co-existence efforts with Palestinians, died on Monday, March 4, 2013. To many, “peacemaker” and “settler” are a contradiction in terms, but not so for Froman, who forged powerful ties with Palestinian leaders as he gathered a passionate following of Jews, particularly in Tekoa, the town he led. In this video profile, drawn from footage taken over the past few years, the rabbi reflects on what it means to be, as he put it, “a citizen of God,” and explains why “loving the Palestinians” is the essence of his Judaism.

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Harvey Stein is a video journalist and filmmaker living in Jerusalem. He is currently finishing his feature documentary, A Third Way—Settlers and Palestinians as Neighbors, which will be released this Fall. Follow him on Twitter at @jerusalemnyc.

Harvey Stein is a video journalist and filmmaker living in Jerusalem. He is currently finishing his feature documentary, A Third Way—Settlers and Palestinians as Neighbors, which will be released this Fall. Follow him on Twitter at @jerusalemnyc.