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Last Respects

An online petition implores the Israeli government to spare a settler home

by
Tablet Magazine
March 02, 2010
(Vanessa Davis)
(Vanessa Davis)

The Emails of Zion is a collection of messages from Jewish parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, and others who are eager—often way too eager—to inform their children about issues of pressing concern to the Jewish community. Some of these emails may sound crazy, paranoid, ethnocentric, and/or racist, while others are disturbingly sane. These are the voices of our elders, lightly edited and presented for the convenience of their progeny, who are often too busy to write back.

Forward emails from your elders to [email protected].

———- Forwarded message ———-

Netanyahu, Don’t Crush Final Remnant of IDF Hero Roi Klein z”l!

Netanyahu, do not destroy the home of the widow and two orphaned children of IDF hero Roi Klein who shouted “Shma Yisrael” and jumped on a grenade during the Lebanon war to save his comrades.

Settlers are also human beings—their problem must be solved by issuing them the necessary governmental building permits.

Read more about Roi Klein here:

Imagine what feelings of contempt those children must grow up with, having lost their father as a hero giving his life for Israel, then having their home destroyed by the same army and government of Israel. May HaShem wake you up to the monstrosity of such a detestable deed.

Helen Freedman, New York city
We are appalled at the callousness and ingratitude of the Israeli government in allowing the destruction of Major Roi Klein’s home, considering his extraordinary act of bravery. If the government goes ahead with this, it will totally demoralize the country and make Israel a laughing stock amongst the nations.

Adam Klein, USA
This is absolutely tragic to destroy Roi Klein’s house. Another example of how the Israeli high Court and the Govt have NO CLUE! Jews are targeted the world over for hatred and here you have Jews wrecking the home of a Jewish hero—a real martyr. He’s not here to protect his family so what does the Govt do? Shame on you Israel!

Naomi Romm, Brooklyn
This must not be allowed to happen. It would plainly be a chilul Hashem.

Rabbi Chaim Pearl, New York
How can it be that a Jewish government will not have rachmanut on the widow and orphans of a gibor and kadosh like Roie Klein hy”d

Barbara Eyges, Marblehead
Please help this widow and her children stay in their home. Her husband is a true hero and she deserves to be helped. Jews must help other Jews.

Dr Netta Kohn DorShav, Yerushalayim
Israel has been known to destroy the homes of terrorists who murder, maim and seek to destroy us. Heaven forbid that this should be the reward meted out to our pure heroes. Rather, Roi’s home should become a shrine of inspiration and a protected site.

Anonymous
G-D wins our battles and returns us to our lands, and we turn around and give it away. G-D gives us heroes who give their lives for the Jewish people and our holy land and we punish them and their families. G-D gives us intelligence and we cower to the “defuk” opinions of foreign powers. I love Israel but am disgraced by our government who considers destroying Jewish homes and throwing Jews out of Eretz Yisroel. Don’t we have enough nations trying to destroy us from without that we need to assist in destroying ourselves from within? Disgraceful.

Stephanie Taylor, Ginot Shomron
To demolish the home of a national hero who saved lives by sacrificing his own life is the ultimate disgrace any Israeli government can do. Anyway this land was given to the Jewish people by the G-d of Israel and anyone who does not believe the Jews should live here is definitely not a Jew. And any government who demolishes this home is an evil government!

Yaakov Herskovich, New York
Please do not destroy the home of Roi Klein, you will not get world approval no matter what you do, so you have to decide if it’s more important to you to protect your citizens or to get world approval which you will never get anyways because eisav sonei es yaakov tell obama to jump in the lake and share the white house with the indians

Roberta E. Dzubow
Do not disgrace yourself by destroying this home and dishonoring this soldier. Shame, Shame—this is a terrible injustice!

From the editors at Tablet Magazine