Tel-Chai Nation

From Voice of Judea, something that reminded me of a notorious national tragedy back in the 1950s:

Thousands of people throughout the world are voicing their moral outrage against the unprecedented arrest of minors in Israel. In one recent case three girls aged 13. 14 and 16 are being held without bail for participating in anti-disengagement protests. Sign the petition and send the link wherevere you can if you think they should be released.

http://www.voiceofjudea.com/eng/petition.asp

The girls have already sat for one month and their trial may take many months. The prosecution has agreed to release them only to foster parents in kibbutzim to be indoctrinated and "reeducated", a move reminiscent to the kidnapping of Yemenite children in the early years of the state. Many of the Yemenite olim children were placed in Kibbutzim or given up for adoption, a national crime that has never healed in the hearts of most Israelis.

I'm not sure if the crowd here that's of Yemenite backgrounds is thought of as Sepharadic (what the Jews who're descendants of Spanish Jews who fled during the Inquisition to countries like Morroco are called), but that they should acually be willing to attempt something similar is to put a huge stain on Israel's own image as kidnappers.

Here's a page that includes the history of what happened when Yemenites were denied their freedom for religion during the 1950s, and the state made the embarrassingly stupid attempt at indoctrination.

I wouldn't be surprised if anyone in this country who's from a Yemenite/Sepharadic background would be the most offended by this kind of news, and if they are, that's definately understandable.

Labels: Israel