Over 600 people boarded a luxury multi-level vessel called "The Cornucopia Majesty" at Pier 59 at Chelsea Piers on Tuesday evening, November 16th, and set sail around the island of Manhattan in a unique celebration of Jewish life in Hevron.
The "flotilla supporting peace and life" was the venue of choice for the 22nd annual gala Hevron Fund Dinner in New York.
The organizers selected this setting as a tongue-in-cheek response to the international condemnation of Israel following the Mavi Marmara episode on May 31. As will be recalled, the IDF requested that the would-be blockade-buster leave the area voluntarily, but when the crew refused, Israeli commandos boarded the Turkish-flagged ship - which was headed to Gaza with the intent of breaking Israel's naval blockade against the smuggling of lethal weaponry to Hamas terrorists - and a battle ensued. The purported "peace activists" on board the "Gaza Aid Flotilla" brandished heavy pipes, knives, and guns and attacked the Israeli. Nine passengers were killed when the soldiers defended themselves with pistols - and the world blamed Israel.
Distinguished criminal defense attorney Benjamin Brafman served as the master of ceremonies for the dinner event. Also on hand were a contingent of counter-protestors who represented themselves as members of Jewish Voice for Peace and other assorted anti-Israel organizations.
"This is our idea of a real flotilla," said Mr. Brafman to thunderous applause, "where peaceful, fair-minded, productive citizens come together to stand in support and solidarity with the people of Hevron." Spotlighting the centrality and prominence of Hevron to the Jewish nation as the very first capital of Israel, established by King David, Mr. Brafman and others spoke of Hevron as "the eternal resting place of our beloved antecedents" and a place that "is our permanent home; a place that symbolizes the unbreakable bond between the Nation and Land of Israel" and a place of "beauty and majesty where the past, present and future come together."
Yossi Baumol, the executive director of the Hevron Fund, said, "The Hevron Aid Flotilla was an exercise in freeing our minds from the hypocrisy and falsehoods of our times. But wielding the 'Big Lie' is no modern invention. This evening's dinner falls out on a most significant day. Tonight the Moslem world celebrates the holiday Eid Al-Aida, the Feast of the Sacrifice in remembrance of the Moslem tradition that Ishmael replaced Isaac at the site of the Akeida, the Binding of Isaac. In their minds, Ishmael is the sanctified bearer of the holy legacy."
The highlight of the evening was the address delivered by the guest of honor and keynote speaker, Ms. Caroline Glick, managing editor of The Jerusalem Post, Senior Fellow for Middle East Affairs of the Washington, D.C.-based Center For Security Policy, and chief diplomatic correspondent for the Makor Rishon. She was named by the Israeli newspaper Maariv as “the most prominent woman in Israel,” and she also created the Latma site which produced the video clip entitled “We Con the World” which spoofed the hypocrisy inherent in the public reaction to the Gaza flotilla incident. As a retired IDF Captain, Ms. Glick received the "Gevurat Ha'Imahot" (Bravery of the Matriarchs) award at the dinner.
"Tonight we celebrate not only the Jewish community of Hevron but the extraordinary tenaciousness of the Jewish people," declared Ms. Glick. She spoke of the pre-1967 period when the closest Jews could come to praying at the Machpela Cave was on the famous seventh step outside the building: "This Jew stood as close as he could to the front of that seventh step and would not budge. 'This Jew' describes the core essence of the Jewish nation. 'This Jew' wouldn't move, he wouldn't be humiliated, he remained fully dedicated to the Torah and Land of Israel; standing tall and upright just as a cedar tree. 'This Jew' represents his nation; a people who exuded Jewish pride and said Kaddish despite everything... When I get tired, I think of that Jew on the seventh step."
She lauded the courageous Jewish residents of Hebron, saying they are "the North Star of our people, a community that is fiercely dedicated to Torah, to G-d and to their people, and is representative of the kind of perseverance that has come to define our nation."
Making oblique references to the lack of leadership in the current Israeli government, Ms. Glick said, "The Talmud tells us that the year before the Messiah is expected to arrive, we will be led by dogs. Dogs are not leaders, but rather they stand in front of you waiting for you to guide them where to go. The more boldly we lead, the more bold our leaders will be."
She called upon those present and the entire Jewish people to "bring the redemption closer by supporting the people of Hevron who live in the very same place that remains the resting place of our patriarchs and matriarchs" and by proclaiming to the world that "the land of Israel is not a refuge, it is not a ghetto, but it is our home; a country where Jews can live freely."
Commenting on Ms. Glick's address, Helen Freedman, executive director of Americans For a Safe Israel, said, "Our AFSI chizuk [strengthening] mission just returned from Hevron where we spent the Hevron Sabbath [on which is read the portion recounting Abraham's purchase of Machpelah] with thousands of Jews there. It is clear that if the Jewish people do not have a right to Hevron, we certainly have no right to a Tel Aviv that was built in 1905. The Jewish ownership of Hevron is stated in the Torah and it is through our connection to our ancestors that we will survive as a nation."
Special prayers for the sick and infirmed in Hevron were said along with prayers for those missing in action including Cpl. Gilad Shalit (Gilad ben Aviva) who was abducted by Hamas terrorists in June of 2006, and Jonathan Pollard (Yehonatan ben Malka), the former civilian intelligence analyst who was convicted of spying for Israel and is still imprisoned after 25 years despite intensive efforts to free him.
