די זשואיש פרעסס איז היינט ארויס געקומען און געשריבן אז נידערמאן און דר פרישמאן קריגן אויף די פסק הרבנים פון די וועד און לאנדאן
נידערמאן איז נישט קיין רב, פרישמאן אויך נישט (ער קומט פון קאלעזש מיט א דיגרי) און זיי זאגן פארן זשואיש פרעסס אז זיי קריגן
אויפן פסק הרבנים
My Machberes
By: Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Date:
Wednesday, June 24 2009
Jewish Funeral In Toledo, Spain
On
Sunday, June 21, 105 Jewish skeletal remains, originally buried in
Toledo, Spain, more than 600 years ago and recently excavated, were
re-interred by observant Jews in or near their original burial places
within the original grounds of that ancient Jewish cemetery. This
brought to a successful end the protracted multi-level negotiations
that were launched upon archeological confirmation that the bones
unearthed in excavations for the expansion of an overpopulated school
were part of a here-to-unregistered ancient Jewish cemetery. Tombstones
were destroyed long ago, denying us identification of the individual
remains.
The
battle for the Jewish bones of Toledo began in October 2008, when a
number of different organizations mounted campaigns to condemn the
desecration, sought a complete restoration of the unearthed remains,
and an ironclad agreement of preservation. The final agreement was
achieved by the Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in
Europe, the London based international organization led by Rabbi
Elyakim Schlesinger, greatly respected London Rosh Yeshiva. The other
organization involved in an independent campaign was Asrah Kadisha, led
by veteran cemetery protector Rabbi Dovid Schmidal.
Though
an agreement and understanding had been accomplished by Rabbi
Schlesinger's group, a protest gathering reportedly attended by
thousands filled the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Brooklyn on Tuesday
night, May 26, to decry the desecration of ancient Jewish cemeteries in
Spain. The mass gathering was called after the Spanish government,
having come to an accord with Rabbi Schlesinger's group, turned down
further demands by Asrah Kadisha.
Opposition To The Toledo Agreement
After
this column reported on the agreement in Toledo (The Jewish Press,
Machberes, June 12, 2009), this writer was contacted by Rabbi Moshe
Dovid Niederman, universally respected president of the United Jewish
Organizations of Williamsburg (UJO), as well as by Dr. Bernard
Fryshman, renowned activist for the observant community. They both felt
that the agreement was a compromise and, therefore, unacceptable. We
received the following letter from Dr. Fryshman:
"In
2007, the Spanish Government received protests from around the world
over the removal of graves from Jewish cemeteries in Tarrega, Lucena,
and Barcelona. With unmarked Jewish cemeteries throughout Spain, groups
such as Asrah Kadisha and the Conference of Academicians for the
Protection of Jewish Cemeteries asked that building sites be examined
for the existence of graves before permits were issued.
Re-interment in Toledo Spain, June 21, 2009
"The
Federation of Jewish Communities in Spain (FCJE), on the other hand,
issued a Protocol in July 2007 which was intended in part, '... to
serve as a guide for the exhumation of remains which must be done with
the maximum discretion and neatness.' This
enabled the Spanish Government to ignore the storm of protests,
claiming that 'there was no desecration because the bodies were buried
elsewhere!'
"We
argued that the recently established FCJE could not arrogate unto
itself the control or ownership of Spain's Jewish cemeteries, all of
which are over 600 years old. And we pointed out that the FJCE does not
have the authority to sign any agreement relating to these sacred
sites.
"It
was to be expected that the Spanish Government elected to discuss
cemetery matters exclusively with FCJE. Nor were we totally surprised
at the lack of support by our own State Department. Diplomats do seek
to avoid friction with host countries, and the Embassy in Spain and the
desk officer in Washington took the path of the fainthearted.
"What
was unsettling was the readiness of two European Jewish groups to
cooperate closely with the FCJE when, in 2008, it was discovered that
the Jewish cemetery in Toledo was being excavated. This cooperation
gave legitimacy to the FCJE's involvement, and inadvertently, to its
infamous Protocol. This in turn provided the cover for the Spaniards to
complete their nefarious deed.
"What
happened in Spain has implications for all of us. Protecting the
integrity of Jewish cemeteries depends on the natural aversion of
civilized people to disturbing the dead. It requires the persistent
argument that desecrating the dead violates their Human Rights, and
violates the Jewish people's Freedom of Religion and Right to Maintain
Property.
"These
are our sacred sites, we state firmly, and explain that we are not in a
position to negotiate away any part of a cemetery. Finally, moral
support and advocacy by the U.S. State Department has a major impact on
most nations.
"The
fact that some Jewish groups engaged in the protection of Jewish
cemeteries appear to be "reasonable" and willing to negotiate, has
likely resulted in increasingly aggressive efforts by European
governments to excavate cemeteries.
"The
FCJE Protocol will come to the attention of other small Jewish
communities in Europe who are pressured to relinquish a cemetery, and
anxious to please the local government. If it appears that responsible
European Jewish groups are comfortable with FCJE and if it appears that
the Spanish Government (after having brutally emptied so many Jewish
cemeteries) remains in the good graces of these groups, every Jewish
cemetery in the world will be placed in jeopardy.
"Thank
you for bringing the threat to Jewish cemeteries to the attention of
your readers, and for this opportunity to expand on the situation in
Toledo, Spain."
