Baruch Goldstein: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 16:05, 23 July 2007 view sourceNishidani (talk \| contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users99,544 editsm Undid revision 146549107 by Jayjg (talk) Israeli newspapers are not dubious sources. Explain yourself.← Previous edit		Revision as of 18:17, 23 July 2007 view source Nishidani (talk \| contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users99,544 editsNo edit summaryNext edit →
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	==Treatment of non-Jews==		==Treatment of non-Jews==
	Contradictory evidence exists as to whether he refused to treat non-Jews in his service as a civilian physician. Israeli press-reports state that he refused to treat non-Jews, even those serving in the ], while serving in the Army<ref>Amir Oren ] March 4,1994 provides an extensive review of the controversy in the army occasioned by his refusal</ref>, except as colleagues at the Kiryat Arba clinic have testified, in cases of traffic accidents, until another physician arrived<ref>Nahum Barnea ] February 27,1994</ref>. When Goldstein was threatened with a ], during the period of his military service, he declared: "I am not willing to treat any non-Jew. I recognize as legitimate only two ] authorities: ] and ]."<ref name="kizel">Arych Kizel in ] ] ]</ref>		Contradictory evidence exists as to whether he refused to treat non-Jews in his service as a civilian physician. Israeli press-reports state that he refused to treat non-Jews, even those serving in the ], while serving in the Army<ref name="oren>Amir Oren in ] ] ]</ref> provides an extensive review of the controversy in the army occasioned by his refusal</ref>, except as colleagues at the Kiryat Arba clinic have testified, in cases of traffic accidents, until another physician arrived<ref name="barnea">Nahum Barnea ] ] ]</ref>. When Goldstein was threatened with a ], during the period of his military service, he declared: "I am not willing to treat any non-Jew. I recognize as legitimate only two ] authorities: ] and ]."<ref name="kizel">Arych Kizel in ] ] ]</ref>

	The Shamgar Commission, which later investigated Goldstein's role in the Cave of the Patriachs massacre, noted that Goldstein had treated an Arab militant in October 1990.<ref>However, Nahum Barnea cites a senior military source who testified that Goldstein did refuse to treat an Arab wounded by an Israeli soldier in Hebron. See Nahum Barnea, ] February 27,1994 (2)Tiran Pollak, a member of the Kahane group with which Goldstein was closely connected is quoted as saying, on the day of his funeral in Jerusalem , ‘The honorable Dr. Goldstein has always refused to provide medical help to Arabs. Even during the war for Galilee he refused to treat any Arab, including those serving in the army. General Gad Navon, the chief rabbi of the Israeli army, at that time contacted Meir Kahane to ask him to persuade Baruch Goldstein of blessed memory to treat the Arabs. Kahane, however, refused to do so, because this would be against the Jewish religion." ~~Tiran Pollak, a member of the Kahane group with which Goldstein was closely connected is quoted as saying, on the day of his funeral in Jerusalem.’~~ Ilana Baum ] on February, 28 1994 </ref> Also, Moshe Givati, the former Brigade Commander in Hebron,"<ref name="givati">Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.1615-16 </ref> Colonel Dr. ], Medical Officer of the Central Command,"<ref name="eldad">Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.78 </ref> Major Nachman Ash, Medical Officer of the Judea and Samaria Division,"<ref name="ash">Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.420 </ref> and Moti Unger, the Night Security Officer of the Kiryat Arba Local Council"<ref name="unger">Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.730 </ref> all testified that Goldstein had treated Jew and Arab alike. Evidence was also given by Superintendent Uri Weisskop, who was acting Commander of the Hebron Police Station, that he had not come across any case of Goldstein refusing to give medical aid to a wounded Arab."<ref name="weisskop">Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.336 </ref>		The Shamgar Commission, which later investigated Goldstein's role in the Cave of the Patriachs massacre, noted that Goldstein had treated an Arab militant in October 1990.<ref>However, Nahum Barnea cites a senior military source who testified that Goldstein did refuse to treat an Arab wounded by an Israeli soldier in Hebron. See Nahum Barnea, ] February 27,1994 (2)Tiran Pollak, a member of the Kahane group with which Goldstein was closely connected is quoted as saying, on the day of his funeral in Jerusalem , ‘The honorable Dr. Goldstein has always refused to provide medical help to Arabs. Even during the war for Galilee he refused to treat any Arab, including those serving in the army. General Gad Navon, the chief rabbi of the Israeli army, at that time contacted Meir Kahane to ask him to persuade Baruch Goldstein of blessed memory to treat the Arabs. Kahane, however, refused to do so, because this would be against the Jewish religion." Ilana Baum ] on February, 28 1994 </ref> Also, Moshe Givati, the former Brigade Commander in Hebron,"<ref name="givati">Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.1615-16 </ref> Colonel Dr. ], Medical Officer of the Central Command,"<ref name="eldad">Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.78 </ref> Major Nachman Ash, Medical Officer of the Judea and Samaria Division,"<ref name="ash">Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.420 </ref> and Moti Unger, the Night Security Officer of the Kiryat Arba Local Council"<ref name="unger">Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.730 </ref> all testified that Goldstein had treated Jew and Arab alike. Evidence was also given by Superintendent Uri Weisskop, who was acting Commander of the Hebron Police Station, that he had not come across any case of Goldstein refusing to give medical aid to a wounded Arab."<ref name="weisskop">Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.336 </ref>

	==Gravesite and commemoration==		==Gravesite and commemoration==

Revision as of 18:17, 23 July 2007

Baruch Kappel Goldstein (December 9 or December 12, 1956–February 25, 1994, Template:Lang-he) was an American-Israeli physician who perpetrated the 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs massacre in the city of Hebron, killing 29 Arab attendants of the Ibrahimi Mosque (within the Cave of the Patriarchs) and wounding another 150 in a shooting attack.

Biography

Goldstein was born in Brooklyn, New York to an Orthodox Jewish family. He attended the Yeshivah of Flatbush religious day school, Yeshiva University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He belonged to the Jewish Defense League (JDL), a militant Jewish organization founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane.

After emigrating to Israel, he served as a physician in the Israeli Defense Force, first as a conscript, then in the reserve forces. Following the end of his active duty, Goldstein worked as a physician and lived in the Kiryat Arba settlement near Hebron, where he served as an emergency doctor.

In the autumn of 1993, in recognition of his medical work, Goldstein received two citations from the Israeli Army". In January 1994, Major Dr Yitzchak Ashkenazi, the local medical Officer of the district of Judea and Samaria recommended Goldstein for promotion to the rank of Major in the Israeli Army".

Cave of the Patriarchs massacre

Main article: Cave of the Patriarchs massacre

On February 25, 1994, that year's Purim day, Goldstein entered a room in the Cave of the Patriarchs serving as a mosque, wearing "his army uniform with the insignia of rank, creating the image of a reserve officer on active duty" (Shamgar report). He then opened fire, killing 29 Arab Muslims and wounding 150. Mosque guard Mohammad Suleiman Abu Saleh said he thought that Goldstein was trying to kill as many people as possible and described how there were "bodies and blood everywhere." After being subdued with a fire extinguisher and disarmed, Goldstein was beaten to death.

The death certificate issued by the Israeli Ministry of the Interior lists the cause of his death as "murder." Although the Israeli authorities knew (via an Arab source who was present that morning) the names of those who killed Goldstein, they were never brought to trial although his wife requested charging them.

Arab rioting immediately followed the shooting, leading in the following week to the deaths of 25 Palestinians and five Israelis. Following the massacre, Israel imposed curfews on the 20,000 Palestinians in the Hebron market area. The Israeli government and Jewish communities worldwide condemned the massacre. However, Yuval Katz reports that according to some polls taken at the time, there was considerable local support for Goldstein's action, with some 50 per cent of Kiryat Arba residents approving, and roughly the same percentage of Israeli Jews more sympathetic to settlers than was the case before the massacre. Half of Israeli Jews, another poll reported, inhabitants approve of the massacre. More important is another poll that showed that about 50 per cent of Israeli Jews are more sympathetic toward the settlers after the massacre than they were before the massacre.

Treatment of non-Jews

Contradictory evidence exists as to whether he refused to treat non-Jews in his service as a civilian physician. Israeli press-reports state that he refused to treat non-Jews, even those serving in the IDF, while serving in the Army provides an extensive review of the controversy in the army occasioned by his refusal</ref>, except as colleagues at the Kiryat Arba clinic have testified, in cases of traffic accidents, until another physician arrived. When Goldstein was threatened with a court-martial, during the period of his military service, he declared: "I am not willing to treat any non-Jew. I recognize as legitimate only two religious authorities: Maimonides and Kahane."

The Shamgar Commission, which later investigated Goldstein's role in the Cave of the Patriachs massacre, noted that Goldstein had treated an Arab militant in October 1990. Also, Moshe Givati, the former Brigade Commander in Hebron," Colonel Dr. Arie Eldad, Medical Officer of the Central Command," Major Nachman Ash, Medical Officer of the Judea and Samaria Division," and Moti Unger, the Night Security Officer of the Kiryat Arba Local Council" all testified that Goldstein had treated Jew and Arab alike. Evidence was also given by Superintendent Uri Weisskop, who was acting Commander of the Hebron Police Station, that he had not come across any case of Goldstein refusing to give medical aid to a wounded Arab."

Gravesite and commemoration

Goldstein is buried at the Meir Kahane Memorial Park in Kiryat Arba, a Jewish settlement next to Hebron. The park is named in memory of Rabbi Meir Kahane, founder of the Israeli far-right political party Kach, a group classified by the United States and Israeli governments as a terrorist organization. Goldstein was a long-time devotee of the rabbi.

The gravesite has became a pilgrimage site for those with far right-wing political views; a plaque near the grave reads "To the holy Baruch Goldstein, who gave his life for the Jewish people, the Torah and the nation of Israel." In 2000, admirers gathered at his grave on Purim dressed as Goldstein, wearing lab coats, false beards, and carrying guns. Between the killings and 2000, an estimated 10,000 people have visited the grave. Members of the Labor Party called for the shrine-like landscaped prayer area near the grave to be removed, and Israeli security officials have expressed concern that the grave will encourage extremists.

References

BBC NEWS "Goldstein had been a member of the Jewish Defense League."
BBC NEWS "Goldstein had lived in Israel for 11 years and was a doctor in the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, just outside Hebron." "As the settlement's main emergency doctor he was involved in treating victims of Arab-Israeli violence."
Certificate of Esteem from the Medical Department of the district of Judea and Samaria, dated 22 September 1993; Certificate of Esteem and Thanks from the Commander of the Medical Command, dated Tishri 5754 (September 1993)
Recommendation for promotion on Independence Day, signed by Major Dr Yitzchak Ashkenazi, Local Medical Officer of the district of Judea and Samaria, dated 18 January 1994
Shamgar Commission: Report pp. 15, 47-48.
Official Death Certificate dated 9 March, 1994, issued by Ministry of Interior of the State of Israel.
Tel Aviv District Court Archives file I.S. 1160/94, Para. 4, 5 (February 11, 1998).
Middle East Journal, Chronology, vol 48, no 3 (Summer 1994) p. 511 ff.
http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mag/2006/05/21/stories/2006052100090100.htm Fabled town, divided and bruised], 'The Hindu, May 21, 2006.
Yuval Katz in Yerushalaim March 4 1994
Amir Oren in Davar March 4 1994
Nahum Barnea Yediot Aharonot February 27 1994
Arych Kizel in Yediot Aharonot 1 March 1994
However, Nahum Barnea cites a senior military source who testified that Goldstein did refuse to treat an Arab wounded by an Israeli soldier in Hebron. See Nahum Barnea, Yediot Ahronot February 27,1994 (2)Tiran Pollak, a member of the Kahane group with which Goldstein was closely connected is quoted as saying, on the day of his funeral in Jerusalem , ‘The honorable Dr. Goldstein has always refused to provide medical help to Arabs. Even during the war for Galilee he refused to treat any Arab, including those serving in the army. General Gad Navon, the chief rabbi of the Israeli army, at that time contacted Meir Kahane to ask him to persuade Baruch Goldstein of blessed memory to treat the Arabs. Kahane, however, refused to do so, because this would be against the Jewish religion." Ilana Baum Yediot Ahronot on February, 28 1994
Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.1615-16
Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.78
Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.420
Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.730
Shamgar Commission Minutes pp.336
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,980282,00.html The Making of a Murderous Fanatic], 'Time, March 7, 1994.
"Graveside party celebrates Hebron massacre." BBC News, 21 March, 2000
"Graveside party celebrates Hebron massacre." BBC News, 21 March, 2000
"Goldstein's grave draws extremists." JTA, November 22, 1996.

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