I Am Purim – Baruch Goldstein and the Good Jews

The "Hilltop Youth News" group announced: "On the 31st anniversary of the rescue of the Jews of Hebron in the act of prevention, rescue, and revenge," we are calling for "good Jews" to visit Baruch Goldstein's grave in Kiryat Arba [an urban settlement on the outskirts of Hebron, un the southern West Bank] on Purim

The Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from annihilation at the hands of an official of the Achaemenid Empire named Haman, as it is recounted in the Book of Esther].

Someone took care to point out that "for the first time in 31 years, Purim coincides with a Friday during the month of Ramadan [the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting and prayer]. The last time this occurred, Baruch Goldstein took a rifle and murdered 29 worshippers."

The "Hilltop Youth News" group's announcement further stated: "The evening will begin with evening prayers and the reading of the Megillah ["scroll"]. Afterwards, the [intoxicated] participants will arrive at a Purim party at Noam Federman's farm."

Below, I will describe the event, and the investigative commission appointed in its wake. I will then address the question: Was the massacre carried out by Dr. Baruch Goldstein in the Cave of the Patriarchs predictable? I will also examine the consequences of the event from the perspective of the Kach and Kahana Hai movements and their activists. Finally, I will present two figures closely associated with Goldstein: Noam Federman and Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The Incident on the Morning of Friday, February 25, 1994

Dr. Baruch Goldstein entered the Cave of the Patriarchs and massacred 29 people during prayer, injuring another 125. Muslim worshippers subdued and killed him.

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin appointed The Commission of Inquiry into the Massacre of the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron (The Shamgar Commission – after its head Meir Shamgar, former President of the Supreme Court). The commission's mandate was to "investigate and determine findings and conclusions regarding the facts and circumstances related to the aforementioned massacre. The commission may also submit recommendations to the government following its findings and conclusions, as it deems appropriate."

The Ability to Foresee the Massacre Dr. Goldstein

Goldstein was recognized by many as a "righteous man" and a "hero." The massacre he committed in the Cave of the Patriarchs was often perceived as an act that contradicted his reputation as "someone who showed kindness, compassion, and mercy to every person."

In the "Authors' Statement" at the beginning of the book Baruch Ha-Gever: In Memorial of Dr. Baruch Goldstein, published on Purim 5755 (one year after the massacre), the editors (Michael Ben-Chorin, with assistance from Netanel Ozeri, Yoel Lerner, and Yosi Dayan) were later tried and convicted of incitement to racism. The statement reads: "The more we delve into collecting material about the saint, the more a miraculous figure, out of this world, appeared before our astonished eyes. Great in stature, unique in his generation, all his actions for the sake of heaven." The authors concluded with the phrase: "May God avenge his blood!"

Rabbi Dov Lior – then the rabbi of the Jewish community in Hebron and Kiryat Arba and now affiliated with the Otzma Yehudit party – stated that Dr. Goldstein "was a doctor and treated many cases, and it is possible that he lost his mind from what he saw."

Conversely, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner – a national religious rabbi and disciple of Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Hacohen Kook – condemned the act but wrote that Dr. Goldstein "did not act out of personal feelings of revenge... He knew that what he was doing was dangerous, so he must be remembered as a righteous man, remembered as a holy man."

The Commission of Inquiry concluded that, prior to the massacre, intelligence agencies viewed Dr. Goldstein as someone who, despite his intense hatred of Arabs, "was not part of the hard and violent core of Kach activists expected to carry out attacks."

This raises questions: Could intelligence agencies have foreseen the "danger expected from him"? Was Dr. Goldstein – described by his followers as a man of great character and a miraculous figure – acting out of madness or temporary insanity (as implied by Rabbi Lior)? Or did he act consciously and calculatedly, "for the sake of heaven" and without personal feelings of revenge (as implied by Rabbi Aviner)?

It is worth recalling that when Dr. Goldstein was asked how his extremist views aligned with his medical practice, he replied with a biblical verse: "A time to kill and a time to heal" [Ecclesiastes 3:3]. Dr. Goldstein was an activist in Rabbi Meir Kahane's Jewish Defense League. After immigrating to Israel in 1982, he continued in this path and joined the movement Kahane founded, in 1971.

Dr. Goldstein ran for political office under the Kach movement, appearing third on the Kach list for the 1984 Knesset elections and running again in 1988. He was elected to the Kiryat Arba Council and served until mid-1993 when he resigned in favor of Baruch Marzel.

The Commission of Inquiry concluded that, in retrospect, Dr. Goldstein held "an extreme and fanatical view of the Kach movement, including advocacy for revenge and violent responses." According to the commission, he saw himself as "a messenger of the people of Israel, commanded to act according to the will of the Creator." His goal, they suggested, was to halt the peace process, which he viewed as a great danger. "He apparently sought an opportunity to carry out an extreme act that would draw global attention and stop the process."

Former judge Meir Shamgar later stated: "We have come to the conclusion that the assailant acted alone, without the assistance of anyone."

I am holding a folded sheet from the "Kiryat Arba Hebron Community Center" entitled "First Responses to the Heinous Murder of Rabbi Meir Kahane" (November 1990).

It turns out that even then – more than three years before the massacre carried out by Dr. Baruch Goldstein in the Cave of the Patriarchs – his extremist positions and support for acts of revenge against Arabs were explicitly stated.

The sheet contains statements by Rabbi Eliezer Waldman [an Orthodox Rabbi and politician, who served as a MK for Tehiya between 1984 and 1990, and was the co-founder and President of Yeshivat Nir Kiryat Arba]; Zvi Katzover [head of the Kiryat Arba Council]; Rabbi Moshe Levinger [a Religious Zionist activist and an Orthodox Rabbi, who – since 1967 – had been a leading figure in the movement to settle Jews in the West Bank, specially known for leading the settlement in Hebron] ; MK Eliakim Haetzni [a lawyer, settlement activist and politician who served as a KM for Tehiya from 1990 until 1992], and Meir Ben Gur, a member of the Local council.

At the left-hand side of the sheet are the words of Dr. Baruch Goldstein, a member of the Local Council, which I quote in full: "The people of Israel did not deserve to know the greatness of Rabbi Meir Kahane, who from his youth dedicated his life until his last day to bringing his generation out of the darkness of foreign cultures and instilling in them a Jewish identity and pride based on confidence in God and faith in the Torah of Israel. He was worthy to lead Israel; but apparently, our generation was not worthy of him. Many acts of revenge will come and be blessed, as befits any loss of Jewish life, and especially for this great and righteous loss. However, the imperative need (and not just as a slogan) after his passing is to increase the dissemination of his opinions and actions in both law and practice, and to continue to free ourselves from the improper pride and heartlessness that prevented many good people from receiving his messages during his lifetime. A day will come when Rabbi Kahane, will be recognized by all strata of the public as one of the greatest spiritual figures in the history of the Jewish people, and the words of the Sages will be fulfilled in him: 'Greater and more righteous in their death than in their life.' May his death atone for the sins of the generation, and may we soon attain the redemption he so longed for, while he is with us."

Authorities' Response to the Kahanist Movement

Declaration of Terrorist Organizations: In March 1994, the Kach and Kahane Chai movements, along with their combinations or derivatives, were declared "terrorist organizations." The following is the text of the announcement, which remains in effect despite attempts to repeal it (notably by Itamar Ben-Gvir and others): "Declaration of the Kach and Kahane Chai movements, their combinations and derivatives as terrorist organizations: The Ministerial Committee for National Security, by virtue of its authority under Section 8 of the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance No 33 of 5708-1948, declares the following groups as terrorist organizations: (a) The Kach movement, whose main activists are currently Baruch Marzel, Noam Federman, and Tiran Pollak. (b) The Kahane Chai movement, whose main activists today are Benjamin Kahane, David Axelrod [Ha'ivry], and Yekutiel Ben-Yaakov. This declaration applies to the aforementioned terrorist organizations, as well as to any group that acts to achieve similar goals using similar means, even if operating under different names or aliases, whether permanently or temporarily. The declaration also extends to any factions or mergers of the above organizations.

Press release from the Kahane Chai movement immediately after the massacre (a copy is in my possession, courtesy of Yekutiel Ben-Yaakov)

Translation

"Purim event in Hebron:

The members of Kahana Hai mourn the death of Saint Baruch Goldstein this morning at the Kiddush Hashem in Hebron.

Blessed is the fate of Baruch Goldstein, who sanctified Hashem in his life, and even more so in his death, when he was killed in his time for carrying out exactly the deed of the Jews in Shushan, about whom it is said, 'The Jews struck down all their enemies with the sword, killing and destroying them, and they did what they pleased to those who hated them' [Esther 9:5]. May they be restored, denigrating the deeds of the true heroes of Israel. Shame on those who denigrate the heritage of the holiday of Purim. May we have a culture with them."

[Yekutiel Ben-Yaakov, originally Mike Guzofsky, was Rabbi Meir Kahane's "operations officer," responsible for the movement's nighttime activities. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an American organization founded by B'nai B'rith, issued a report in late 1995 following the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The report, titled Extremism in the Name of Religion: The Violent Documentation of the Kahane Movement and Its Offspring, frequently refers to Mike Guzofsky, describing him as "the head of the Kahane movement living in the United States."

Here is some of the testimony referring to him: February 1994, New York: Mike Guzofsky said, "Dr. Goldstein was the sweetest Jew who ever lived. He was a Jew imbued with love for the Jewish state and the Jewish people. He was a healthy Jew, who understood that the Arabs living in Hebron, and the Arabs living in Israel, were waging a holy war against the Jewish people and wanted to throw the Jews into the sea. He understood that the Arabs were our enemy." May 27, 1994, New York: During the annual Salute to Israel Parade, Mike Guzofsky and other members of his group held signs calling Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin a traitor and Dr. Baruch Goldstein a hero. In a bulletin he edited, Mike Guzofsky wrote: "On Purim 1994, 'Baruch the Jew' stood up and carried out a preventive action against Muslim worshippers in the Cave of the Patriarchs who threatened and planned to carry out a massacre against the Jews on that same Purim... As a result of the isolated action by the lone Jew acting on his own initiative, the Kach and Kahane Chai organizations are considered terrorist organizations due to their refusal to condemn the action and because they dared to praise 'Blessed is the Jew'"].

Arrests

Following the massacre, many activists of the movement were arrested. In a special issue of "Administrative Detainees – Without Trial" by the Kahane Chai movement (September 1994), it was written: "In prison are the administrative detainees Baruch Marzel, Shmuel Ben-Yaakov [secretary of the Kahane Chai movement in Jerusalem], Noam Federman, Baruch Ben-Yosef, and Benzi Gopstein. It all began, so it seems, on that Purim morning when Baruch Goldstein entered the Cave of the Patriarchs and took revenge on the Arabs... The earth trembled beneath it. The government implemented 'rules outside the rules:' administrative arrests, use of the the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance, and the declaration of the Kahane Chai movement as a terrorist organization. Are the government's measures capable of preventing, or even removing, the possibility of such acts? The answer is clear: these measures only serve to push people further in this direction, simply out of a feeling of helplessness."

The "Organization for Jewish Rights in Israel" issued the following statement on behalf of the movements (September 1994): "Five opponents of the regime have been imprisoned for nearly six months. These individuals have been detained without trial and without knowledge of the charges against them. Two opposition parties, such as Kahana Hai, have been outlawed, and all their members have been designated as terrorists. Severe restrictions have been imposed on the central activists of these parties, including prohibitions on association membership. Additionally, significant limitations have been placed on their freedom of expression and movement within certain areas of the country. Weapons that had been provided for self-defense have been confiscated. Administrative arrests, political trials, office closures, the designation of political opponents as 'terrorists,' budget cuts, suppression of 'opposition' educational institutions, and dictatorship – this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Russia is here."

The Doctor's Song" was written by the administrative detainees while they were in prison (an original copy is in my possession, courtesy of Shmuel Ben-Yishai)

Translation

"The Doctor's Song

Brothers sang the song of rebellion, \ A song of vengeance from a loving brother. \ The pain burns like an unyielding fire, \ A challenge for retribution ignites the heart. \ There was a hero of the homeland, \ A merciful doctor, a humble servant, \ A burning beacon of unwavering truth, \ Where even the dream of vengeance faded. \ The people sat and wept in mourningת, \ For a devoted and exalted son, \ Hebron was sanctified by suffering, \ The blood of the righteous consecrated you forever. \ An iron hand hardened the brow, \ Accept the oath of retribution. \ Blessed are you, Dr. Goldstein, \ You sanctified a name in Machpelah.

(Independence 1994, Sharon Prison)"

[Shmuel Ben-Yishai was the chairman of the "Road Safety Commission" after Baruch Marzel and before Tiran Pollak. At the time, Shmuel Ben-Yishai led the Kahane Hai faction in the Kiryat Arba council, a municipal extension of Kach. He named his daughter "Neama" and his son "Yigael Ami." Later, he was placed ninth on Kach's list for the 12th Knesset, which began its term in November 1988. Shmuel Ben-Yishai was arrested after cursing IDF soldiers and wishing them "captivity," while they were evacuating the Federman Farm. In late October 2008, he was convicted of incitement following remarks in a television interview, where he praised Baruch Goldstein and Yigal Amir. He stated: "If you ask me whether there is a change in the attitude towards Baruch Goldstein's actions, I think there is only growing sympathy and understanding. More people see that this is the only solution that must be followed... Baruch Goldstein was a name and a symbol." According to him, "He brought a cure for the plague. He performed a heroic deed"].

Noam Federman

Joined the Kach movement at the age of 14, like Itamar Ben-Gvir. He was one of the organizers of its youth movement and studied in the first cycle of the Jewish Idea Yeshiva, founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane in Jerusalem. Noam Federman previously served as one of the leaders of the Kach movement before pursuing a more independent path. Interestingly, Rahamim Cohen – an attorney for Mekorot (Israel National Water Company) and a key activist in the Kahanist movement during Rabbi Kahane's time – commented in a personal conversation with me (March 2021) that "Federman was a loyal member of our movement; he was not only a man of ideas but also a man of action. He already had terrorist tendencies back then. The rabbi restrained him as best he could. There were no people of ours around him, at least not in this field of activity. At one point, he was a member of the secretariat. Everything he did beyond that he did on his own initiative."

Noam Federman served several prison sentences over the years. His administrative detention was considered the longest among Jewish detainees at the time except for Meir Ettinger, who was suspected of leading the "Rebellion Infrastructure."

Noam Federman was a close friend of Baruch Goldstein. According to him, Goldstein's actions constituted "a great act of sanctification of God." Over the years, Noam Federman regularly participated in Baruch Goldstein's commemorations. On the 27th anniversary of Goldstein's death [which the movement refers to as " murder"], Federman asserted that Goldstein was a "righteous man who saved the Jews of Hebron from a massacre."

In March 2008, Noam Federman petitioned the High Court of Justice to allow a celebration and reading of the Megillah near Baruch Goldstein's grave. He argued, "The police allow leftists to visit the grave site in Kiryat Arba and even provide security for them. Therefore, there is no reason why they should not also allow a Purim celebration there."

Federman Farm: Noam Federman resides in an outpost known as "Federman Farm," near Kiryat Arba, in Givat Harsina (also called "Ramat Mamre") with his wife, Elisheva, and their ten children. Following the annual "celebration," a Mitzvah meal is held on the farm each year.

Itamar Ben-Gvir

In early September 2004, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Ayala Nimrodi, aged 17 and a half, were married. The large wedding at The International Convention Center, commonly known as Binyanei HaUma in Jerusalem, was attended by approximately 1,500 people, including right-wing and far-right figures from across the country. Among those present were young people from the Hilltop Youth, residents of Yitzhar and Kfar Tapuach, as well as members of the Jewish community in Hebron.

Rabbi Yehuda Kreuzer, of the Yeshiva of the Jewish Idea in Jerusalem, stated at the beginning of the chuppah that the Minister of Defense and the Supreme Court had attempted to overshadow the joy by not allowing Noam Federman, who was under house arrest, to attend. Federman conveyed his congratulations via telephone. During the dancing, one attendee briefly pointed a rifle at the ceiling but was immediately instructed to lower the weapon. The celebrations continued uninterrupted. One of the attendees sang the song "Zochreini Na (Remember Me)… and take revenge on one of my two eyes from the Philistines." At one point, the dancing was paused for a phone call from Noam Federman. Federman addressed the couple, stating: "The Gemara [an essential component of the Talmud, comprising a collection of rabbinical analyses and commentaries on the Mishnah, presented in 63 books] says that in times of a Mitzvah War, everyone must participate, even the groom from his room and the bride from her veil. When a sword threatens the Land of Israel and the Arab enemy seeks our destruction, do not be like others who marry and disappear. Be different – go to war."

At the conclusion of the event, guests received a small booklet as a souvenir, featuring a picture of Rabbi Meir Kahane on the back cover, with the inscription "Continuing on his way." The booklet also included "The Doctor's Song," signed by administrative detainees from Sharon Prison.

Ayala Ben-Gvir stated in October 2004: "We wanted to meet [Itamar and I] in a special place. What could be more special than the park named after Rabbi [Meir] Kahane in Kiryat Arba, next to the grave of Baruch Goldstein?"

In 1994, in a televised interview following the massacre at the Cave of the Patriarchs, Ben-Gvir remarked: "Finally, a Jew has risen, a great Jew, the righteous Dr. Goldstein, may God avenge his blood."

In mid-March 1995, about a year after the massacre, during the Purim holiday, Ben-Gvir dressed as Dr. Goldstein, declaring him "his hero."

Over the following years, Ben-Gvir continued to participate in "Purim festivities" held at Goldstein's grave.

In April 2000, during a defamation lawsuit he filed against journalist Amnon Dankner – who had called him a "little Nazi" on the Popolitika program in October 1995 – Ben-Gvir stated regarding Dr. Baruch Goldstein's actions: "I accept the reasoning of 'revenge.' It is a moral and halakhic principle. I believe Dr. Goldstein acted out of revenge... Dr. Goldstein did what he intended to do, and I do not condemn his act. He acted within the context of war."

In February 2002, Ben-Gvir explained that "last year he and his friends requested permission to hold a Purim party near Goldstein's grave, and they initially received approval. However, after the police learned of this, they revoked the permission, cordoned off the grave site, and prevented the celebration." According to Ben-Gvir, "For us, Dr. Goldstein is a saint and a hero who opposed the neglect of Jewish blood and the government's helplessness. The celebration is intended to recognize and honor his memory."

In March 2005, Ben-Gvir was present at Goldstein’s grave alongside Baruch Marzel and Noam Federman. In October 2005, he was involved in an incident at the grave site, where police intervened out of concern that he intended to hold a celebration there.

In March 2007, it was reported that "dozens of far-right activists attended the annual reading of the Book of Esther near Baruch Goldstein's grave. During the reading, the name Haman was replaced with Arik Sharon and Yitzhak Rabin, and the names Zeresh [the wife of Haman] with Tzipi Livni and Leah Rabin. The event escalated into a confrontation with the police. Among those present were far-right activists Itamar Ben-Gvir, Noam Federman, and Michael Ben-Chorin.

Avigdor Eskin, Itamar Ben-Gvir, Noam Federman, Baruch Marzel – at Dr. Goldstein's ceremony (Photography: Yesha Now, Purim, March 2007 – In ccordance to Section 27A of the Copyright Law)

Noam Federman and Michael Ben-Chorin make sure to visit the grave every year; for some reason – Itamar Ben-Gvir's place has been absent in recent years.

In a 2011 television interview, Ben-Gvir commented on a picture of Goldstein displayed in his living room: "This picture makes a statement – a very explicit statement." He described Goldstein as a "righteous man," a "hero," and "a doctor who saved Jews with his life."

Until the 2020 election period, a picture of Baruch Goldstein hung in Ben-Gvir's living room. He justified this on multiple occasions, stating that Goldstein had saved several of his friends. However, mounting public pressure led him to remove the picture. In January 2020, Ben-Gvir announced: "In light of the fact that the fate of the people of Israel and the Land of Israel hangs in the balance, and there is a danger of establishing a government that will expel Jews from their homes, I declare that, for the sake of unity and the right-wing victory in the elections, I am removing the picture from my living room." He added that the picture had been displayed "as a gesture from me and my partner, as a defiance against the left."

In September 2022, Ben-Gvir stated: "It is true that, 20 years ago, I said that all Arabs should be deported, and that in the past I had a picture of Goldstein in my home. Today, I am not in that place. I do not wish to apologize, nor do I owe anyone an apology. One of the reasons I did not remove the picture for so many years was because I believed, 'I do not owe anything to the left.'"

Participant Observation – The Memorial at the Grave of Dr. Baruch Goldstein – March 9, 2020

The memorial service was held – with only a handful of worshipper presence – in Meir Kahane Park, which was established in the rabbi's memory. A tomb was built there, turning the site into a pilgrimage destination for far-right figures. However, following the Law Prohibiting the Erection of Memorial Monuments in Memory of Terrorist Acts, 1998, which states that "no memorial monument shall be erected in memory of a terrorist act perpetrator," the IDF demolished most of the site in 1999, leaving only the tombstone on the grave.

A photo of Baruch Goldstein was distributed during the ceremony (a copy was given to me upon attending the ceremony)

Every year on Purim, the anniversary of the massacre, supporters gather at the grave to hold memorial ceremonies and read the Book of Esther. The atmosphere is celebratory. Participants praise the "saint" and read the scroll while vilifying all the "ten sons of Haman," which includes Supreme Court justices and other perceived "opponents."

The memorial at the grave of Dr. Baruch Goldstein (Photography: Idan Yaron, 9.3.2020)

At the end of the memorial ceremony, we attended a Mitzvah meal at the Federman farm. Guests drank freely and enjoyed challah, hummus, and salads.

Noam Federman and His Views on Itamar Ben-Gvir

In late February 2021, Noam Federman wrote on his Facebook page: "We cherish a favor and are not ungrateful: the celebration of the righteous Baruch Goldstein, 5771. We do not take down pictures, and we do not exclude ourselves from the righteous man who saved the Jews of Hebron from a kitchen."

In another post from mid-March 2021, Federman wrote: "I would be happy to put all the leftists and our Arab enemies on a wheelbarrow and." Eli Neiman, director of the Jewish Idea Yeshiva founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane and head of the Hemla Association – an organization that, among other things, runs a home for girls in distress and the Chasdei Meir charity for the hills – responded: "Delete quickly, they are looking for reasons to block you." Other users commented: "You've softened up, Noam. a wheelbarrow, so comfortably? At our expense?" "Ready to be the driver and pay from my pocket." "Put them in a wheelbarrow with hot, boiling tar."

In September 2022 – following Itamar Ben-Gvir's statement, "I don't think Dr. Goldstein is a hero, I don't think Arabs should be killed or deported" – Federman responded with a single word: "Shame."