Maranan verabonon, the gedolei Yisroel appeal
to us in a heartfelt, emotion-filled letter which they have
written in the wake of the continuation of the
archaeological digs in Haifa, conducted by the
archaeologists of the Antiquities Authority with the backing
of the Haifa municipality. (See separate article about the
protest rallies.)
Under the title: "Who Does not Fear the Awesomeness of
Divine Judgment," maranan verabonon write: "Our
hearts weep with sadness over the excavations conducted by
the archaeologists in the cemetery in Haifa, the burial site
of sages from the period of the Amoro'im' and the Baalei
Hatosfos -- Heavenly angels, rishonim kemal'ochim,
who are buried near the grave of Rav Avdimi Demin Haifa.
"All hearts tremble over the treachery which, due to our
many sins, is being perpetrated in Eretz Yisroel by the
defiled hands of Jews who have cast off the yoke of Torah
and mitzvos and are endangering the peace of the living
yishuv chas vesholom, as explained by Chazal,
Hashem yeracheim.
"Who Does not Fear the Awesomeness of Divine
Judgment?
"We emphatically protest [the deeds] of these sinners -- the
archaeologists and their ilk, the heads of the Haifa
municipality who in their audacity exhume and desecrate the
graves of our ancients, zy"a, which have been resting
for hundreds of years in burial caves, quietly and securely.
We firmly demand that the archaeologists vacate the site
which has been consecrated for generations as an ancient
cemetery.
"With a deep and heartfelt plea, we ask everyone to unite as
one person with one heart in order to bring about the
cancellation of this evil decree, and to recite many prayers
and entreaties so that Divine wrath will cease in this
difficult period.
"The merit of the kedoshim who are buried in the
earth will protect Hashem's nation, so that we will soon see
the fulfillment of the prophecy: `Wake up and rejoice those
who dwell in the earth.
"Those who write and sign with pain and fear because of the
honor of our ancestors:
The letter is signed by the following gedolei
Yisroel: HaRav Yosef Sholom Eliashiv; HaRav Aharon
Yehuda Leib Steinman; HaRav Moshe Shmuel Shapira; HaRav
Shmuel Halevi Wosner; HaRav Michel Yehuda Lefkowitz; HaRav
Chaim Pinchos Scheinberg; the Admor of Rachmastrivka --
HaRav Yisroel Mordechai Twersky; HaRav Nissim Karelitz;
HaRav Avrohom Yaakov Zaleznik; HaRav Chaim Kanievsky; HaRav
Shmuel Auerbach; HaRav Boruch Rosenberg; HaRav Yehuda Adas;
HaRav Sholom Cohen; HaRav Shimon Ba'adani; HaRav Moshe
Tzadka.
