Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis #fundie hineni.org

There are so many tragedies befalling us nowadays that it's difficult to keep pace - terrorism in Israel, escalation throughout the world, and now, we have an added tsora - Mordechai Vanunu. For those of you who may not be familiar with the case, Vanunu is a traitor who sold secrets about Israel's nuclear capacity to British newspapers, and now, after eighteen years of imprisonment, he was released spewing forth hatred of his own people and country.

How does such a thing happen? How does a Jew, a citizen of the State of Israel, become a turncoat? How does he betray his own people?

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So what happened to Mordechai Vanunu's Jewish heart? What happened to his Yiddishe neshama? How can a Jew live in Eretz Yisrael, breathe in the air of the Holy Land, behold the return of his brethren from the four corners of the earth, witness the miracle of the beginning of our redemption, and still perpetrate such evil? And perhaps even more perplexing - how could Israel Intelligence, vaunted for its competence and know-how, have allowed Vanunu to be placed in such a sensitive position?

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Israel's intelligence messed up because sadly, those tell-tale signs had little meaning to them. Way before the exposure of his perfidious deed, Vanunu converted to Christianity, participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations, became a nude artist's model, and joined the Communist Party. Each of these acts should have set off alarm bells, for each is a betrayal of everything that we, the Jewish people cherish and hold dear. To Israelis of secular and leftist persuasion however, such activities are of no concern. They reflect a "liberal, egalitarian" attitude that has become politically correct, and alas, is espoused by far too many. And herein lies the crux of the problem, and herein are to be found the answers to our questions.

An entire generation of Israelis has been raised as citizens of the world rather than as Jews whose hearts throb with the voice of Torah and the faith of our ancestors. They do not recognize the Divine Covenant that bequeathed this land to us as an eternal inheritance. They do not feel the blood of the prophets coursing through their veins. They do not see themselves as links to Sinai. Vanunu and his ilk have no use for the Covenant. Vanunu scoffs at our Torah ideals. He asserts that Jews do not need a state - they can live anywhere in the world. But should they insist on living in Israel, let them do so under Palestinian rule.

I have encountered Vanunus everywhere - Jewish self-haters who grew up without knowing who they are - Jews who were never awakened by the voice from Sinai; Jews who have expertise in every field, but remain Torah illiterates; Jews who drift aimlessly, dabble in every cause, embrace the idols of other nations and remain blind and deaf to the majestic call of their own people. While such Jews (wherever they may be) diminish our people, in Israel, they jeopardize the very existence of the State.

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