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Dr. Baruch Goldstein - Remembering the Man
This Purim is the 11th Yahrzeit of Dr. Baruch Goldstein, h"yd, a soft-spoken,
pious, humble and proud Jew who lived for his people and died for them. A top
student, he attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush, was president of his class at Yeshiva
University and, when he graduated from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
his distinguished performance there earned him acceptance into AOA, the national
medical honor society.
He excelled in all that he did, but what made him special was his devotion to
Hashem and the Jewish People. After making Aliyah in 1982, he could have chosen
to serve in the IDF for 18 months, but elected instead to stay in for a full three
years. An officer, he served with distinction in Lebanon during in that war, and
his army discharge certificate describes the nature of his service as "devoted,
efficient, diligent, enterprising, thorough, disciplined, and expert in his profession."
In fact, Baruch was to have been promoted to the rank of Major a few months after
his action in the Cave of the Patriarchs on Purim 1994.
Baruch Goldstein's walkie-talkie was with him 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
At night, he slept in sweatpants so that he would waste no time responding to
emergency calls. These emergency calls kept him running day and night. Once upon
arriving at the scene of a terrorist road attack where three soldiers had been shot,
two doctors there who had come from nearby immediately deferred to him, well
aware of the superior level of his ability to render emergency care. His high
degree of competence was well-known and uniformly praised by the staffs of the
hospital emergency rooms in Jerusalem. Those two doctors informed him that one
soldier was dead, and suggested that he work on the other two who had been
less severely wounded. But Baruch would not accept that. Pleading with
Hashem, and praying fervently, he wrenched the "dead" soldier's mouth open
with all his might, called his ambulance driver to hand him the equipment
he needed and, thank God, was able to save the man's life. That "dead"
soldier is alive and well today - as are the other two. This is just one
example of similar life-saving acts on his part.
Baruch also served as the doctor for nine settlements in southern Hebron, driving
there regularly despite the dangers on the roads. When he arrived at the settlement,
people would gather around just to enjoy the warming glow of his understanding,
extremely sensitive and self-effacing self. He also visited the Jewish political
prisoners on a regular basis, encouraging them and often providing them with monetary
assistance.
Purim, 1994 was in the middle of the Ramadan. For days, on loudspeakers in Hebron,
and in the Cave of the Matriarchs, the slogan "Itbach el-yahood!", ("Slaugher the Jews!")
was blaring forth, without any interference of the IDF. By means of wall inscriptions,
Arabs were urging the Hebron masses to store up lots of food for the long curfew
that would inevitably follow a mid-Ramadan slaughter of Jews. In the Cave of the
Patriarchs the night of the Megillah reading, the shouting of "Itbach el-yahood!"
was so loud, that the reading could barely be heard. Baruch Goldstein, a student
of Rabbi Kahane and sensitive to Hillul Hashem, walked out in the middle.
"I can't take this anymore", he said. Early the next morning, "innocent Arab
worshippers," many wearing outlawed green kaffiahs were "davening" in the Cave.
Baruch Goldstein, donning his officer's uniform, also showed up with his Galilon
rifle. He killed at least 30 Arabs and wounded hundreds.
The action of this selfless, heroic Jew, still resounds throughout the land. A
few years ago, the Government of Israel, upon seeing that his gravesite in Kiryat
Arba was turning into a holy site, visited frequently by Jews young and old who
saw Baruch Goldstein as a symbol - actually destroyed his gravesite. But Am Yisrael
will remember this hero, who stepped up when the Government of Israel was unwilling
to; who sacrificed his life and his reputation to erase Hillul Hashem; who showed
us that while a Jew is supposed to be humble, he is also expected to be zealous
for God's honor when the situation calls for it. May his memory be blessed.
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