The Rishon LeZion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Speaks on the Massacre in Syria What the Righteous Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a Said Almost 8 Years Ago

The Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef shlit"a, recently addressed the severe massacre in Syria, where according to various reports, between 49 to 150 people were murdered, and at least another 500 residents are suffering from respiratory problems and the smell of chlorine gas. The massacre began with the regime's chemical attack in the city of Douma in the suburbs of Damascus. Rabbi Yosef called on the State of Israel to intervene in Syria and stop the mass murder. "In Syria, a cruel genocide is occurring, even of women and children, with weapons of mass destruction," said Rabbi Yosef. "As Jews who have experienced genocide, as Jews whose Torah is a light to the nations, our moral obligation is to try to prevent the massacre, this is a duty no less than the moral obligation that existed to destroy the reactor in Syria."

Until now, seemingly, the great rabbis of Israel have refrained from addressing the terrible massacre in the country just beyond the border, and the words of the Rishon LeZion sounded surprising. However, to all the attendees of the great Torah conference at the Winter Stadium in Ramat Gan, the words were not new at all. These are the words of the righteous Rabbi Eliezer Berland shlit"a from that very conference held almost eight years ago.

"The Talmud teaches us that we must do kindness to Arabs, no matter which Arab it is, except for a terrorist. Every Arab needs assistance, help in any way possible, with money and encouragement in any way possible, even to open a river for him. All the more so when we see the terrible massacre happening here two hours from us, right under our noses, while the whole world is filled with water. And Kofi Annan, may his name be erased, took Ahmadinejad, that he would make peace there, that he would stop the terrible massacre. On Thursday, 170 children, the day before yesterday 107 children, are slaughtered every day under our noses, and Kofi Annan says, let's take Ahmadinejad, he will make peace, he will stop the weapons of destruction, he will make peace."

And now at this conference, we need to stand up against the whole world and demand immediate intervention in Syria to stop the terrible massacre, to stop the terrible slaughter of the Shabiha sect and the entire army, and to stand by these unfortunate ones, these poor souls.

"Where have we come to, to what kind of deaf world have we arrived? The nations of the world fill their mouths with water, and we, the people of Israel, the people of justice, the people of conscience, the people of integrity. The people of Israel are the conscience of the entire world, the whole world looks to the people of Israel, the whole world believes in the people of Israel, the whole world knows that the people of Israel will bring the redemption. Only the people of Israel will bring the Mashiach, and now at this conference, we need to stand up against the whole world and demand immediate intervention in Syria to stop the terrible massacre, to stop the terrible slaughter of the Shabiha sect and the entire army, and to stand by these unfortunate ones, these poor souls.."

"It doesn't matter if they are Ishmaelites and it doesn't matter if terrorists will arise from there afterward, the first thing is to save the unfortunate children, the girls, the infants. Infants and women, this is the first mission that the people of Israel must set before their eyes." These are the words of the righteous Rabbi Eliezer Berland as delivered at the Winter Stadium before thousands of listeners."

It should be remembered that at the time Rabbi Berland shlit"a said his words, they were not yet taken seriously, the war in Syria was just beginning, and the world had not yet become aware of the extent of the killing and evil to which this war was destined to escalate. In retrospect, the words of Rabbi Berland shlit"a are a distant and piercing mirror, long before all of humanity began to awaken - if at all.