Today’s Jerusalem Post reported the following:
“The Simon Wiesenthal Center on Tuesday accused opponents of its plans to build a museum near a historic Muslim cemetery in central Jerusalem of “sheer hypocrisy” after the center obtained information showing that the Supreme Muslim Council of British Mandate Palestine had planned to build a large commercial center directly on top of the cemetery in 1945.”
This is not news. This appeared in their claim to the Israeli High Court already two years ago. My response and my position on this has always been the following:
What Muslims do or do not do on sacred Muslim property is a matter for the Muslim community and believers to deal with. What the State of Israel does, the City of Jerusalem and the Jewish people do on sacred Muslim property is completely a different matter. The State of Israel, the City of Jerusalem in which the State of Israel is the sovereign and the Jewish people cannot and should not build anything on top of a Muslim cemetery without the explicit agreement and participant of the representatives of the Muslim community. Furthermore, the very idea of building of the State of Israel, the City of Jerusalem and the Jewish people building a CENTER FOR TOLERANCE on top of what was a Muslim cemetery sounds like something out of the annals of bad political fiction and fantasy. It is such an amazingly bad idea that it is almost impossible to imagine that it is in fact really happening. (Dr. Gershon Baskin, leader of the ad hoc public campaign against building the Wiesenthal Center of Tolerance in the Mamilla Muslim cemetery in Jerusalem)
I would like to share with you a letter that I wrote to the Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. I received no response and therefore I have decided to make the letter available to the public.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Rabbi Marvin Hier
Dean, Simon Wiesenthal Center
Los Angeles, Ca.
Delivered to: Oded Barry, Attorney
Dear Rabbi Hier,
You and I are not enemies. What you do and what I do come from the same place, even if we end up with very different conclusions. I am a Jew, and an Israeli (by choice) and a Zionist. My life’s work for peace between Israel and her neighbors comes from who I am and my life’s experiences, as a Jew, a Zionist and an Israeli. I am entirely motivated by my love for our people, our land and our Holy city, Jerusalem.
I live in Jerusalem and I love this city. I have always believed that we, the Jewish people, have the possibilities to disprove the theory of Samuel Huntington of the inevitable clash of civilizations between the West and Islam. I honestly believe that in Jerusalem we have the possibility, perhaps the only possibility in the world, to prove that the three monotheistic civilizations can not only live in peace, we can actually create a celebration of diversity - learning about each other and fostering not only true tolerance but even a sense of appreciation for each other’s religions, customs, rituals, and cultures.
This is possible only if we first learn to respect the sacred spaces of each other in this wonderful city. This is why I have been so passionate in my objection to the location selected for the Center for Tolerance in Jerusalem. I think that the idea of a real center for tolerance in Jerusalem could be the “flag ship” for fostering the vision of Jerusalem as the world’s center for the celebration and appreciation of diversity. The Center for Tolerance in Jerusalem could potentially be one of the most important and compelling places of learning in the entire world to which the world will turn to seek wisdom about how to make peace and how to live in peace. This is a great vision, one that I would be pleased to be associated with. But that vision will never be achieved if the Center for Tolerance is built on its current location. It will never be accepted by the world as a center for tolerance and will always be considered a scar on the very fragile tissue of Jerusalem’s face.
The need to scale down the project and Frank Gerhy’s exit from it create an opportunity to turn this project around. I have no interest in you losing face or in crediting this as a victory to the Arabs and the Muslims. I have never joined forces with the Islamic movement on this issue and we have tried all along to present our argument as a Jewish and Israeli one. I think that there are ways that we can work together to move the Center to a different location without appearing to have given in to unreasonable demands from extremist Arabs and Muslims.
I believe that the Jerusalem Municipality and the Mayor would be willing to work with you to find an alternative suitable location and find the appropriate explanation why the Center is being relocated.
I am making a commitment to work with you to gain the full support and cooperation of the Palestinians Muslims and Christians inside of Israel and in the Palestinian Authority area to work with the Center to foster the goals of tolerance and understanding. I am more than willing to work with you to gain the support of the Muslim world for this important project as well. This can really be an historic undertaking with achievements far beyond what would be possible if the Center is built in its current location.
I beg you to reconsider your options. You have won the battle. The Israeli Courts and Government Authorities are on your side. We, those who have opposed your plans have lost. But we can all come out winners, and more importantly, the City of Jerusalem, the Jewish people and the State of Israel can come out as winners if you accept the proposal to move the Center to a different acceptable location.
I appeal to you, let’s work together to make a real positive contribution towards peace, understanding and real tolerance.
Best wishes,
Dr. Gershon Baskin
Co-CEO