Elie Wiesel: Does deporting children reflect the Jewish spirit?

Snatch it from it's Mother's arms and throw it on a boat?

It is freaky listening to Israelis and Jews at large speaking of "Jewish Spirit" and "how could this ever happen in Israel" and and and.... Of course ignoring the massive Elephant in room that makes this episode beyond funny, this is out of this world and indeed would make a great Twilight Zone Episode. There are literally MILLIONS of people who have been living as REFUGEES for over 62 years now who were thrown out and not allowed to come back to their OWN homes and properties. Those were/are not migrant workers children nor are they immigrants from Poland or Ethiopia those are the NATIVES of the land. Mr. Wiesel breaks my heart with his humanity, and I bet he NEVER heard of the Palestinian refugees otherwise he'd speak up, after all he is a humanitarian and Noble laureate whose always guided by the true "Jewish Spirit" he speaks of. AMAZING HYPOCRISY!

In France that would not be possible as a child cannot be deported alone or a parent cannot be deported alone. Who will take care of them once they are in the other country? plus the fact that the parents of these children legally entered Israel... incredible decision coming from a democracy!

In France that would not be possible as a child cannot be deported alone or a parent cannot be deported alone. Who will take care of them once they are in the other country? plus the fact that the parents of these children legally entered Israel... incredible decision coming from a democracy!

I would say that the Jewish spirit, heart and compassion is being eaten alive by Zionism - like it nor not, there is no way for Israel to maintain its racial purity if too many non-jewish people are allowed to settle. Look to the treatment of the Palestinians in Israel proper and the O/T if you want to understand how Israel can do this to people who entered Israel legally and then did what people do - live and have children. Maybe then Mr Weisel will be troubled but not amazed.

Certainly not the Jewish spirit in which I was brought up. But what do you think , Mr. Wiesel?

Prior to deporting a newborn, make sure that it is not the promised Messiah!? Regards. twitter.com/ShimonCleopas

'"I find it hard to believe that such a thing is happening in Israel," Wiesel told Haaretz, adding, "Where is the Jewish spirit, the Jewish heart and the Jewish compassion?" ' Well, too bad you didn't open your eyes a little sooner...

In today's Israel--yes!

No annoyance with the emptying out of Jews from virtually the entire Muslim middle east?When you face this your comments would be worth listening to.

Having been brought up in a Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn, being Anti-semstic never accord to me. First there was the war. Then1948. This was something we all cheered. The Jewish people have a home of there own, if they wanted. Being a student of history, I detected something was wrong. Studies brought me to Herzl's Zionist movement. What's happening in Israel is right out The Zionist goal of taking Samaria and Judea by all means necessary, none of which is traditional Jewish. As a Christian, I pray for the Jews but I can't condone the Zionist. Israeli Zionist and the Zionist in America, Jewish and otherwise, appear to be bringing in the Second coming as foretold. This action against children? This not the Jews I was raised with. "Chistian" Nazi Germany maybe but not the Jews. History teaches us that God gives a people they deserve. He gave the German people Hitler. Has he given the American people Obama and the Jews Netanyahu? We might have the answer to that real soon.

I think that Eli Weisel puts too much faith in this so called Jewish spirit. I'm afraid it just doesnt exist. Jews, like all major denominations are a diverse people and I just dont really pack much faith in a 'spirit' to come through in Jewish political decision making. About 5 monthes ago Weisel claimed that the final decisions regarding Jeruasalem were above politics. I guess he was just relying on this Jewish spirit to come through. But, this Jewish spirit didnt overcome Netanyahu's government with compassion when deciding to deport these children. I think Weisel needs to shift his discourse from the idea of this elusive Jewish spirit to the subjects of politics and human rights and open his eyes to the fact that deportations happened in Israel from 1948 to this very day. Summoning the Jewish spirit only sustains the status quo.

Elie Wiesel has it right- how can the Jewish State EVER contemplate deporting children. These are innocents who by circumstance have placed them in Israel. We as a people must continue to demonstrate our collective conscience as a nation that has suffered so much persecution over its history, to go beyond what the law per se indicates and go by with what is right and just.

Up to now I haven't read or heard the word "LAW" anywhere concerning these "illegal aliens" in Israel. "The Cabinet decided", "P.M.Netanyahu stated", etc. When, in Heaven's Name are we to have a Judicial Frame to consult when a delicate question such a the 400 immigrants' children is in front of us? The US and Mexico are in the middle of such a controversial subject and, do you know what?, it's gonna be decided IN COURT attending to whatever the letter of the Law states. As long as Israel's decisions are in the hand of politicos who depend on their parties' views, we shall be kept in social limbo.

I completely agree with Elie Wiesel. Shame on you Israel, if you deport innocent children. This will break my heart as a Holocaust survivor. Never again.

The precept of Darche Sholom seems most appropriate here, What pray tell, will be the attitude of those most directly effected by this, and those of the world that looks to Israel not just as another nation but an Ohr L;Goyim? What credibility can be given to our moral high ground? Yes I understand both demographic and economic concerns vis-a-vis Zionist political concerns and the needs of the state to survive, without any fear of a fifth column, but choosing the children and a sign of patriotism feels socially and perhaps even spiritually myopic, and not just in the narrow sense of being only concerned for our needs of the moment, but perhaps the big picture in history should not be so completely ignored. Acts like this bespeak the worst character features of the current governmental coalition. Bravo again to Eli Wiesel for once again speaking out as a voice of a social consciousness that refuses to evade the history of our experience of the past and our reasonable expectation of how we will be judged as individuals and a people by those who will be born long after we are all gone. The cabinet ministers must move beyond their and even our own fleeting agendas and lust for control and look at the good of the state in the context of states. We are not alone. There is a day after. I am neither blind nor deaf to the needs of the state to care for its citizens first, but if a cost /benefit analysis were to be conducted, I believe that a significant act of deficient spending on the side of moral decency would be unavoidably recognized. What would the smug and most jingoistic among us have said if another nation or better yet one of our enemies had taken such a decision?

Israel flies in Americans from Brooklyn who go on to build settlements on occupied land, and then deports kids who were legally born within its borders. But, naturally, this has nothing to do with race, right?

In that it is morally wrong to deport children without their parents. If Israel wants to rid itself of immigrant workers who are not making aliyah, fine, do it. If the 'children' of these immigrant workers have reached their majority (age 18--21), they are actually adults and must make their own decisions. Being born in the country in which your parents work but are not citizens should not be the ticket to ride the benefits train that natural born citizens enjoy. That is the 'anchor baby' problem that the United States has with the Latinos in the Southwest (and everywhere else they have infiltrated.) Still, the good fortune of having been born in Israel might be allowed to count for something. It might be worth a few points toward the approval of an application for citizenship, as might be an effective conversion to Judaism and a demonstrable ability to converse fluently in Hebrew. Successful completion of a loyalty oath followed by a probationary period and a length of service in the IDF or someother government service might add to the stature of the prospective citizen until there is no practicable difference between the naturalized Israeli and the natural born Israeli. The Lord your God requires ten generations before a gentile can be assimilated into the tribes; before he (his desendents) can come before the Lord in the Temple. But there is no Temple now and unless Messiah comes soon, there will likely be none for many years, even generations. Israel is hurting her own cause by not accepting these people, if only, on a probationary basis.

"How can the Jewish state deport 400 children who were born in Israel and went to Jewish schools?" Instead: Deport those reckless fools who voted in favour of the decision to deport the children or abstained. Peter

What criteria?

"We are a people who remember all the deportations that fill our people's history, and innocently I believed that we would be more sensitive to the suffering of others because of it." Does this apply to the Palestinians?

These illegals put a starin on the Israel's resources: medical , social , infrastructure, accomodation, employment, etc. They make children and settle, changing -often negatively- the character of this country. Send them back as US does with its illegals!

In the US we have a terrible problem of illeagal immigration - and that's an understatement. The natural ramifications of this problem are extremely negative and impactful. I do not see the negative impact of making 400 more people in the world Israeli citizens - rather than the opposite. I think this is a bad move.

Israel is not Judaism. Israel is nationalism that claims the cloak of Judaism. Israel has gone awry from the values, principles, faith and heritage of Judaism.

In my opinion, the response was absolutely correct! How can any Jew condone this particular action of the Israeli Government? Where is the heart and soul, of what we have represented during eons of history.

Does ethnically cleansing Palestine of its natives and you supporting it , reflect the Jewish spirit?

Whats the big deal? Israel depotrted so many Palestinian kids and their famlies from their homes in PALESTINE in 1948 and still doing it without any shame!! gotta love it

I welcome Elie Wiesels views. This is the true Jewish spirit. However, as a nobel laureate I believe he should take this matter further. The problem is that, even in the US and in Israel itself, where people have made comments contrary to Israeli policy they haVe been immediately PERSECUTED by Jewish Lobbyists . These are the characters living mainly in the US and carry an inherent defensive and racist character. It is these people who are most dangerous and oppose free speech AND A THREAT TO ISRAELI PEACE. Many journalists and academics have been crucified literally by these Jewish Lobbyists and Jewish fundamentalists who are no different from terrorists. I BELIEVE THE TIME HAS COME FOR ISRAELI GOVERNMENT AND MORE IMPORTANTLY ISRAELI PEOPLE TO SEE WHICH WAY THIS COUNTRY IS HEADED THAT IS A FUTURE WITH NO CERTAINTY AND NO PEACE AS IS CURRENTLY THE SITUATION, OR A LONG LASTING PEACE. THE BEST MEASURE IS READING THE POLICIES IMPLEMENTED AND LOOKING AT WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING IS ISRAEL IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS AND TO MAKE AN EDUCATED OBSERVATION..

In Europe, immigration causes, 40 years later, terrible consequences. France, Belgium, the Nethelands, Germany, Italy, Greece are close to an civil explosion. Israeli politician do well.

Elie Wiesel has a true grasp on what constitutes both the Jewish Spirit and Halacha. To those who wish to deport the Jewish children of migrant workers: For shame!

and I'm Palestinian. What is happening here is very simple to explain. Palestinians were denied work ( if you call cleaning up after the master as work) in Israel and as a result Jews sought workers from abroad. The fate of foreign migrant workers and their offspring's unfortunately looks very similar to what happened to native Palestinians. Such discrimination is systemic and this goes back to the "Jewish state" concept which inherently has serious ethno-religious racist tendencies. This time the victims are not Arabs but Asians. Today these Asians are Palestinians. Welcome to the "Jewish state" I know.

Deporting these kids is extremely unJewish. They don't throw rocks, lob rockets, or apsire to suicide bomb just to fill a kill quota to satisfy their bloodlust. They are kids who identify as Israelis and want to be Israelis, there is NO reason not to let them stay. If they want to preclude this from happening in the future then the law that was passed should ONLY apply to future cases. Meanwhile, please, Israel, let these children stay!

Max, I agree with what you are saying. Many folks supporting the children here are totally silent concerning the Palestinians' distress....Mr Wiesel among them. However, does that mean that he shouldn't stand up for the kids? Many of my Jewish fellows are scared of the Palestinians and feel that granting them legitimacy weakens their own claim to the land. This is foolish and regrettable but the reality. If Mr Wiesel's prominence and influence can stop the deportations being considered, shouldn't we welcome that gesture regardless of his stance towards the Palestinians? if we conditioned every humanitarian action on dealing with every other issue in the world, no one would be helped. We have to do what we can in this specific instance while continuing to bring the occupation and its injustices to peoples' attention.

It doesn't matter if every other country kicks out children of migrant workers or not - This is Medinat ISRAEL, not the goldene medina. Put the children in Jewish schools, and by the time the are 18 99% will have converted in any case. If we are to behave like ICE hearted europeans then we might as well give the state to the Arabs. We did not fight and die for the right to behave like idol worshiipper.

his own country for their denial of the Armenian genocide . The nobel prize winner was one of the few voices in Israel to rebuke the state of Israel for their denial of the Armenian genocide.

These kids will not be sent to the gas chambers or firing squads in their home countries.Israel can't absorb so many illegal kids. Their parents signed a contract to work only and agreed not to have kids in Israel.

bravo Elie a Jewish voice

(The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child). "In all actions concerning children...the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration"...."without discrimination of any kind, irrespective of the child's or his or her parent's....race, colour, sex, language, religion....national, ethnic or social origin,...or other status...." One more obligation Israel has chosen to ignore.

The parents of these children clean your toilets, tend your lawns and gardens, slaughter your meat, bus your tables, sweep your floors, cultivate your fruit and vegetables, all because you are too fat and lazy and spoiled to do it yourselves. Their reward? Deportation! Not fair. These kids know no other home than Israel and speak no other language than Hebrew. Leave them alone. They'll grow up to be good and loyal citizens of the State. Most will probably convert to Judaism. Leave them alone.

How do yopu define 'whose parents entered Israel legally'? Does that count asylum seekers facing persecution at home? Does that include workers who entered legally but whose visas may have expired?

Departing CHILDREN??? How can anyone justify this?

Elie Wiesel is showing his age. Times have changed, values have changed, morals have changed.

To expulse any person from a country at which arrived as a little kid in parentes arms to survive from hungry is out of my jewish soul. The jewish soul is not that of fan religious or fan rightist politicians, is solidarity and fight against unjustice. Hard enough is to back IDF actions in defense of a jewish state in a sea of fan muslims leadered by Ajmanideyah.

What about the 1000s of childen living under our occupation?

Israel will never be peace with itself unless it achieves peace with the Palestinins. As long as a single refugee is denied return, Israel is accuse for all the above. Settling issues with the Palestinians has priority over searching the earth for lost tribes.

What about demolition of Bedouin villages? What about razing whole Palestinian villages? 99% of the Israeli actions are simply evil and they only give a bad reputation to the word "Jewish spirit".

Why didn't Mr. Wiesel evoke the Jewish spirit, the Jewish heart and the Jewish compassion in dealing with the evictions of the Palestinians by settlers in East Jerusalem? He instead bought a page on the New York Times urging Obama to stop pressurising Israel about the Jewish expansion in East Jerusalem at the expenses of the Palestinians. Mr. Wiesel, did you forget your Jewish spirit, your Jewish heart and your Jewish compassion in that event or you just do not use them when you have to deal with the Palestinians?

Not ever expelling workers who have expired visas is simply not a viable policy. and not at all comparable to deporting refugees. Letting foreign workers use the fact that have children to avoid leaving is inviting disaster too. What was it that Sarid said: about unholy comparisons

Not ever expelling workers who have expired visas is simply not a viable policy. and not at all comparable to deporting refugees. Letting foreign workers use the fact that have children to avoid leaving is inviting disaster too. What was it that Sarid said: about unholy comparisons

Two thirds were allowed to stay, as much as we could as our class rooms are full way above the max. Israel is a small state and can't accept everyone. Allowing those irresponsible parents to use their children as an insurance would have had Israel face an unprecedented wave of illegal immigration though the Sinai desert. Nearly every state in the world has to deal with illegal immigration and deports most of those caught like in Israel. Singling us holds no water.

get it straight for the sake of sensationalism such broch need not be put with so much drama it is very acceptable to come to a country on a working permit once the permit expires you renew it if the employer doesnt have use for you anymore YOU GO HOME!!!!!! WHAT IS SO BAD ABOUT THAT? IT HAPPENS ALL THE TIME IN THE FREE WORLD WHY NOT IN ISRAEL?

the deportees will not be foreigners who study in schools, etc. They will mostly be children under 5 years old. Children with the criteria he mentions will get permanent residence.

The State is coming to get them, and most people will ignore the situation. A few will take the hunted children and their families into their care, provide for them, help them, and risk themselves to care for them. Perhaps some day a tree will be planted in a special place for each of these "Righteous Jews" ...