Chazak ...the day after.

Yesterday in hundreds of thousands of shuls, Jews all over the world declared at the end of the reading of the Book of Bereishit [Genesis]: Chazak! Chazak! Venischazekh! [Be Strong! Be Strong! And we shall be strengthened!] .

The day after, in the Jews' own state, our government will do the exact opposite.
It will send Jewish soldiers to expel Jewish families from Jewish-owned Chevron. And this dreadful scene will unfold within yards of Machpelah, the burial tomb of our patriarchs, purchased by Abraham over 3,000 years ago.

Is this how we are supposed to strengthen ourselves?

Or maybe it is to strengthen and embolden our enemies?

Enemies who have danced on the ruins of our burned shuls in Gush Katif.
Enemies who now launch missiles at us from the sites of our last expulsion.
Enemies who are smuggling 3,000 rifles a month into Gaza.
Enemies who have not stopped sending suicide bombers into our towns.
Enemies whose terrorist gangs are now standing for election in our future neighbour-state.
Enemies whose ballot papers will soon be handed out by our own Jerusalem post offices.
Enemies whose leaders and Jihadist funders have not got the slightest intention of ever resting until Israel is totally destroyed.

Ariel Sharon lies crippled by a stroke he suffered the day after Chevron's expulsion orders were signed. But his bulldozering disengagement policy robustly continues, unabated and undeterred by the clearest evidence that it is not only a waste of time and money, but - according to his own security advisers - is actually paving the way for a freshly armed and even more brutal wave of Intifada.

Chevron is not Gaza! Moreso than even Jerusalem, it is where Jewish history began in the Land of Israel and where David ruled for seven of his forty years as king. Even Ben Gurion acknowledged this in 1970 when he wrote:

"However, don't forget: the beginnings of Israel's greatest king were in Hebron, the city to which came the first Hebrew about eight hundred years before King David, and we will make a great and awful mistake if we fail to settle Hebron, neighbor and predecessor of Jerusalem, with a large Jewish settlement, constantly growing and expanding, very soon. This will also be a blessing to the Arab neighbors. Hebron is worthy to be Jerusalem's sister. "

Just as our enemies were emboldened by Israel's retreats and concessions since the nightmare of Oslo began, so Sharon's cabinet has been emboldened by the ease and bloodlessness of his expulsion process in Gaza. The Jews of Chevron need to show Olmert that they are not going quietly.

Jews of Chevron ... Chazak !!!