‘He was a giant in Torah, a man of truth, and a fighter for the integrity of the land,’ Baruch Marzel bids farewell to Rabbi Meir Mazuz in an interview with Arutz Sheva.
In an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Hebron resident and right-wing activist Baruch Marzel spoke about the personal relationship he had with the head of the Kisei Rahamim Yeshiva, Rabbi Meir Mazuz ztz”l, who passed away on Saturday at age 80.
“I was privileged to have a close relationship with Rabbi Mazuz. I hosted him in both Hebron and Samaria,” Marzel said. “Beyond being a giant in Torah and wisdom, he had courageous and clear-cut positions regarding the integrity of the Land of Israel.”
Marzel recalls their first meeting during the Oslo Accords: “I met a great Torah scholar, on the one hand, and on the other, a very pleasant person – but mainly, he was a man of truth. Despite his great admiration for Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Rabbi Mazuz opposed the agreements out of inner integrity. At the time he told me: ‘I cannot say things that would hurt Rabbi Ovadia, but I won’t support anything that is wrong.” He also had a close affinity to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, but his position always stemmed from the truth as he perceived it.”
Marzel says that Rabbi Mazuz accompanied almost every struggle for the integrity of the Land: “He always supported, advised, encouraged. It was only because of his health that he did not physically participate in all the struggles. There was a convention of rabbis from the religious Zionist movement, and he, an obvious haredi, was the only one from his community there. He said, ‘That’s the truth, and that’s why I’m here.'”
Marzel also shared the advice he received from Rabbi Mazuz regarding the struggle for Hebron: “When the Hebron Agreement was about to be signed, I contacted him and he told me, ‘Focus on Ma’arat Hamachpelah (the Cave of the Patriarchs) – this is the place that every Jew is connected to’.”
Despite his medical condition, Rabbi Mazuz spent many Shabbats on Parashat Chayei Sarah in Hebron, where he visited the Shavei Hebron Yeshiva and taught shiurim (Torah lessons). “He was a full Jew, full of Torah, but also with independent opinions based on the truth he believed in. Also in regard to education, correct Hebrew and grammar – everything was important to him. Meeting him was a unique experience, a combination of proficiency and precision.”
Marzel spoke about Rabbi Mazuz’s firm stances on deals, such as the Shalit deal: “He told me – ‘it’s a terrible deal. I know the Arabs,’ he would say over and over again. ‘I know them well, my father was murdered by Arabs in Tunisia’.”
Baruch Marzel concluded with a personal comment, “When the idea of establishing the Yachad party came up, Rabbi Mazuz together with Rabbi Aberjel called on me to run together with Eli Yishai. I agreed. His support for Eli Yishai was determined and loyal, even at the cost of a confrontation with the entire Shas establishment. He never looked for personal benefits – only the truth, and he never zigzagged in his opinions.”
