Friday, January 26, 2007

Open Letter to the Pave the Way Foundation

Open Letter to the Pave the Way Foundation

Open Letter to the Pave the Way Foundation

(A Jewish run organization that is assisting the Vatican to obtain property in Israel)

Gary Krupp with wife at side, holding hands with the (former) pope.


October 20, 2005

Pave the Way Foundation, Inc
The Empire State Building Suite 3805
350 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10118
Tel.: + (212) 629-0046 / Fax: + (516) 432-7561
Email: pavetheway@optonline.net

Dear Gary Krupp,

It is with tremendous grief that I write this letter which is being sent on behalf of many people who all agreed you should be contacted. We are saddened to learn that you and your organization continue to promote the fact that your organization Pave the Way Foundation remains committed to support the Vatican in its aspiration to obtain "The Cenacle" which is part of the Kever David HaMelech (the traditional tomb of King David) on Mt. Zion.

People are asking why a Jewish man from New York City would be involved with separating a portion of a facility that belongs to the State of Israel and would be willing to give it to the Church? But the answer is easy. We see where your allegiance is, where your commitment lies. We see that you have become a brother of the Church, probably fully committed in everything they do and possibly everything they believe in.

We understand you were "knighted" by the Roman Catholic Church. Visitors can see on your website a photo (if you have not taken it down yet) of you wearing a Vatican uniform, that of "the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great". I see numerous photos of you with Vatican officials and other Vatican politicians, even one photo of you Mr. Krupp handing a cross to a Bishop as a gift! We see a video on your website where your wife bows before the Pope. We see that you state that you arrived at the Vatican "with the blessings of millions of our faith [Jews]"-which is a bizarre statement. We see you in Papal uniform wearing a sort of cross around your neck and with no head covering addressing the Pope many times as "his holiness". You spoke to the Pope talking about "Saint Peter" and about "where Jesus used to pray." The rabbis with you blessed the Pope and pointed directly at him when they said, "Blessed be is the Lord our God…who gives a portion of His glory to His creations." This was most bizarre indeed! Afterward, they bowed while shaking the hand of the Pope; how bizarre! This begs the question, why do "Jews" from Long Island take part in Christian pomp and circumstance; why do they bow and address the Pope as "his holiness"? Why do they dress up in official Church uniforms, etc.?

As you know, in February 2005 I wrote an article entitled "The Vatican and its Friends are Not Your Friends". In this article I told how when the Pope visited Israel in March of 2000, you said that he was "immortalized in the hearts and minds of the Jewish people around the world." But on whose authority did you say this? Certainly not mainstream Torah loving Jews-the Jews who know that to give away any part of Erets Israel to any non-Jewish group is a tremendous wrongdoing.

Mr. Krupp, why are you working so hard to take what belongs to the Jewish people and hand it over to another country? Why are you willing to intervene on their behalf? What have the Jewish people done to you that you now are working against them in this manner? Mr. Krupp, is there any way that the Jewish people can somehow inspire you to be proud of your own heritage and to take the clay away from your eyes so you can be instilled with enough pride in the faith of your own people that you would not continue to support the Vatican in this scheme of theirs? Why would you and your wife, Jews, want to help facilitate handing over any part of anything inside Israel for an abandoned shell of a building in a foreign country? A public search of your IRS records demonstrate that your Objectives for Fiscal Year Beginning January 1, 2005, include:

"Restoring two important Shrines to the Worldwide Catholic Church."

We see that your political connections have made you quite a star in the cocktail party circuit. You have become a powerful man among your circle of friends, so why not use that influence for things that will strengthen klal Yisrael, the Jewish people. Using your influence to help the Pope obtain a building does nothing for the Jews or the modern State of Israel. As a matter of fact, it shatters our hopes for the idea that we can live in security without having to worry about fellow Jews working from within to undermine our land and our possessions. The Tomb of King David may not be the exact location of where the King is buried, but it certainly has become a respected site and for hundreds of years has been the location for intense and sincere prayer for many people of many faiths. As an official State of Israel holy site, every single square centimeter needs to stay within the security and sanctity of the Jewish people.

Please consider surrendering the idea that the Jewish people should trade anything to the Church. You have heard it a million times, but I can only say it again…the Vatican should open up its coffers and release the Jewish owned intellectual and emotional treasures it stole. Jews died during the confiscation of such items over many long centuries. Yes, the Church allows some books from Maimonides out on loan, but this is not a saving grave for them. They will win no one over by this extrinsic act. They have for some time used confiscated Jewish treasures as a bargaining tool, now they want a building and are bargaining for that. Mr. Krupp, where does your allegiance lie? Where is your backbone, why won't you please please consider marginalizing yourself from the Vatican's arms and return to your own people where you can really do some good?

With love of Israel,

(signed)

Shelomo Alfassa
Executive Director
International Society for Sephardic Progress

Related: The Mt. Zion Situation

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