Ten percent of Jewish Israelis think Baruch Goldstein, the American-Israeli terrorist who massacred 29 Palestinians in the Cave of the Patriarchs on Purim in 1994, was a “national hero,” although a majority think he was a terrorist, according to a poll by the left-wing NGO Breaking the Silence.
The survey was conducted through the Smith Institute ahead of the 29th anniversary of the massacre. That year, Purim fell out during Ramadan. Goldstein entered the section of the Cave of the Patriarchs used as a mosque and opened fire on 800 Muslim worshipers, killing 29 and wounding 125. He was beaten to death by the survivors.
Riots broke out in Hebron and across the West Bank after the massacre, and a curfew was implemented on Palestinian residents of Hebron. Knesset members from across the political spectrum condemned the massacre at the time. A plaque near Goldstein’s grave states that he “gave his life for the Jewish people, the Torah and the nation of Israel.” A resident of Kiryat Arba, he was active in Meir Kahane’s Kach Party, and was third on the party’s list.
What do Israelis think about Baruch Goldstein?
Some 57% of the Jewish Israelis polled said they thought Goldstein was a terrorist, while about a third of respondents did not know whether to regard him as a terrorist or a national hero.
Among right-wing voters, about 20% of respondents said they saw Goldstein as a hero. Among left-wing voters, 91% said they saw Goldstein as a terrorist. Over a quarter of Jewish Israelis (27%) said they knew someone who sympathized with Goldstein’s actions.
Some 57% of the Jewish Israelis polled said they thought Goldstein was a terrorist, while about a third of respondents did not know whether to regard him as a terrorist or a national hero.
Among right-wing voters, about 20% of respondents said they saw Goldstein as a hero. Among left-wing voters, 91% said they saw Goldstein as a terrorist. Over a quarter of Jewish Israelis (27%) said they knew someone who sympathized with Goldstein’s actions.
"A direct line runs between the massacre committed by Baruch Goldstein 29 years ago and the current threat from the government to basic democratic values."
Breaking the Silence
“A direct line runs between the massacre committed by Baruch Goldstein 29 years ago and the current threat from the government to basic democratic values,” said Breaking the Silence about the results of the survey.
“The survey results are not surprising. They are a direct result of a policy of turning a blind eye to settler violence and Jewish terrorism that has been going on for years,” added the organization. “The survey makes it clear: Jewish terrorism is not a matter of ‘random weeds,’ and has significant support in the Israeli public, which cannot be separated from generations of military control over a civilian population.
“Those who thought they could ignore our tyranny in the territories will find themselves fighting for democracy within Israel’s borders; and those who thought they could turn a blind eye to Goldstein’s supporters in Hebron, found them in the government, outlining policy. The way to fix society and work for democracy requires every citizen to see the damage of the occupation and act to end it.”
Breaking the Silence says it works to “expose the Israeli public to the reality of everyday life in the occupied territories” by collecting testimonies from retired IDF soldiers. The organization regularly speaks out against the State of Israel and the IDF in international forums.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir used to keep a photo of Goldstein hanging in his living room. While Ben-Gvir stated in a speech last year that he “does not think Goldstein is a hero,” as recently as 2011, the minister referred to him as “a righteous man” and “a hero.”
In 2020, he agreed to take down the photo of Goldstein after then-New Right Party leader Naftali Bennett pointed to the photo as one of the reasons he would not accept Ben-Gvir into his party.
“It turns out that these people aren’t interested in ideology or anything, just ego,” Ben-Gvir said at the time.
Survey comes a week after Israeli settler riot through Huwara
The survey comes just over a week after a crowd of Israeli settlers virtually destroyed the Palestinian town of Huwara after two Israelis were murdered by a Palestinian terrorist in the town.
Dozens of homes and vehicles were torched by settlers in a revenge attack after the Palestinian terrorist attack. After the riots, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called for the town of Huwara to be “wiped out,” adding that he thinks the State of Israel should do this and not private citizens.
While officials in the coalition called for settlers “not to take the law into their own hands,” most refrained from issuing direct condemnations of the violence.
Extremist settler groups have called for further violence against the town since the riots, although so far, Israeli forces have kept settlers from rioting there again.
Signs put up in Huwara by settler activists on Sunday said, “The intifada is already here” and “The Jews overcame their enemies,” a quote from the end of the Book of Esther that is read on Purim, which is being celebrated this week.