The Synagogue of Rabbi Yehuda HaHasid – familiarly known as the Hurva – was the central Ashkenazi synagogue of Jerusalem. The largest and most magnificent synagogue in the Middle East, it took eight years to build. Its grandiose dome, standing some eight stories high, dwarfed all the other structures of the Old City's Jewish Quarter.
Baron Alphonse de Rothschild laid the foundation stone in 1858, after decades of various Jews' trying to obtain permission to build from the Ottoman (Turkish) Muslim authorities. When Sultan Abdul Mejid finally conceded, the firman [royal decree] he issued stated: "It is self-evident that justice and generosity alike enjoin that complete peace be assured to members of all faiths and religions dwelling in my sublime kingdom."
The synagogue's splendor dazzled everyone who entered. The Holy Ark, commissioned from a Polish artisan, stood two stories high. Its Baroque wood carvings of birds and flowers were set against four Corinthian columns. The ark contained dozens of Torah scrolls.
The 12 stained-glass windows in the dome represented the 12 tribes of Israel. The dome itself was painted sky-blue and strewn with golden stars. Frescos with religious motifs adorned every wall. Numerous crystal chandeliers hung from the dome.*
The Hurva provided the setting for all the grand occasions of the Jewish community. Here the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbis were inaugurated. Here the representatives of the Ottoman, and later the British, government paid their respects to the Jewish community. Here the banners of the Jewish Battalions of World War I were kept. And here Lord Herbert Samuel, the first Lord High Commissioner of the British Mandate and himself a Jew, was called to the Torah on Shabbat Nachamu in 1920, a historic event that, for many Jews, heralded the beginning of a more benign rule after centuries of low-level persecution under the Ottomans.
Puah Shteiner's childhood reminiscences of the Hurva give us a glimpse of how it dominated not only the Jewish Quarter's skyline, but also the hearts of its Jews:
From all directions people flocked to the Hurva Synagogue... As soon as we took our places on the carved wooden benches, I tried to count the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, but without much success. How big and beautiful they were, the pieces of crystal glass glittering amidst the great light![I once asked my father,] "Abba, tell me, when the Temple is rebuilt, will it be as beautiful as the Hurva?"
OTHER PEOPLE'S HOLY PLACES
During the first weeks of the War of Independence, on May 27, 1948, the Arab Legion [Jordanian army] captured the Hurva. They flew the flag of the Arab Legion from the Hurva's 24-meter-high dome and then proceeded to place a bomb at the top of the dome and blow it up.
The Arab Legion and the local Arabs proceeded to destroy or desecrate all of the Jewish Quarter's 58 synagogues.
The remnant of the Old City's Jewish residents and fighters, who had held out valiantly under siege for two weeks, wired a final telegram: "THE BREAD IS USED UP. THE HURVA IS BLOWN UP." The next day, vanquished emotionally as much as militarily, the Jews surrendered.
The Arab Legion and the local Arabs proceeded to destroy or desecrate all of the Jewish Quarter's 58 synagogues. Those that remained standing were used as garbage dumps, donkey stables, and public toilets. The victorious Jordanian government also vandalized the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, ripping out three-quarters of its tombstones and using them to pave roads and for the floors of latrines.
THE PHOTOGRAPH
Today, the ruins of the Hurva, some two blocks from my house, stand as a constant reminder of our history. After the Old City was liberated in 1967, the Israeli government constructed a stone arch between two stunted corners of the once-majestic structure to give tourists some idea of the mammoth size of the synagogue.
Of course, like all Jewish Quarter residents, I knew that the Hurva, which had never been used as a base of military operations by the Jews, had been destroyed for no military or strategic purpose, but simply out of hatred. I was quite surprised, however, when my husband gave me the gift of a photographic history of the Old City, For the Sake of Jerusalem.
On page 72, I spied a photograph that horrified me: a picture of the Hurva from 1948, with a uniformed Arab standing on a pile of rubble. The dome and one wall had been destroyed, but the rest of the synagogue is standing! Intact, high walls with three levels of beautiful arched windows are clearly visible.
This means that the Hurva was not blown up in a single act of fury and passion while the battle still raged. It was dynamited after every single Jew had been expelled from the Old City. It was destroyed methodically, with planning, precision, and great difficulty, piece by giant piece.
The Hurva was not destroyed because it was "a symbol of the occupation," the excuse the Arabs are giving for the destruction of the synagogues of Gush Katif.
The Hurva was not destroyed because, as P.A. Chairman Mahmoud Abbas said, justifying the current destruction, "They left empty buildings that used to be temples, but they removed all the religious symbols, and they are no longer religious places."
The Hurva was not destroyed because of the pent-up anger and desperation of people living "under occupation."
The Hurva was destroyed because the minds and hearts of the Arabs grant no place for any other people or any other religion in what they consider their domain. This is as true today as it was in 1948.
LIES, LIES, AND MORE LIES
It is 38 years since Israel regained sovereignty over the Old City. Next door to my house on the border of the Jewish and Armenian-Christian Quarters is a functioning mosque. Next to that is an ancient church belonging to the Assyrian Orthodox Church, Arab Christians who were persecuted and driven out of Iraq. The muezzin's call to prayer and the church bells wake us up at dawn, but there's no use complaining, because their rights are guaranteed by Israel's religious tolerance.
In the middle of the Jewish Quarter, a few meters from the ruins of the Hurva, stands a 15th century mosque. By the 18th century, the mosque had ceased functioning and fallen into disrepair since no Muslims lived in the vicinity. After Israel captured the Old City in 1967, rather than destroying the mosque (using Abu Mazen's justification that it was an empty building no longer in use), the government of Israel paid to renovate the mosque.
The government of Israel's official response to the burning of the Gaza synagogues was to send police forces to protect Israel's mosques from possible revenge attacks by extremist Jews.
While they are destroying our synagogues, we are protecting their mosques.
*This description is from For the Sake of Jerusalem by Aharon Bier, translated and expanded upon by Bracha Slae. Thanks to tour guide Rebbetzin Bracha Slae (9722-628-0755) for additional details about the Hurva.
(30) Samir S. Halabi, October 25, 2010 4:57 PM
The Al-Aqsa mosque should have been blown up in 1967
Muslims will never learn lessons from past mistakes, they are sttill fueled with anger from their defeat at the hands of the fledgling newly created 'State of Israel' in may 1948. They were so angry that they ddesecrated and destroyed on purpose 58 synagogues and around 38,000 flagstones on the mount of olive jewish Cemetry. They still don't show any respect towards judaism today, and still think that the jews must retain their 'Dhimmi' staus. Therefore they can't recognize a Jewish sovereign state, especially when that means that the Jews are in control and that muslim citizens of Israel will have to obey the rules of that land.
(29) Rick Martin, October 5, 2010 10:09 AM
A Great and Timeless Article
Today, 5 Oct. 2010 a great deal is being made about an attempted arson of a mosque in Judea Samaria. The AP ( Arab Press) press said: ":A spokesman for the Israeli human rights group Yesh Din said the organization is already pursuing three mosque arson cases with the Palestinians. Despite investigations which have continued for months, there have been no indictments, said Michael Sfard, a lawyer for Yesh Din. Of the more than 700 cases of violence against Palestinians in the last 5 years, only 8 percent have resulted in indictments. Sfard said the rising number of attacks is a result of "unprofessional" and sub-par law enforcement in the West Bank. "There have always been attempts by settlers to use violence to change the course of political events," he said. "Unfortunately they are very successful at that." Well there you have it. No memory of 1948 and no memory of what happened immediately after the explusion of Jews form Gaza. But Jews looking for a way to discredit Judaism. Does any other people have this problem on the scale that Israel does? Of course, the dreaded ":settlers" - a code word for "subhumans with the right to kill them" is the problem. I do not believe there can be Peace with a people brought up on Hate and anti- Semitism from birth and every event from 1948 confirms that. Jews must Build throughout Israel. And to say that Judea Samaria is not a part is like saying the Ile de France area surrounding and including Paris is not French. Except that Jews have a much older claim and right to their ancestral land. By the way, I am not religious but I do believe in History , which in the case of Jews sometimes overlapps.
(28) Anonymous, September 23, 2006 12:59 PM
About Hurva synagogue and Judaism in general
My husband, Ben Matti, was touched by the article about the Hurva synagogue. While visiting Israel several times in the 1990ies he saw also this synagogue and was told about the history of the synagogue by their tour guide Jerry Livson.
My husband is very interested in the heritage of his ancestors (he has some German Jewish origin, but we live in Finland) and he loves Israel very much. I have not yet had the opportunity to travel to Israel, but would like to.
Here in our country the gap beteween the rich and the poor has recently increased.We hope that our legislative officials consider this thing in their future legislation.
Shalom! Greetings from Ben Matti and wife
(27) David Scop, October 2, 2005 12:00 AM
Thank you for clarifying another historical media lie
Were it not for those who harp on the truth, and historical accuracy, the repeated lies would chas v'shalom be accepted as truth. Just like the intolerant nations who destroyed all that was not of their own, these nations too shall be but a mention in the history books. Only those people, who fight, pay and die to protect the rights of others will reap the rewards of being G-d's chosen people. Shana Tovah
(26) lee, September 26, 2005 12:00 AM
should have been buried
What SHOULD have happened to all the Gaza shuls was what happened in the West Bank at Sa-Nur, where they buried the synagogue, or at Ganim, where the IDF dismantled it and took it. As it stands, the synagogues in Gaza were left alone for no good reason. It is a true shanda, because everyone knew BEFOREHAND exactly what would happen, yet did nothing (like dismantle and move or bury) to prevent it.
(25) hillel gottlieb, September 21, 2005 12:00 AM
Bricks and mortar do not define Am Yisrael
That we (Am Yisrael)have different standards and attitudes should come as no surprise.
So the scenes from Gush and past desecrations of buildings that housed our religious activities are disappointing but not surprising.
Once we left our shuls with sifrei tora and sefarim intact, then the building becomes a shell. Of itself the building is not holy, the holiness of the site was imparted by us using it for holy purposes.
Let us not forget, that other than Har Habayit, bricks and mortar did not nor do they sustain us. If needed, we can establish a minyan or beit midrash anywhere as long as we get committed Jews to participate!!
Does that mean we should change our attitudes to others' holy places - NO. That's what being us is about - a guiding light - lead by example. Maybe, G-d willing, one day others will get the message.
It does not mean however that we do not protect what we have. But at the end of the day what we have or retain is determined by Hashem - one way or another.
(24) Shimon Yaakov, September 21, 2005 12:00 AM
So what's new?
Thanks for your article. I have read a great deal in the Jewish press (very little in the non-Jewish media) about the destruction of synagogues in Gaza. What surprises me is why everyone seems so surprised. What did they expect? Yes, as your previous letter writer said, it would have been great if the Palestinain people had seen the pullout as a genuine gesture for peace, and respected it. But did anyone ever think that this was a real possibility? A British diplomat close to the Oslo peace process commented of Arafat: "He never lost an opportunity to lose an opportunity". Here is an opportunity for the Palestinians to genuinely work for a two-state solution. Kol ha cavod to the Israeli Army and Police for their sensitivity, and Kol ha cavod to the Jewish population for, when it came down to it, making such a sacrifice for their country and for peace. If the pull-out from Gaza does achieve peace, then all the heartbreak will be worth it. But if anyone is waiting for the Palestinians to make the most of this opportunity - don't hold your breath.
(23) Avi Cohen Stuart, September 19, 2005 12:00 AM
I never understood why the Hurva wasn't rebuilt
Any takers?
Why wasn't the Hurva being rebuilt again after we took the Old City back from the Arabs?
(22) Anonymous, September 18, 2005 12:00 AM
It's all part of the Lesser Jihad against Israel, which is part of the Greater Jihad to install the Global Caliphate. If you insist on them acting civilized you will continually be disappointed, frustrated and enraged. They are simply following their (aberrant) teachings. If you understand that, it not only makes sense, it enables us to defend ourselves more efficiently.
(21) Andy, September 18, 2005 12:00 AM
who we're dealing with
It seems to me that for much of the Arab world the Jews are Amelek and the elimination and the blotting out of any memory of Jewish existence is the goal.
(20) Milton J. Evans, September 18, 2005 12:00 AM
Destruction of Jewish Holy Sites
Shalom:
What else is new. They are following the teachings of their leaders and their holy book. One with a below average I.Q. would think the British and we Americans would have learned by now that the PLO is a bunch of gangsters, thugs and evil people that are fronts for the Islamic nations to wipe out the Jewish race and then the sunday people [Christians] as they so boldy proclaim.
(19) ozzieklein.@g,mail.com,sehuvitl@yaoo.com, September 18, 2005 12:00 AM
very interesting
(18) Anonymous, September 16, 2005 12:00 AM
To Dennis
Dennis,
The author of this article implied that Israel has been perfect in protecting the holy sites of other religions.
I merely meant to point out that this is not true.
You seem to infer that I question the validity of the existence of a Jewish state. This also is not true.
Truth be told, I actually question the existence of a "Palestinian" state on Jewish land.
(17) Dennis M. Starkman, September 15, 2005 12:00 AM
To Anonymous, 9/14/2005
What does this "indeed Israel has not been totally clean handed" mean? You, Sir/Ma'am are apparently referring to the legitimacy of Israel's existence as a recognized political entity, A STATE.
The subject in question is about the ethical and moral standing of two nations in conflict, and in that, Israel needs not presume: The facts, though visible and available, are often ignored by our enemies' romanticized sympathizers.
Please do yourself a favor. Remember Israel is an ancient nation whose will and capability to survive, prosper and prevail are well proven through millenia.
(16) Carin Staines, September 15, 2005 12:00 AM
Arabs are not civilised.
this just goes toshow that the Arabs truly fulfil the prophecy made about Ishmael. "that he would eb a wild donkey of an man", The peoplewho do these things are most definitely not civilsied.
(15) gerard lamour, September 14, 2005 12:00 AM
the destroy of religious places of cult and prayer
As a french passport holder, having living in France during my whole life, I am very sad of what happen to Synagogues in Gaza.
For me ,the best religious feeling and the best way of living peacefully to guether is TOLERANCE.
remember ALGERIA before the Independance war:all religions were living peacefully; every body participated to the other religions ceremonies bringing gifts and well wishes.
I understand that so many years of war and hate have made the people of this area forgotten TOLERANCE so I call all persons of good will to try to apply it again for the well being of all human creatures of GOD(anyway you call Him or spell His name)
PEACE,SALAM,SHALOM
Gérard
(14) Tarja Ylanko, September 14, 2005 12:00 AM
I wish these facts were taught as a mandatory subject (world history) to children in public school. We ought to educate the young minds in hopes of living in peace and harmony.
May the living God of Israel protect the State of Israel, all the people of Israel and all those nations and people who work for peace. Shalom!
(13) Irene Pelled, September 14, 2005 12:00 AM
You are right in your statements of the Arabs. If you read the book "The Arab Mind" you can better understand the reason Arabs are so destructive. They are trained from the day they are born to believe in Jihad. The world would be better off if every country, including my country America, had laws that protected every religion and took steps to prosecute individuals or groups that did not respect others.
(12) Anonymous, September 14, 2005 12:00 AM
arabs destroying old city shuls
a not well-publicized fact, but there were some English soldiers who "helped" in this.
(11) Anonymous, September 14, 2005 12:00 AM
The acts, current and past, by the Arabs towards the Jews are certainly evil to the core.
And yes, Israel has done much to protect the holy sites of other religions.
However, and in no way is this meant to be a comparison to the wicked acts of the Arabs, it must be pointed out that indeed Israel has not been totally clean handed.
(10) Rachel, September 14, 2005 12:00 AM
Evil in Muslim World
This is the same religion that produced deadly riots when they believed a Newsweek report that some Korans in Gitmo were "desecrated".
When are we, the Western World, finally going to treat these wicked people as the enemy?
(9) Greg Wotton, September 14, 2005 12:00 AM
Why can't the same be said for Arabs?
The simple answer is that the Arab (and Christian) doctrines of their messiahs state that those who do not accept their teachings are not of G-d. Essentially it's the old argument of "If you are not with us, you're against us". Unlike Judaism, these other faiths have no provisions for other religions and see everyone else as either deluded by, or working for, the Devil.
There are no 7 Noachide Laws or mitzvot concerning the stranger, the widow and the fatherless. There are no laws for allowing others to worship in their own way. Anyone who does not agree with them is a threat and so has it been since the time of Mohammud himself.
It's not hard to see why they treat Jews with such hatred and disrespect. The challenge is to rise above it and be the example of good and righteous people as Hashem has decreed. Be the epitome of goodness and an inspiration to others for we are judged by our actions and others see who is good and who is evil by what they do, not what they say.
Greg
(8) Anonymous, September 13, 2005 12:00 AM
I am very saddened that my parents who are Holocaust survivors have to see that Jews are being thrown out of their homes. It is about time we stand up these violent people. There was an article written a few months ago in the New York Sun by an Arab politician who bemoaned the fact that his people are teaching their children to destroy humanity and the Jews are winning Nobel prizes. He begged his people to realize their mistake. Oh, well it falls on deaf ears. History repeats itself. Not only do they want to destroy the Jews but they are bent on destroying anyone that does not follow their beliefs.
(7) steve n, September 13, 2005 12:00 AM
of course, blame israel
And the American govt has the chutzpah to BLAME Israel for the Arab desecration because Israel left the shuls in tact. I don't know what's worse: that we have zero expectations and accountability for radical Arabs, or my lack of shock at the world's hypocrisy.
(6) steven of Beachwood, September 13, 2005 12:00 AM
Why are we surprise?
The Arab attack Israel on Yom Kipper. They do not follow their holy books by blowing themselfs up. Israel will never have peace with them because peace would cause the leaders of Jordan and other non-democratic states to lose power when the arabs living there realize that they are the ones who are infact inslaved.
(5) uri, September 13, 2005 12:00 AM
I normally don’t comment on articles but for this catastrophe there is just one phrase as quoted in the torah “Am Hadomea L’Chamor “ nothing more or less .If we realize this we can understand how the Jews respected and they destroyed
(4) Anonymous, September 13, 2005 12:00 AM
I am reminded of Nazi Germany
The thought of Arabs burning Jewish synagogues sends chills down my spine. These are our "partners" in peace?
(3) Eli, September 13, 2005 12:00 AM
We all knew this would happen
Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. We have been fooled over a thousand times and we are still reading articles like this ! Are we realy suppose to be shocked? I am sorry but we deserve this and more, we have lead ourselves down the path of destruction. The Chutzpa lies with us when we complain after the obvious happens. Im sure every single Jew on the planet knew that the Jewish Synagogue would be desecrated, who are we kidding. We let our leaders bend under American pressure and lead us to destruction. I hate to say this but maybe we deserve all this evil that is happening to us. We have done nothing within reason to secure the people of Israel, we keep giving into terrorists and then wonder what went wrong.
(2) julia, September 13, 2005 12:00 AM
my arab friends are tweeking
I have a few arab aquaintances & one almost friend. we can not be very close because, as she said, "it's not their land!" when the conversation of israeli existance came up. she came to america with a husband who soon became abusive, emotionally & I suspect sexually. She was able to obtain a divorce and kept her son. she became a citizen & complained that her family thought she was crazy when she visited home again with her new found freedom. she could not find a job & was unable to suport her son, so she took him to jordan & asked her, Italian, mother if he could stay with them if she hired a full time nanny of their choice. they refused & she was forced to ask her ex husband if he might care for their son for a year, knowing that she may not get him back according to jordanian law. he said yes, but then immediately put the boy in an orphange, told him his mother was dead, refused to let her know where he was and never visited the boy again. She tracked her son down after 5 years, but she will only ever be able to visit him 24 hours at a time, when she can afford, if ever, to fly to jordan. Who knows the real undercurrents of arab society. The only thing we can do is try to be helpful when we are asked, but always put distance between ourselves and people who are to crazy to not to make a molock out of their own children.
(1) Anonymous, September 13, 2005 12:00 AM
SENSELESS IN GAZA -- Rabbi Avi Shafran
Those nefarious Jews did it again. They had the gall to not destroy their 19 synagogues in Gaza, leaving them to silently stoke the passions of uncontrollable Arabs. It was a “political trap,” in the words of Mohammed Dahlan, the Palestinian civil affairs minister.
“Civil” is not a word that comes easily to mind in the wake of the torching of several of those synagogues by Palestinians – people who would not likely be sanguine were their houses of worship in Jewish areas entered with shoes, much less set aflame.
Nor did civility shine very brightly from the words of Israeli Arab Knesset member Ahmed Tibi, who explained that the Palestinians should not have burned down the Jewish holy places but simply destroyed them as “their right.”
Joining the abuse by the jubilant savages, tee-shirted and besuited alike, were the media.
Referring to the orgy of looting and mayhem that rushed like sewage from a drainage pipe into Israeli-abandoned Gaza – and ignoring the fact that the Israeli Gazan communities had been built on land where no Arabs lived – the BBC framed the scene with the words “Israelis stole 38 years from them; today, many were ready to take back anything they could.”
The New York Times, for its part, didn’t see fit to even mention the synagogue burnings in its print-edition headline, simply informing its readers that “Israel Lowers Its Flag in the Gaza Strip” and, in a sub-header, that “Palestinians Celebrate Departure With Fireworks and Gunshots,” making mention of the arson only in a strangely passive-voice, en passant reference. Deep in the story, the paper noted how looting of window frames and ceiling fixtures from a Gaza synagogue took place “as fires burned inside the empty building.” As if the flames had ignited themselves.
The primitives on the ground vandalized not only synagogues, but their own future. Ahmed Qurei, the Palestinian Authority Prime Minister futilely implored his fellow Arabs to at least leave alone the technologically sophisticated Israeli greenhouses purchased on their behalf (by American philanthropists, since the Palestinians, despite offers of capital for the purpose from the United Nations, refused to do business with Israel directly). The greenhouses were left standing to provide income for Palestinians. Taysir Haddad, a Palestinian Authority security guard assigned to one of those facilities expressed his frustration at his fellow citizens-of-a-Palestinian-state-to-be. “We’ve tried to stop as many people as we can,” he told The Times. “But they’re like locusts.”
Shortly after the withdrawal of Jewish residents from Gaza, an op-ed piece by Palestinian journalist Daoud Kuttab appeared in the aforementioned New York daily. In it, he wrote of the “human cost on both sides of the conflict” and strove to assert an equivalence of good will among the Israeli and Palestinian populaces.
Even then, before the Israeli army had left the area, it was a difficult thesis to assert. Over years, we have repeatedly seen that when innocent Palestinians are harmed even accidentally, the vast majority of Israelis are sincerely pained; but when Jews are set upon and murdered, large numbers of Palestinians rejoice.
We have seen, too, that when the rare Israeli extremist commits violence, Israeli leaders and Jewish groups condemn him unconditionally; but when the Palestinian extremist acts, his or her act may be perfunctorily denounced as ''counterproductive to the Palestinian cause'' by some Palestinian leaders, but nothing more; and the perpetrator is lauded as a hero among the Palestinian masses.
And we have also seen (now, once again) how Palestinians and Jews treat one another’s holy places. In 1967, when Israel captured all of Jerusalem, it was discovered how Arabs had utilized inscribed Jewish gravestones as path-paving and latrine walls; Israel made no move to evict the mosques from the Temple Mount, and explicitly guaranteed their protection as Muslim holy places.
Of late, even as rampaging Arabs were gleefully burning synagogues (and scrawling graffiti on the walls of others, like “Yes for freedom! No for Jews! – Hamas”), Israeli police added extra patrols to ensure that no one attempt to treat mosques in Israel in a similar manner. The Israeli Sephardi Chief Rabbi declared that any Jew who vandalized a mosque would be ostracized from the Jewish community.
It is hard not to wonder how so much of the world can still resist the truism that there are civilized peoples in our world and uncivilized ones – and that the political calculus in the Middle East make a compelling Exhibit A for the contention.
And yet some of us still hold to the hope that, somehow, the temperate elements that are claimed to exist in Palestinian society will emerge to control the others. Certainly, serene self-interest would lead in that direction. Alas, hatred and nihilism seem the dominant Palestinian products at present.
Imagine, though, what would have happened had the Palestinian populace decided neither to burn nor otherwise destroy synagogues. Had they demonstrated good will by respecting the sanctity of the buildings, and by preserving them for Jews to visit and pray in on better days in the future. Imagine how encouraged Israelis would have been by the thought that they might actually have a peace-partner in the Palestinians.
Alluding to the Jewish tradition that the ancient Holy Temple service in Jerusalem served to channel G-d’s blessings to all of humanity, the rabbis of the Talmud contended that had those who destroyed the Temple understood what it was, “they would have mounted fortifications” to protect it instead.
Had the barbarians of contemporary Gaza understood what the synagogues they torched could have been, they would have fortified them as well.
To their eternal shame, they chose otherwise.