Calls for possible boycott of Olympic Games
Epoch Times: Rabbi Dr. Reuven Bulka, a leader of the Canadian Jewish community, visited Israel in the middle of May to participate in the International Forum of Rabbis. In an interview with The Epoch Times, he called on the government of Israel to do their best in order to stop organ harvesting in China from living Falun Gong practitioners.
He said that the issue of organ harvesting in China from live Falun Gong practitioners is "the most important problem today."
Among Rabbi Bulka's friends is David Kilgour, a member of Canada's parliament, former Canadian secretary of state for the Asian-Pacific region, and co-author, with the international human rights lawyer David Matas, of a report into allegations of organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners in China (originally released in July 2006, with a revised and expanded report released in January 2007). That report confirms that the allegations of organ harvesting from living Falun Gong practitioners are true.
According to Rabbi Bulka, exactly because of the close relationship between Israel and China, Israel can urge China to stop the horrifying practice of harvesting organs from the living. The Rabbi said, "If close connections are based on telling the Chinese only what they want to hear, then such connections can be called not close cooperation but deceit."
Rabbi Bulka is sure that a close cooperation between Israel and China makes it possible for Israel "to state delicately, but resolutely, that it [organ harvesting] may not be continued ".
Asked whether there might be fear of confronting the Chinese regime regarding human rights, the Rabbi answered: "It is much more terrible to find out that because of pursuing good relations and economic contacts, you assisted in the murder of innocent people. This is what we should really be concerned about, rather than losses of any economic profit. Israel should contribute to the immediate end of the catastrophe."
Rabbi Bulka emphasized that exactly because Israel itself had lived through the genocide, it should actively oppose crimes against humanity in China. "If Israel will not speak out, it will be very hard to answer the question, why, when people were being killed by Nazis, the world did not speak about it," he explained.
Bulka added: "And we know, that if at that time the world had started talking about it, the catastrophe would have been prevented from happening ".
"Today," the Rabbi said, "we know, without any doubt, that organ harvesting in China from live Falun Gong practitioners is still going on." He suggested taking action immediately in order to stop this horror.
The Rabbi admitted, however, that talking to the Chinese authorities probably would not change things. "But, at least, we will be able to look at ourselves in a mirror and tell that we have raised our voices to defend those that were persecuted, that we have done what we were supposed to do."
The possibility of material losses for Israel, for example, in trading weapons with China, does not bother the rabbi more than the current holocaust going on in China..
Bulka asked, "Which governmental employee of Israel would want to rise up and say that yes, we knew that people were being killed in China for the sake of selling their organs, yes, this is an unprecedented disgrace, but for the sake of our monetary interests, we will keep silent and will continue to sell weapon to China?"
The Rabbi predicts that in the future the Israeli governmental employees would be bound to say this if they won't step forward now.
Asked how the Israeli government should act, the Rabbi said, "First of all, it is necessary to prepare an instruction forbidding Israelis to go to China for transplantation. In addition to this, Israel should use diplomatic relations and address the ambassador of China: 'Do not argue with us whether this is taking place or not since we know for sure that organ harvesting is real, even if you deny it. You have to make a correct decision before the world will take actions against you.'"
Bulka also suggested that if in the near future nothing should change that Israel should cancel its participation in the Olympic Games, as one way to influence the Chinese authorities.
The Rabbi is sure that by quitting the Olympic Games, Israel will openly accuse China, and having done so, will influence other leading democratic countries, such as the United States, Canada, England, and France. If these countries will act the same way, the rabbi explains, then, he hopes, the "domino" effect will be initiated and other countries will join in the protest.
He hopes that at that point, Chinese authorities will have nothing else to do but to give in to the world's demands and open the doors of China for investigations to make sure that organ harvesting in China has stopped.
Rabbi Bulka is using different ways to put an end to the genocide going on in China. He has been addressing the Canadian government, taking part in protests and writing letters. Since his visit to Israel is not long enough, upon returning to Canada, he is planning to address the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Israel through the embassy in Ottawa.
Since 1967, Rabbi Bulka has served as the rabbi of the Congregation Machzikei Hadas in Ottawa. He is also a head of the international Forum of rabbis "The Primary Fund." He has started television and radio shows and written 30 books.
The Rabbi is a chair of a commission dealing with organ donations at the Kidney Foundation of Eastern Ontario. He was a recipient of Canadian Kidney Foundation award for "the significant contribution to the formation of understanding of organ donations."
The Rabbi actively participated in the different associations protecting the rights of Jews in the former USSR right up to its disintegration. .
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