There have recently been several articles in outlets like Haaretz, and others with titles something along the lines of “Who is Meir Ettinger?” In their articles they describe how Meir is the grandson of Rabbi Meir Kahane and how he is the head of a “terrorist” organization.
But, none of that really tells you about who Meir really is. None of that tells you what it would be like to meet him or what it would be like to live in a state that reflected Meir’s vision. As someone who has met Meir, on many occasions, and as someone who considers him a friend, I’d like to tell you who Meir Ettinger is, really.
The first time I met Meir was while he was learning in yeshiva. I saw him learning very intensely and decided that I wanted to meet this holy Jew. I introduced myself and I could immediately tell how much he cared for me as a fellow Jew. He was soft spoken, yet clearly very learned in Torah and Chassidus.
The next time I recall meeting Meir was when we spent Shabbos together. This was before he got married, and Meir had prepared Shabbos meals for a group of young people who had come to help settle one of the Jewish hilltops in the Shomron. I remember his smile as he joked that since he could cook he didn’t need to get married. A few of us mentioned that the potatoes were undercooked and he joked that maybe he’d have to get married, but his wife would only have to make the potatoes.
