Iran and the Nuclear Threat:

It no secret that Iran has repeatedly stated they would like nothing more than for the Jews and Israel, or as they refer to it, “The Zionist-regime” to be wiped off the map; sadly enough, recent developments in Iran’s nuclear project are suggesting that such an outcome is a very real and dangerous possibility unless something is done to prevent it!

Right now, your Federation wants to know what you think about the situation!    

Please look for action steps in how to address this pressing concern in the next coming days on the Federations blog.

University of Pennsylvania Hosts BDS Hate Conference

THE FACTS:
On February 3-5, 2012 a group called PennBDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions movement)  will sponsor the 2012 National Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Conference on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
PennBDS is a recognized student group at the University of Pennsylvania that advocates for, and educates the Penn community about the growing global campaign to boycott, divest from and sanction (BDS) the State of Israel until it complies with its obligations under international and human rights laws. 
We reject the BDS movement’s rhetoric that:

• Singles out Israel for international sanction, while virtually ignoring, for example, the abuses of neighboring states like Syria, which is currently brutally attacking its own citizens looking to exercise democratic rights.
• Holds Israel to standards not demanded of others, for example, by failing to criticize Hamas and Hezbollah for firing rockets at Israel’s general population on a regular basis.
• Stresses the rights, not responsibilities, of the Palestinians and the responsibilities, not rights, of the people of Israel, for example by failing to acknowledge that the Palestinian leadership shares in the responsibility for the failure of past negotiations.
• Uses the language of South African apartheid to characterize the radically dissimilar Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Apartheid was based on a racist ideology that considered others to be genetically inferior, while Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East and legally guarantees rights and protections for minorities.
ACT NOW:
Where are the voices at Penn — administrative, faculty, alumni — denouncing this assault on Israel?
 
1. Contact the University of Pennsylvania
Dr. Amy Gutmann
Office of the President
University of Pennsylvania
1 College Hall, Room 100
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6380

Call: 215-898-7221
Fax: 215-898-9659
E-mail President Gutmann: presweb@pobox.upenn.edu
 
 Post on Penn’s Facebook wall: http://www.facebook.com/#!/UnivPennsylvania
• Express your concerns about the upcoming PennBDS conference set to convene on campus next month and urge the administration to prominently and unequivocally condemn PennBDS and the BDS movement.
• Suggest that the University of Pennsylvania’s reputation as a pre-eminent institution devoted to serious scholarship is sullied by any association with this conference. Cite examples provided below.
• Protest the use of any Penn resources, including rent-free space, to facilitate a conference at which defamers of the Jewish state and those calling for its destruction will seek to advance their agenda.
2) Are alumni contributions helping subsidize this event? If you’re an alumnus, let your voice be heard. Write and call:
John H. Zeller
Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations
 
Call: 215-898-5169
E-mail: jzeller@upenn.edu
 
Forward this Alert to friends and family, especially Penn alumni, and urge them all to speak out against the deplorable BDS conference and Penn’s allowing it to use campus facilities.

What do YOU think of when you THINK ISRAEL?

We asked our board of directors yesterday what they think of when they think of when they think Israel.  Here are just a few of their responses:

• Home
• Beautiful
• People
• Culture
• History

We want to hear from you…What do YOU think of when you THINK ISRAEL?

Tags: Israel

U.S. President Barak Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy…friends of Israel?

 

Just 2 days ago, November 8, 2011, at a meeting in Cannes, France between U.S. President Barak Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, French journalists overheard a private conversation between both presidents discussing  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which Sarkozy was caught saying to Obama, “Netanyahu, I can’t stand him.  He’s a liar”.  Obama responded, “You are sick of him, but I have to work with him every day.” 

Surprising?  Maybe or maybe not. . 

We want to know what you think!  Are the comments made by these two world leaders meaningless political jabber or is this a small preview of the true sentiment towards Israel and Netanyahu?

 

 

Tags: Netanyahu, Obama, Sarkozy

Should Israel Be a Campaign Issue in the Upcoming Elections?

Submitted by guest blogger, Robert Heller, founder of the Federation’s Heller Israel Advocacy Initiative

In a recent Wall Street Journal article by Douglas J. Feith (find article HERE), he asks the question “Should Israel Be a U.S. Campaign Issue?”  In my opinion every issue running from the economy to foreign policy is and should be a campaign issue. It is not a Democrat issue or a Republican issue. The point is, if it is an issue Americans feel strongly about, especially if it affects U.S. security, it should be a campaign issue.  In the case of Israel, it is part of foreign policy in the Middle East and as such affects the security and the economic interests of every American. The issue is not related to party politics, it is a question of policy.

In the case of President Obama, in 2008 he pledged his support for Israel and after his election he proceeded to demonstrate his hostility toward Israel. When Obama ran his 2008 campaign his close association with Reverend Wright  (a virulent Anti-Semite), his campaign attempted to allay the fears of the Jewish and Christian population that he was an ardent supporter of Israel. He proclaimed his support for Israel in order to become president and as such made Israel a campaign issue. Following his election he lost no time in demonstrating his hostility to Israel. Furthermore, his policies throughout the Middle East have cost America its prestige and influence in the region. If Obama’s policy with respect to Israel was positive rather than hostile you can be sure he would use it in his campaign speeches to garner the support of Jews and Christians who are concerned with Israel’s well being.  I feel it is inappropriate to take an issue important to so many Americans off the table.To do so would be an attack on the democracy Americans cherish.

What do you think?

Attention…Breaking News!

Around 11:00pm local time today, terrorists fired five katyusha missiles into New York City killing two people and injuring five. Miami Beach was also hit by rockets, killing a family on vacation and Virginia Beach just witnessed mortars exploding on their coast where residents were forced to take shelter for fear of their life.

PLEASE NOTE: This is NOT TRUE … but do we have your attention now? If this happened in America, Europe, China…the media would be all over the story. But why doesn’t the media report this when it happens in Israel?

Palestinians fire missiles and mortars into Israeli towns and villages, with the intent of killing, injuring and terrorizing.  The fact that the mortars and missiles are fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip, which Israel totally vacated years ago, does not seem to matter to the UN, world leadership or political pundits.

Last Thursday, Israel’s ambassador to the UN Ron Prosor asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the Security Council, and the international community to censure rocket attacks on Israel from Gaza. He explained, “Israel cannot and will not rely on good luck to protect its citizens. Israel has exercised and will continue to exercise its right to self-defense, as appropriate, and will take all necessary measures to protect its citizens.” Where Israel in particular and Jews in general are concerned, facts and logic have never been particularly relevant.

So what can we expect in the coming days? The Palestinian “leadership” and the world “leadership” will warn Israel not to overreact to these “unfortunate incidents” for fear of derailing the peace process. If Israel responds militarily to these terrorist attacks, the Palestinians will once again cry that Israel is inflicting “collective punishment” on them. The world community and the rest of the Arab world will join in that condemnation.

We want to know what you think! Should the Israeli Government sacrifice its citizens to placate world opinion or satisfy some notion of what is politically correct? Is Israel’s military response to incessant missile attacks from Gaza justified or should Israel hold on retaliating in hopes of not disrupting the “peace process”?

Act now! UNESCO Palestinian vote comes on Monday!

On Monday, the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is expected to vote to accept Palestine as a full member.  Under legislation passed by Congress 15 years ago, this will trigger an automatic cutoff of U.S. funding, wreaking havoc with many of the agency’s programs.  The United States funds around 22% of the UNESCO budget – around $70 million per year.  So far, the Palestinians have refused to step back.  

Already there was a vote on the issue at the executive committee level where the vote was 40-4 against America and Israel.  Many of the countries that voted against the United States, including 12 of the 13 African nations on the committee, get sizable foreign aid from the U.S. taxpayers.

Please click HERE to send a letter to your elected officials so that Americans understand how dangerous and damaging this Palestinian move has become to poor people around the world, religious freedom, and to U.S. interests.  Please try to use your  own words as much as possible in urging them to make clear to the world that responsibility for this move lies entirely with the Palestinian leadership.

(Thank you to the JCRC of Greater Washington for sharing this information.)

 

What role did the media play in Gilad’s release?

When news of Gilad Shalit’s release emerged, many of us questioned, will he be alive, and if so, what condition will he be in?  We sat at the edge of our seats hoping and praying for the best.  When that day finally arrived last week and Gilad Shalit was seen coming home, we all felt an enormous thrill.  The first TV images of his freedom somehow felt personal, prompting many of us to ask ourselves what we, the Jewish community at a global level, can do to give him a chance at a normal life and somehow undo all the suffering he endured.  Gilad’s fate for the past five years has been an ever constant present in our minds.  Many worried about the Israeli government’s lopsided deal with Hamas, while still taking great pride in its demonstration of the Jewish reverence for life.

Gilad Shalit became a symbol to millions in Israel and around the world.  So many knew his name and face and cared about his situation.  (Try thinking, for example, of the name of just one Palestinian prisoners released in exchange…)

Noam Shalit made one of the most important decisions early on in the saga to use PR as a major tool in the campaign to release his son.  This strategy to enlist the media in making Gilad a community cause was crucial in fighting for his son.  Gilad Shalit has been the shared story of Israel ever since he was kidnapped and taken hostage.  His story so powerfully emphasized “the power of one” in the minds of the public.

People all over the world were able to identify with Gilad Shalit as a real person with unique qualities and characteristics, not just another statistic whose name crossed the television set.

Do you think the use of the media helped or hindered Gilad’s release?  Or is it just about politics?

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Tags: gilad shalit, Israel, media

Will Occupy Wall Street Organizers Condemn Anti-Semitic Remarks?

The Anti-Defamation League issued a statement yesterday calling on organizers, participants and supporters of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement to condemn anti-Semitic signs and comments that have  appeared at some of the protest rallies across the country.

Abraham Foxman, ADL National Director, stated that while there is no evidence that these anti-Semitic theories are representative of the larger movement, history demonstrates that economic downturns can embolden anti-Semites to spread malicious conspiracy theories and promote stereotypes about Jews and money.  Meanwhile, some Jewish protestors involved in the movement argue that the focus on anti-Semitism is exaggerated.

What do you think?
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Tags: ADL, anti-Semitism, occupy wall street

Gilad Shalit’s Release

Since the abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas terrorists on June 26, 2006, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration along with many Jewish organizations have made it a top priority to see Gilad Shalit returned home safely to his loved ones in Israel.

Benjamin Netanyahu announced yesterday on October 11, 2011, that Gilad should be returning home in the next few days in exchange for over 1,000 Palestinian terrorists to be returned to Hamas.

Many are ecstatic with the breaking news; however there are those that fear that an exchange for so many terrorists to go free is a huge mistake that will only result in more violence and kidnappings.

The Federation would like to know what you think! Please share your thoughts with us!

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Tags: Gilad, IDF, release, Shalit