International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

Jerusalem march ends without incident

2009-10-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

October 6, 2009

Palestinians shout at Israeli border police officers blocking the entrance to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City on Oct. 04, 2009. (Mohammar Awad / Flash 90 / JTA)JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Restrictions on worshipers at the Temple Mount remained in place as the annual Jerusalem march took place across the city.

Some 70,000 people from around the world participated in the march Tuesday.

The parade route, which began at Ammunition Hill, went to Mount Scopus before passing several eastern Jerusalem neighborhoods on the way to Sacher Park. From there the parade is marched through downtown Jerusalem during the afternoon.

Marchers passed the eastern Jerusalem city of Silwan, surrounded by police and border guard forces, with no incidents.

Police will remained on high alert for the 51st annual march, according to reports.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said during the march that he did not believe the recent violence in the city would spark a third intifada. "We have to be able to put the violence and provocation aside. These are specific events, emanating from hubs of violence. We have to find these hubs, isolate them, stop them and move on," he said, saying a violent uprising is "unlikely and it's in no one's interest,"

The march ended without incident.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/10/06/1008338/restrictions-remain-as-jerusalem-march-begins

Jewish Agency leaders to meet Red Cross on Shalit

2009-09-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

September 16, 2009

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Jewish Agency for Israel lay leaders and community representatives will meet with the Red Cross to discuss Gilad Shalit.

At the meeting Tuesday in Washington with Gail McGovern, CEO of the American Red Cross, and Mary Werntz, the head of delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Jewish leaders will deliver hundreds of postcards and thousands of names collected on an electronic petition asking the Red Cross to continue demanding that Shalit receive the full rights of an abducted soldier under international law.

The meeting culminates several events across the United States held in honor of Shalit's 23rd birthday. The Israeli soldier was taken from Gaza by Hamas in a cross-border raid more than three years ago.

“It is important for everyone to know that the American Jewish community and all Americans of conscience deplore the situation in which the Red Cross has been denied contact or verification of condition of an abducted soldier,” said Carole Solomon, chair of the Jewish Agency North American Council. “This was a grass-roots initiative in communities from Tulsa to Tucson, Phoenix to Minneapolis. These are the voices of Americans all across the country.”

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/09/16/1007917/jewish-agency-leaders-and-community-reps-to-meet-with-red-cross

IFCJ providing for needy Israelis for the holidays

2009-09-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

September 14, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is providing $4.6 million to help needy Israelis purchase food for the High Holidays.

The evangelical group is distributing 46,000 gift cards to be used at local supermarkets at a cost of $4 million, as well as distributing 15,000 food baskets through the Latet and Colel Chabad organizations at a cost of $600,000.

"This is the largest and most far-reaching food campaign ever in the history of Israel," said Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, the group's founder and president. "While we have supported tens of thousands of people in Israel with food each year for quite a while, especially before the New Year holiday period, the number of people in need has unfortunately skyrocketed this year."

The fellowship is coordinating the food campaign, which will reach hundreds of thousands of Israelis, with welfare offices across Israel.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/09/14/1007839/ifcj-helping-hundreds-of-thousands-for-holidays

Watch this week's new Journey To Zion: The Role of Women in the Salvation and Redemption of the World

2009-09-08T08:08:00.000-07:00

Journey to Zion is a unique and exciting weekly television program that will help Christians grow in their faith as they learn about the Jewish roots of Christianity, and strengthen Jewish-Christian relations by teaching Christians about Jewish history, traditions and culture. Each 30-minute show features Fellowship founder and president Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein teaching before a live audience and exploring issues related to Israel, Jewish faith and traditions, and Jewish-Christian relations.

The Role of Women in the Salvation and Redemption of the World
Does God have a special place for women in his plan for the redemption of the world? Explore the critical role of righteous women in the Bible, and the message their stories carry for our own lives. Then, journey to the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem to study an ancient Egyptian stone carving and learn how it ties in to a well-known biblical story.

Follow this link to view this episode of Journey To Zion and previous episodes: http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/programs/journey_to_zion/second_season

NEW Return to Zion: The Jesus Boat

2009-08-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Rabbi Eckstein, these short two to five minute video programs explore many fascinating and important topics about Jewish life, the Jewish roots of Christianity, and the Bible.

The Jesus Boat
As the water in the Sea of Galilee continues to recede, more and more amazing artifacts are being uncovered. Recent discoveries have included a 1st century boat, just like the one described in the New Testament as being used by Jesus and his disciples. Gain a deeper understanding of Israel during the times of Jesus on this week's Returning to Zion.

Follow this link to view: http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/rabbi/return_to_zion

Israeli officials agree to freezing settlement construction

2009-08-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

Israeli officials freezing settlement construction
August 18, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli officials reportedly have agreed to freeze construction in the West Bank until the beginning of 2010.

JTA first reported the unofficial freeze on July 6.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Housing Minister Ariel Atias have agreed to a moratorium on building in the settlements in order to give the peace process a chance to move forward, several news outlets reported this week.

"Since the government was established five months ago, no tenders have been issued for Judea and Samaria," Atias told Israel Radio on Tuesday, echoing what officials told JTA in early July. "The fact is, we are in a holding pattern; an attempt, I believe, to reach an understanding with the U.S. administration and a comprehensive peace agreement."

Netanyahu's office has not confirmed the freeze.

The freeze reportedly includes eastern Jerusalem, according to the French news agency AFP, but Peace Now told Reuters that the building of more than 1,000 previously approved housing units is continuing.

The United States has called on Israel to halt all construction in the West Bank. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has said that the Palestinians will not agree to resume peace talks until all settlement-building activities cease.

IDF: No Israeli soldier found to be kidnapped

2009-08-14T07:13:00.000-07:00

IDF: No Israeli soldier found to be kidnapped
August 14, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A previously unknown Palestinian group's claim that it kidnapped an Israeli soldier has turned out to be false, the Israel Defense Forces says.

The Israel military conducted an internal check Thursday night and did not discover any missing servicemen, according to reports.

A group calling itself the Al Quds Army released a statement Thursday announcing the abduction of an Israeli soldier.

"A group of our resistance fighters captured a Zionist soldier near Ben-Gurion Airport and withdrew along with the soldier without incident," said the statement sent to the Palestinian news agency Ma'an. "We will provide details about the captured soldier later."

In addition, a female soldier had filed a report earlier in the day claiming she saw two people forcing a soldier into a car near an Air Force base near the international airport, the IDF spokesman said in a statement Thursday evening, according to reports.

Army and police checkpoints were set up Thursday afternoon on roads near major Israeli cities as well as in the West Bank.

Ma'an reported that a soldier made a phone call to an unnamed person claiming to have been kidnapped.

A Palestinian security official told the Israeli news outlet Ynet that the Al-Quds Army is believed to have links to Hezbollah.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/08/14/1007239/palestinian-group-claims-israeli-soldier-kidnapping

Palestinian group claims it captured Israeli soldier

2009-08-13T12:07:00.001-07:00

Palestinian group claims it captured Israeli soldier
August 13, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A previously unknown Palestinian group claims it kidnapped an Israeli soldier.

A group calling itself the Al Quds Army released a statement Thursday announcing the abduction. "A group of our resistance fighters captured a Zionist soldier near Ben-Gurion Airport and withdrew along with the soldier without incident," the statement, sent to the Palestinian news agency Ma'an, said. "We will provide details about the captured soldier later."

The Israel Defense Forces told Israeli media it is investigating the reports. The IDF spokesman said in a statement Thursday evening that a soldier had filed a report earlier in the day claiming she saw two people forcing a soldier into a car near an air force base close to the international airport, according to reports.

Army and police checkpoints were set up Thursday afternoon on roads near major Israeli cities as well as in the West Bank, according to reports.

Ma'an reported that a soldier made a phone call to an unnamed person claiming to have been kidnapped.

A Palestinian security official told the Israeli news outlet Ynet that the Al-Quds Army is believed to have links to Hezbollah.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/08/13/1007239/palestinian-group-claims-israeli-soldier-kidnapping

Sons of murdered Yemeni Jew make aliyah

2009-08-12T08:00:00.000-07:00

Sons of murdered Yemeni Jew make aliyah
August 12, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The sons of a Jewish man killed last year in Yemen have left the country for Israel, a Yemen news agency reported.

The sons of Moshe Yaish al-Nahari left Yemen on Tuesday, according to Yemen News, quoting the murdered man's brother, who serves as the chief rabbi of the district of Ridah. Naharis daughters made aliyah in December. His parents, wife, four brothers and a sister remain in Yemen.

Nahari was gunned down in December by a man who said that Yemen Jews should convert or be killed.

Harassment and threats against Jews in Yemen have increased, according to the report. About 400 Jews remain in the country.

13-year old, New Yorker donates $40,000 to Israel

2009-08-11T12:14:00.001-07:00

Bar mitzvah donates gifts for Israel park
August 11, 2009

NEW YORK (JTA) -- A 13-year-old from New York donated $40,000 to build a park in southern Israel.

Benjamin Sternklar Davis decided to give the money he received for his bar mitzvah to the town of Sderot, which has been bombarded by Kassam rockets launched from Gaza, in order to create a recreational facility for local residents, the Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported Tuesday.

"I felt bad during the war for the children of Sderot who had to go to school and come back with the constant thought they could be hit by a Kassam rocket at any given second," Benjamin said.

Sderot residents and officials participated at a reception Tuesday in the area honoring the young philanthropist's bar mitzvah, an occasion that according to Jewish tradition marks the age at which boys reach adulthood.

David Buskila, the mayor of Sderot, thanked Benjamin and gave him a decorated prayer shawl as a token of appreciation for his donation.

Israel bombs Gaza smuggling tunnel

2009-08-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

Israel bombs Gaza smuggling tunnel
August 10, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israel bombed a smuggling tunnel between Gaza and Egypt in retaliation for attacks from Gaza.

No injuries were reported in the Israeli airstrike early Monday, according to Reuters.

A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces said the attack came in response to rocket and mortar attacks from Gaza at southern Israeli communities. A Kassam rocket fired from Gaza Sunday struck an open area in the western Negev. No damage or injuries were reported.

It was the first Kassam rocket attack on Israel in nearly a month.

Later Sunday, two mortar shells fired by Gazan Palestinians landed near the Erez Crossing with Israel near ambulances that were transferring a Palestinian patient to Israel for treatment for a heart condition, according to reports. Other reports put the number of mortar shells at six.

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/08/10/1007122/kassam-hits-israel

Hamas tests upgraded rocket

2009-08-07T08:04:00.001-07:00

August 7, 2009

(JTA) -- Hamas fired two rockets into the sea near Gaza in what is being described as a test for an upgraded version of the Kassam rocket.

The mlitant group fired the rockets on Thursday to test their capabilities, Israel's daily Ma'ariv reported. The new Kassam reportedly has an increased range and could strike farther into Israel.

Since 2002, Hamas has fired thousands of rockets at Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding numerous civilians. In a three-week war with Israel last January, Hamas' rockets reached Israeli targets as far away as Beersheva, Yavneh and Kiryat Gat. There has been a steep decline in Hamas rocket fire since that war.

This article was made possible by JTA.

German police storm neo-Nazi 'camp'

2009-08-06T15:08:00.000-07:00

A neo-Nazi "youth camp," which had been set up in a debt-ridden hotel in Germany by a leading Holocaust denier, was raided by German commandos on Tuesday, hours after a court in Lower Saxony had ordered the "campers" evicted, the Telegraph reported on Thursday.

In mid-July the owner, Jens Wilhelm, tried to order the neo-Nazis out of the hotel, the reported stated. However, not only did they reject the demand, a group of their supporters stormed the building and refused to leave.

Fears that the neo-Nazi tenants were armed alerted police and German commandos to the scene. A tense stand-off ensued, with the police both keeping guard over the building while simultaneously trying to prevent a clash between neo-Nazi supporters and anti-Nazi demonstrators who also flocked to the area, the report stated.

The incident ended when police stormed the hotel after hearing what they believed to be gunshots. The Telegraph reported that several fake firearms, a concealable truncheon and pepper spray were found in the building.

Four minors who were part of the neo-Nazi camp were handed over to youth services following the raid. The remaining eight members were not arrested, and left the premises masked and hooded.

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=6301443149422627942

2009-08-05T08:08:00.000-07:00

Watch this week's NEW episode of Journey To Zion: Jewish Groups of the 1st Century.

What was Jewish life like at the time of Jesus? Explore with Rabbi Eckstein the various Jewish groups that existed in the first century. And later, you'll visit the ruins of the ancient synagogue at Capernaum, the very synagogue where Jesus taught.

Journey to Zion is a unique and exciting weekly television program that will help Christians grow in their faith as they learn about the Jewish roots of Christianity, and strengthen Jewish-Christian relations by teaching Christians about Jewish history, traditions and culture. Each 30-minute show features Fellowship founder and president Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein teaching before a live audience and exploring issues related to Israel, Jewish faith and traditions, and Jewish-Christian relations.

http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/programs/journey_to_zion/second_season?s_src=tv_journey&s_subsrc=JEW0900XXEXXX

Report: Netanyahu freezes Jerusalem construction project

2009-07-30T07:30:00.001-07:00

Report: Netanyahu freezes Jerusalem construction project
July 30, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israel's prime minister has frozen a construction project in an eastern Jerusalem suburb.

The 900-apartment project in Pisgat Ze'ev, which is located outside the Green Line on land annexed by Israel in what is considered eastern Jerusalem, was ordered stopped by Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Channel 10 reported late Wednesday.

The report of the order came a day after Netanyahu met with U.S. envoy to the Middle East George Mitchell, who reportedly pressed the prime minister on the settlements issue.

Article provided by JTA

A Lesson for Tisha Be'Av

2009-07-30T07:28:00.001-07:00

Today commemorates the national day of mourning for the Jewish people. Read on...

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1248277926000

Journey through the Scriptures

2009-07-29T07:34:00.000-07:00

Join us and Journey through the Scriptures: Psalms of Comfort and Hope

Hymns from Israel’s ‘Song Book’ That Will Strengthen, Bless, and Encourage God’s People

Lessons
The Shepherd and His Flock
A Cry for Mercy
Confidence in the Lord
Who Is There to Fear?
Light in the Darkness
A Mature Person of God
The House of the Lord

http://www.ifcj.org/site/PageNavigator/eng/rabbi/jtts/jtts_psalms_c_h

Emotions rise at rally in Israel

2009-07-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Ignore U.S. on settlements, protesters cry at rally
July 27, 2009

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- About 1,000 right-wing activists at a Jerusalem rally called on Israel to ignore the U.S. demand to freeze settlement activity.

The demonstration Monday night outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence also called on visiting U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell to "go home."

The demonstrators also marched carrying torches from Jerusalem's Paris Square to the U.S. Consulate.

"We are here to call on the government to fend off U.S. pressure to halt construction in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem," said Danny Dayan, chairman of the Yesha Council settlers' umbrella group. "Not one construction plan has been approved since the inception of Netanyahu's government, yet the bulldozers are being readied to raze outposts."

Earlier Monday, young right-wing activists attempted to set up new outposts throughout the West Bank. Evening news programs showed police disbanding groups of teens from various locations.

This article was made possible by the JTA staff.

The Fellowship helps Israel's Youth at Risk through ELEM Van program

2009-07-27T10:26:00.001-07:00

ELEM GALA TOUTS ITS SUCCESS IN RESCUING ISRAEL’S YOUTH AT RISK
JULY 24, 2009

By Masha Leon

 “Who could believe this happened in Israel?!” ELEM/America president Ann Bialkin said at the organization’s June 17 gala, held at the Jewish Museum. “When ELEM — Youth In Distress in Israel started 27 years ago in America, its founders… could not believe the number of young people who were in court because of criminal acts! At least 300,000 Israeli youth [15% of Israel’s population] is at risk — alienated; vulnerable; victims of drugs, dysfunctional families.”

She credited ELEM’s multifaceted outreach programs with “linking them back to family, community and country.” Bialkin noted: “Despite the severe economic crisis, we have raised over $450,000 tonight and heard from Israel that we will receive $1 million for next year from The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews for our van program, which travels all over Israel every night of the week.” Asaf Shariv, Israel’s consul general, offered welcoming greetings. Michael Corriero, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York, and Bialkin’s husband, Ken Bialkin, a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP , presented awards to the gala’s honorees: the Honorable Judith Kaye (retired), chief judge of the State of New York, and Phyllis Korff, a Skadden, Arps partner.

Hosted by NBC News’ legal analyst, Dan Abrams, CEO of Abrams Research, the dinner’s three co-chairs were Abrams’s father, Floyd Abrams, of Cahill, Gordon & Reindel LLP, whom late senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan called “the most significant First Amendment lawyer of our age”; Joseph Flom, senior partner at Skadden, Arps, and Bernard Nussbaum, senior litigation partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz. From 1993 to 1994, Nussbaum served as counsel to the president of the United States. A supervisor at an ELEM center in Rehovot, Dana Kohn, described the case of one of its clients, “a 15-year-old girl [who fled her home], ended up living with a 60-year-old man with whom she had to sleep.” Then the man “brought more men to sleep with her….The girl called the police and was rescued. Since then, she has undergone treatment, was involved in computer studies but,” Kohn stressed,” the most effective therapeutic Bialkin also alluded to Israel’s historic convulsions as contributing factors to the juvenile distress that ELEM encounters.

“When we began to work with the larger problem of alienated youth, dysfunctional families, drugs, incest, school dropouts, living on the street, we began to realize that Israeli youth were not only struggling to mature into proper adulthood, but [that] Israeli children were living in a constant state of siege. Since the moment of its birth and ever since, [Israel] has been subjected to war, vicious acts of hostility and aggression…exploding bombs, shrapnel-filled vests bombs and mortar shells. These were not only maiming, killing and destroying homes, but causing less visible damage — a [ripple effect] impacting on the developing minds of Israeli youth. So many young people in Israel feel powerless, helpless, frightened. They have lost trust in the ability of adults to protect them, and with that loss of trust comes the abandonment of hope and denial of aspirations…. And so ELEM will continue, as it has in the past, to reach out to troubled youth, one by one.”

Reporting the Truth

2009-07-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Breaking the Silence, supposedly a "human rights" organization, suffers from a lack of credibility. They publish anonymous "testimonies" about alleged abuses of the IDF during Operation Cast Lead, and are using these rumors to promote their anti-Israel agenda. The IDF is not pleased:

The IDF Spokesperson Unit regrets the fact that yet another human rights organization is presenting to Israel and the world a report based on anonymous and general testimonies, without investigating their details or credibility. Furthermore, this organization denied the IDF the minimal decency of presenting the report to the IDF and allowing it to investigate the testimonies prior to the report's publication. This was done while defaming and slandering the IDF and its commanders.

To read more: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2009/Reaction_to_Breaking_Silence_report_15_Jul_2009.htm

Why Khaled Abu Toameh writes for a Jewish newspaper

2009-07-23T12:30:00.001-07:00

Over at AISH, there's a fascinating article about the courageous Israeli-Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, who does great work reporting on events in the West Bank and Gaza for the Jerusalem Post and other media outlets:

Most of the world believes, often with passionate intensity, that Jewish settlements on land claimed by Arabs limits the chances for peace. Abu Toameh disagrees. "I wish the settlements were the problem," he says, because it can be solved by the Israelis. If settlements were the problem, he argues, then Gaza would now be at peace. After all, the Israelis pulled out in 2005. But the result has been war -- war among the Palestinians, war with Israel. "The real obstacle to peace is not a Jew building a settlement but the failure of the Palestinians to have a government. Is there a partner on the Palestinian side for peace talks? No."

Welfare and Social Services Minister Isaac Herzog said he will continue supporting Ethiopian aliyah

2009-05-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

Herzog vows further support for Falash Mura aliya

May. 4, 2009
Ruth Eglash , THE JERUSALEM POST
Welfare and Social Services Minister Isaac Herzog said on Monday he will continue to support immigration from Ethiopia, despite a section in the 2009 Economic Arrangements Bill that could stem the flow of the Falash Mura community to Israel because it is considered too costly.

During a visit to the country's largest absorption center in Mevaseret Zion, Herzog told The Jerusalem Post he had always supported aliya from the East African nation and that he planned to speak out against any decision that would end it.

The section in the bill that deals with the Falash Mura - whose Jewish ancestors converted to Christianity under duress more than a century ago - calls for a reversal of last September's cabinet decision that promised to check the eligibility for aliya of some 3,000 people.

Advocates for the Falash Mura hoped that last year's decision would pave the way for the government to assess the eligibility of thousands of additional people, most of whom are currently based in Gondar, who want the chance to prove that they fit government criteria for aliya laid out in 2003. Many of them already have close family members living here.

At Sunday's weekly cabinet meeting, 20 of the government's 30 ministers voiced approval for the Economic Arrangements Bill, which is expected to meet with heavy criticism when it is reviewed in the Knesset later this week .

However, Herzog, who said on Sunday that his party, Labor, would oppose the proposed budget, told the Post no official draft has yet been distributed to lawmakers.

"Except for the copy that appeared on [MK] Shelly [Yacimovich]'s Web site last week, we have not even officially seen the bill," he said.

This article can also be read at http://www.jpost.com /servlet/Satellite?cid=1239710863135&pagename=JPArticle%2FShowFull
[ Back to the Article ]

JPost.com At Durban II: A shift is needed on American campuses

2009-04-23T10:44:00.000-07:00

Thursday Apr 23, 2009
At Durban II: A shift is needed on American campuses

http://cgis.jpost.com/Blogs/durbanII/entry/a_shift_is_needed_on

We must all thank Ahmadinejad for legitimating our long-said message to the world.

For too long, Israel has been singled out by the United Nations: the special committees established to investigate the actions of Israel and only Israel; the endless resolutions passed against Israel; the special status granted to Palestinian refugees, which allows them to remain refugees despite being citizens of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and yes, Switzerland too.

I spoke with a Palestinian refugee just the other day who had citizenship in Canada before moving to Switzerland, where he now resides as a full citizen.

And yes, he is still considered a refugee (by the oblique and unique definition reserved solely for Palestinian refugees but not the millions of Jewish refugees expelled from the Arab world). Yes, he still receives American tax-dollars, European tax-dollar and Israeli tax-dollars, which are funneled through the UNRWA (United Nations Relief Works Agency). However, he is lucky that he is a male refugee, and that his father was a male refugee because refugee status is patrilineal: if his mother had been a refugee and married a non-refugee, he would not be considered a refugee. Shocking that the United Nations tolerates (funds!) such overt gender discrimination. Don't believe me? Read James Lindsay's (former general counsel and legal advisor to the UNRWA) scathing exposé of this organization, entitled "Fixing the UNRWA," available free online.

But let me tell you a different story because the story of the United Nations disregard for evenhandedness and justice is getting old. I want the world to know that this week, the Jewish people and the real victims of this world won a Pyrrhic victory. And I believe it was largely because of the students and activist groups who were present at this conference, who made their presence known and their voices heard (Why didn't more organizations from America send students to protest this debacle!?). After all, it was the clown who made the cover of every newspaper in the world, whose message was simple enough and profound enough to expose the masquerade of Durban II to the whole world - politicians and laymen alike. Of course, the countries who walked out during Ahmadinejad's speech should be commended but their action should have been compulsory.

During my time spent with the European Union of Jewish Students (especially the French students), I have seen a passion for action that shames the campus activism in America, where a real and unjust war is being waged against Israel. Yes, there are exceptional students in America who do great things but sadly, such characters are rare. The EUJS students are not concerned with "not sounding politically correct" or "being ostracized by the larger community" because they fervently believe in the political correctness of their message.

There must be a paradigm shift on campuses across America: Jewish students need to stop being complacent, remaining silent and acting cowardly when libelous events like Israel Apartheid Week (IAW) sprout up on campus. When the charade that is IAW began, it was unknown; now, it is on more than seventy-five campuses. Why is there no American Union of Jewish Students uniting nationwide to combat this farce? Why are there no students ready to dress up as clowns, peacefully disrupt and expose the parody of IAW? There must be a revolution on the American campus, composed of creative students who are both human rights advocates and defenders of Israel.

I want to begin this much-needed revolution. Tomorrow at 12PM to 1PM (Friday April 24th) in New York City, I have called for a protest at the United Nations (being organized on very short notice by my admirable friends). Everyone should wear clown wigs and red noses to symbolize the masquerade that was Durban II. Silence has never been an effective message and it must never be our message; I hope that we will remain silent no more.

Ten Jews from Yemen arrive in Israel today

2009-02-19T14:32:00.000-08:00

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Ten Jews from Yemen arrive in Israel today

In a clandestine operation, the Jewish Agency for Israel brings a community leader and his family

Some 280 Jews remain in Yemen, under increasing threat from Al Qaeda groups

In a special Jewish Agency aliyah operation, ten new immigrants from Yemen arrived in Israel today (Thursday, February 19). The immigrants included Sayid Ben Yisrael, a leader of the 200-strong Jewish community in Raida, Yemen, his wife and their seven children, and another Yemenite Jew.

After landing in Israel, the Ben Yisrael family travelled with Jewish Agency staff to Beit Shemesh, where they will settle. The other new immigrant will be going to the Jewish Agency’s Ye'elim Absorption Center in Beersheva. Yemenite families will receive a special grant of $10,000 when they arrive in Israel.

To date, there are 280 Jews still in Yemen, about 230 in the city of Raida and 50 in the capital of Sanaa, who moved there after their town came under attack by terrorists associated with Al Qaeda. While Yemenite Jews have the special protection of the Yemenite President Ali Abdallah Salah, there have been growing harassment and attacks on Jews in recent years. These events climaxed with the December 10 murder of Moshe Yaish-Nahiri, father of nine and Hebrew teacher in the local school, who was shot dead near his home in Raida by a Muslim fundamentalist. In response, the Yemenite government paid to relocate the city’s Jews to the capital of Sanaa in January to better protect the community, but some Jews were refusing to move, according to a Yemenite news report, fearing it put them at yet greater danger.

Working through several clandestine channels to ensure the safety of both those who chose to come and those who chose to stay, the Jewish Agency launched a special operation to bring Yemenite Jewish community members to Israel.
Rescuing Jews from persecution and ensuring their safety and success in Israel is a core mission of the Jewish Agency, said Aliyah Department Director Eli Cohen, who welcomed the new arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport. "The Jewish Agency is working continuously to ensure the safety of the Yemenite Jewish community in light of recent events. We will strive to bring as many Jews as possible who are interested in moving to Israel from Yemen as quickly as possible.”

Credit for all photos: Sasson Tiram / Jewish Agency for Israel

The Jewish Agency is supported by founding constituent partners: Keren Hayesod, United Jewish Communities and Jewish federations around the world; and primary funders: Keren Hayesod, United Jewish Communities and major Jewish Federations in North America, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.

God's grace and stories of miracles

2009-01-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

Words from Yael's Corner
For more visit www.ifcj.org

January 19, 2009

I woke up this morning to the somewhat expected news that Israel has declared a unilateral cease-fire in the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip.I personally have mixed feelings about a cease-fire.But what really touched me was how the Israeli government implemented the decision. Instead of convening the security cabinet on Friday, the Jewish Sabbath, they waited until sundown on Saturday in order to make this crucial decision after God's commanded day of rest concluded.

Throughout the three week war in Gaza we have seen miracles which have assured us that God is with the Jewish people in this war for her survival. Even in the crowded Gaza Strip, where our brave young soldiers were repeatedly under attack by Hamas terrorists, we maintained a relatively low casualty rate.This can only be attributed to the grace of God. And in the seven years that Hamas has fired over 7,000 rockets at Israel's southern towns, most of them have landed in open fields and streets. Again, there is no natural explanation for this -- it is the work of God.The Jewish people are the apple of God's eye and we see how important we are to Him by the cloud of glory with which he surrounds us. That is why it made me so proud of my country when Israel convened the security cabinet after the Jewish Sabbath ended, in order to show proper respect, thanks, and recognition to God after the wonders that He has performed for His nation.

The war in Gaza began during Hanukkah, which everyone knows as the holiday of miracles -- the small can of olive oil which should have only lasted for one day that ended up burning for eight, and the small number of Maccabees who prevailed against the far greater number of soldiers of the mighty Greeks. The energy of Hanukkah was carried on throughout the war in Gaza and God sent both open and hidden miracles to inspire, encourage, and protect His nation during our fearful time of war. Just yesterday, on Shabbat, a rocket struck and destroyed a Synagogue near Ofakim, less than 10 minutes after the worshippers departed for home after concluding the morning prayers. Revealed miracles like this happened every day here in the Holy Land.

There are many miracle stories that the soldiers returning from Gaza are publicly recounting, yet one story I read stood out above the rest. There was a group of soldiers going house to house in Gaza looking for terrorists. As they entered one house, a woman approached and told them that the house was booby-trapped and they should run out immediately. They complied and 30 seconds later the house exploded. The soldiers went to the next house where the same woman approached and told them to run. Thirty seconds later the house exploded. She then led them to a house where she said high ranking terrorists were hiding and in fact she was correct.

When the soldiers asked the old lady how she knew all of these things she simply answered that she is our biblical foremother Rachel and was sent to watch out for the soldiers. She then walked away and was never seen again. According to many different accounts from the soldiers this story is true, yet whether you choose believe it or not, there is a lesson to be learned -- when we put our faith in God He will reveal Himself.

The chances for this cease-fire to succeed look remote at this moment. It has not even been 12 hours since the cease-fire was implemented and there have already been 9 Hamas rockets fired at southern Israeli towns. Hamas has vowed to continue fighting Israel and there have yet to be any resolutions put in place to halt the arms smuggling from Egypt into Gaza, which is one of the largest problems we face.
Although there are many factors which could point to this being just another failed peace initiative, we Israelis have been trained to believe in miracles and put trust in our democratically elected government. Together we all stand firm in our desire for peace and will continue to jump on every opportunity to attain it. We know that through prayer and faithfulness to God nothing is impossible -- even the elusive vision of peace in the Holy Land.