We cannot let Israel fend for herself
I was heartened to read that the world community has donated more than $1 billion for Lebanese reconstruction. No similar effort, however, is being made to assist Israel
with the billions of dollars needed to reconstruct the North and pay the associated costs of the war.
We cannot allow Israel to fend for herself. This war was initiated by Hizbullah, which is committed to Israel’s destruction. After rocket attacks and the murder of eight soldiers, Israel had to act in as decisive a manner as possible. No one in the civilized world debated Israel’s right to respond aggressively.
Hizbullah was getting increasingly stronger, even without taking into account the prospect of its sponsor, Iran, becoming nuclear-armed.
Yet, despite the defensive nature of Israel’s actions, the Jewish state has been relentlessly criticized in the media for the civilian casualties of the war. Any loss of innocent lives is regrettable. But we must remember that Hizbullah used the civilian population and villages not only as shields but also as “platforms” for launching missile attacks and as housing for its terrorist infrastructure.
Israel’s air and ground offensive was designed to minimize civilian casualties, whereas the goal of Hizbullah’s missile barrages was to maximize civilian casualties. Television viewers were horrified by the carnage in Lebanon they witnessed in the daily news coverage. Mistakes were made, but it was also demonstrated that some of the footage was fabricated by Hizbullah and its allies.
Despite the television images, we must always remember the context of how the war was initiated and the rules of engagement followed by Israel, compared to the conduct of its adversary.
That is why North American Jews must help Israel; as recent pronouncements from our enemies reveal, the fate of the Jewish people is inextricably linked to Israel.
So how can we help?
• Contribute generously to the Israel Emergency Campaign. United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ has launched the campaign as part of national UJC’s efforts to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance for trauma counseling to those confined to shelters for many weeks; for victims of the war, including fallen IDF soldiers; and for the thousands of Israelis who were injured. Thousands of businesses and buildings were damaged. We need to provide relief for those suffering economic hardship and help with vocational training for the newly unemployed. Urgent relief is also needed to rebuild communal infrastructures and to construct temporary housing while homes are rebuilt.
Israelis have opened their homes to accommodate “refugees” from the North. Philanthropists and businesses have donated millions to help meet social welfare needs. But it’s not enough. Let’s join them. Give as much as you possibly can to the IEC; make a secure on-line donation or call 973-929-3041.
• Educate the young and their parents. We encourage each synagogue to establish an Israel committee to work with MetroWest’s Israel Program Center (973-929-3054), Community Relations Committee (973-929-3064), and Partnership for Jewish Learning and Life (executive director Robert Lichtman, 973-929-2950) to disseminate materials and resources about Israel’s cause to educate students in congregational schools.
We can ensure that teachers will be trained appropriately about Israel. Committees can also be used as focal points for solidarity initiatives. Become familiar with the issues by reading Israeli publications and Web sites — for example, www.haaretz.com, www.jpost.com, www.ynetnews.com, and www.israelfm.org.
• Develop a cadre of speakers and writers for Israel. Israel is losing the media war. The MetroWest CRC is developing a speakers’ bureau and has established liaisons with the local media outlets. If you would like to be trained as a speaker or receive guidance on writing letters or op-ed pieces for the media, contact the CRC at 973-929-3064.
• Connect to Israel. We encourage each school to connect with a counterpart in northern Israel. People-to-people contacts will establish long-term friendships and relationships and reinforce for Israelis that they are not alone. Contact the Israel Program Center at 973-929-3054 to make these connections.
• Travel to Israel. For the sake of Israel’s economy and to explore the richness of Israel, visit Israel next year and show that we are there during both good and difficult times. Visit the Israel tourism Web site for more information. For additional information, contact UJA missions director Neimah Tractenberg or 973-929-3046.
• Contact elected officials and those who shape public opinion. Write letters to political leaders and other notables thanking them for their support of Israel or criticizing them for inappropriate action. For a list of elected officials, contact the CRC at 973-929-3064.
• Buy Israeli products and invest in Israeli companies and State of Israel Bonds. Visit the Israel Goods Web site.
• Talk about Israel with your friends and neighbors of all faiths.
• Help ensure a Jewish Galilee. The Galilee has been ignored for too long, and the Jewish population is perilously close to losing its majority status. While we must help Israeli Arabs and Druze — because this war affected all Israelis irrespective of religion — we have a special obligation to help ensure that the Galilee will always be part of the Jewish state, in numbers as well as in name.
If we do all of the above, we will help fulfill the Zionist dream and the talmudic dictum that all Jews are responsible one for the other, so that Israel will never have to fend for herself.
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