EBulletin for January 6, 2017
Shalom ZOA Members, Friends and Supporters of Israel,
Saturday evening until Sunday evening is the 10th of Tevet on the Jewish calendar, a date when Jews remember the besieging of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 588 BCE.
From sunrise to sunset (in other words, daylight hours this Sunday), observant Jews fast.
While today Israel and Jerusalem are not faced with a military occupation — thank G-d — we can and should reflect on the fact that the world, through the United Nations Security Council, is trying to split a unified Jerusalem and to deprive the Jewish People of our holiest sites in Jerusalem.
Yesterday we sent out an Action Alert about UNSC 2334 including a fact sheet exposing the lies in the text of the resolution. It is vitally important to expose these lies and simultaneously to convey the truth about Jerusalem, and also to do our utmost to prevent the Security Council member-nations from taking further action which jeopardizes Jerusalem, Israel and the Jewish People.
If you did not receive the Action Alert, please contact us and we will email it to you. It is available on our Facebook page now, and it will be posted to our Web site later today.
ZOA’s 120th Anniversary Purim Mission
Time is running short to register for National ZOA’s special mission to Israel over Purim.
Take advantage of this opportunity to experience Israel as only you can with ZOA.
The mission is chock full of special moments such as attending the ceremony for the issuing of a new Israeli postage stamp commemorating our milestone anniversary, exclusive briefings with a variety of experts, touring through Judea and Samaria, and the joy of handing misloach manot gifts to the men and women of the IDF while visiting multiple IDF bases.
For all details about the mission including itinerary and pricing, go to: http://zoa.org/zoa-israel-mission-2017/
If you would like to speak to someone about the mission, please call our Office at 610-660-9466.
Note: We have 15 schools from throughout our region (from as far away as York, PA and Scranton as well as South Jersey) that have agreed to participate in this project. Is your school participating? Please ask your school to participate if they are not already. We are also looking for letters and cards from individual Jewish youth.
We have already received letters from Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy students, and from students at Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom in Wyomissing, PA – thank you!
If you are already a member, please make sure your annual dues are up-to-date. If you are not sure, contact us and we will check and let you know. It may be time to renew your membership. Please resolve to become more active in Greater Philadelphia ZOA. This is your organization.
You can also invite your friends or relatives to join Philadelphia ZOA, and additionally, you can purchase a gift membership for a loved one.
You can join or renew online by clicking the donate/join link above. Or you can call us at: 610-660-9466.
We value each and every member!
Out & About
Greater Philadelphia ZOA Co-President Lee Bender and Media Committee Chairman Jerry Verlin will be speaking at an adult education class this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. at Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El. Their topic will be: “Anti-Israel Media Bias Exposed, Combating Pejorative Terms, Its Causes and Fighting Back”
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Lee Bender quoted extensively in Jewish Exponent article:
Locals React to U.S. Abstention at UN Vote
Lee Bender, co-president of the ZOA-Greater Philadelphia District, called the vote “a betrayal of the worst kind.”
“To intentionally not veto a resolution which calls for Jewish homes on the cradle of our ancient Jewish civilizations and the Temple Mount, the Jewish Quarter, the Mount of Olives, where Jews have been buried for over 3,000 years — to say that’s occupied territory is an outrage,” he said.
He described the abstention as an intentional insult from the outgoing Obama administration that completely “warps” the idea of peace.
“The only thing that Israel has to negotiate — if you’re talking about land for peace — is land. And now the U.N. says this is not Israel’s land to begin with,” he said.
The resolution is in violation of Security Council Resolution 242, said Bender, which provided that “after the Six-Day War, Israel did not have to give back all territories.” It also violates the Oslo Accords, which said that “both sides have to engage in negotiations,” Bender added.
In contrast to Obama and the U.N., Bender praised Netanyahu as a “real leader” for taking diplomatic action against some of the countries that promoted the resolution.
“ZOA has, for years, foreseen this potential outcome with the Obama administration,” he added. “What is really upsetting as an American — not just as a Jew — is to see an administration that’s completely unaccountable.
“[This resolution] can’t be undone so easily.”
Read the full article at: http://jewishexponent.com/2017/01/05/locals-react-u-s-abstention-un-vote/
Help Your Fellow Congregants and Community Become Better-Informed:
Prefer a More Informal Gathering to Discuss Israel and the Middle East?
Upcoming Event of Interest:
ZOA Praises U.S. Senators and Reps for Condemning UNSC 2334 and Kerry’s Anti-Israel Speech; and for Pledging to Stop U.S. Funding of the UN, PA, and Nations Who Voted For UNSC Res. 2334
| Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:
The ZOA praises the many U.S. Senators and Representatives who condemned UN Security Council Resolution 2334; the Obama administration’s involvement in the resolution’s passage; and/or U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s December 28th anti-Israel speech. (See “ZOA: Kerry’s Speech Ignored the Facts and Endangers Israel’s Safety and Security,” Dec. 28, 2016. Kerry’s speech “doubled down” on UNSC 2334, and promoted additional anti-Israel policies that endanger innocent Israeli civilians’ safety, including lifting Israel’s weapons blockade on Gaza and security checkpoints.) ZOA also praises all those Congresspersons who pledged to take strong action, including cutting off U.S. funding to the UN, the Palestinian Authority and nations that voted for UNSC 2334. Here are a few examples of these praiseworthy bi-partisan Congresspersons’ statements committing to action (in alphabetical order): Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark): The ZOA praises Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark) for his statements condemning UNSC 2334 and Kerry’s December 28th anti-Israel speech. Immediately following UNSC Res. 2334’s passage, Sen. Cotton said: |
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| “President Obama is personally responsible for this anti-Israel resolution. His diplomats secretly coordinated the vote, yet he doesn’t even have the courage of his own convictions to vote for it. This cowardly, disgraceful action cements President Obama’s richly deserved legacy as the most anti-Israel president in American history. This resolution hurts the prospects for a secure and just peace by targeting Israel for building homes in Jerusalem, its own capital, while not specifically addressing Palestinian incitement of and financial support for terrorism. . . . As a Security Council resolution with the imprimatur of the United States, this resolution surpasses even the infamous “Zionism is Racism” General Assembly resolution in its irrational obsession with the Jewish state. The United States provides considerable financial assistance to the United Nations and Security Council members. The UN and nations supporting this resolution have now imperiled all forms of U.S. assistance. I look forward to working with President-elect Trump and members of both parties in Congress to decide what the consequences for this action will be.” (“Cotton Condemns Obama For Failing To Veto Anti-Israel UN Security Council Resolution,” Dec. 23, 2016.)
Also, after Kerry’s speech, Senator Cotton appropriately blasted the Obama administration on Fox News Sunday, and explained that “settlements” (a euphemism for Jewish communities, towns and cities) are not the problem; the reason for lack of peace is the Palestinian-Arabs’ refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. Here is the transcript: FOX NEWS HOST (Shannon Bream): “. . . You [Senator Cotton] said this . . . about the U.N. vote, “This cowardly disgraceful action cements President Obama’s richly deserved legacy as the most anti-Israel president in American history.” . . .” SEN. COTTON: “Well, I think the last week has been a fitting punctuation mark on eight years of Barack Obama’s presidency. First he abstained at the United Nations in the same way he abstained from leadership in the world for eight years. And second, he was much harsher on his allies than his adversaries.” “At root, the problem that we face in the Holy Land is not Israelites building new neighborhoods around Jerusalem. It’s the Palestinians refuse to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state in the Holy Land. Until they do that, there won’t be a peace agreement between the two peoples.” FOX NEWS HOST: “Benjamin Netanyahu reacted to Secretary Kerry’s speech and he made a very specific allegation. Here’s a bit of what he said.” PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU (on video clip): “We have it on absolutely incontestable evidence that the United States organized, advanced and brought this resolution to the United Nations Security Council. We’ll share that information with the incoming administration. Some of it is sensitive. It’s all true.” FOX NEWS HOST: “But you said that President Obama is personally responsible for that U.N. resolution. Quote, “His diplomats secretly coordinated the vote.” Are you privy to evidence? What do you base that claim on?” SEN. COTTON: “No, I’m not privy to what Prime Minister Netanyahu is speaking about, but anyone with an ounce of common sense knows how the real world works and knows how the United Nations Security Council works. Senegal and Malaysia, some of the countries that sponsor this resolution, don’t call the shots there. If Barack Obama and John Kerry and Samantha Power hadn’t been speaking for months about the prospect of this resolution and had not been creating a climate inside the Security Council to let it come forward without firmly saying we will veto any one-sided anti-Israel resolution, no country would have brought that resolution forward. It only could have been brought forward and passed with explicit United States coordination with other members of the Security Council.” (“Cotton Talks US-Israel Relations,” Fox News Sunday transcript, Jan. 1, 2017.) Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX): ZOA praises Senator Cruz for his prompt commitment to cut off UN funding to obtain reversal of UNSC 2234. Senator Cruz tweeted: “Spoke w/ Israeli PM @netanyahu tonight to wish him Happy Chanukah & assure him of strong support in Congress. No US $ for UN until reversed.” (✔@tedcruz 6:35 PM – 24 Dec 2016.) Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY): ZOA praises Eliot Engel for criticizing UNSC 2234 and Kerry’s speech, and for stating that he will work with Trump administration to attempt to undo the damage. Here are excerpts from Cong. Engel’s Fox News appearance: Cong. Engel: “[W]hat Secretary Kerry did was just beat up on Israel in a disproportionate way [and] sort of gloss over the terrorism that the Palestinians have used throughout these years. [He] neglects the fact that Israel picked up and left Gaza, left all the settlements there. Did they get peace for that? No, they got terrorism. . . . The United Nations [is a place] where Israel can’t get a fair shake. We joined the crowd beating up on Israel. It’s really disingenuous to say we abstained. We abstained knowing full well what that abstention meant. It meant that the resolution would pass. . . .” Fox News Host: “Can you work with President-elect Trump, who says he will be a staunch ally of Israel?” Cong. Engel: I will work with anyone to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. . . . If President Trump is working with us on Israel, I’m perfectly happy to work with the President of the United States. . . . “By the way, I didn’t hear very much from John Kerry about what the Palestinians need to do.” (“Top Dems Turn on Kerry Over Israel Speech,” Fox News, Dec. 29, 2016.) Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC): ZOA praises Senator Graham for stating that he will lead efforts to defund the UN and the nations that backed UNSC 2334. Senator Graham stated: “This provocative action by the United Nations is an outrage and must be dealt with sternly and forcefully. As the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Foreign Operations of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I oversee the United States assistance to the United Nations. The United States is currently responsible for approximately 22 percent of the United Nations total budget. If the United Nations moves forward with the ill-conceived resolution, I will work to form a bipartisan coalition to suspend or significantly reduce United States assistance to the United Nations. In addition, any nation which backs this resolution and receives assistance from the United States will put that assistance in jeopardy. There is a reason the United States has long opposed these type efforts directed at Israel — the only way to achieve a lasting peace by the parties negotiating directly and not using the United Nations as a blunt instrument against Israel.” (“Graham on United Nations Resolution on Israeli Settlements,” Dec. 23, 2016.) Following Kerry’s speech, Senator Graham also explained that Hamas (which is part of the PA government) makes peace impossible, saying: “Almost forty percent of the Palestinian population lives under the control of Hamas – one of the most vicious terrorist groups on the planet. I wish Secretary Kerry and President Obama would stop pushing Israel to negotiate against themselves. The only way the peace process can be restarted is for the Palestinians to hold elections and be governed by a single entity that rejects terrorism. That is not the current situation and until that day arrives, pushing Israel to restart the peace process is folly.” (“Graham Reacts to Secretary Kerry’s Remarks on the Path to Middle East Peace,” Dec. 28 2016.) Senator James Lankford (R-Okla): ZOA praises Senator Lankford for “retweeting” and agreeing with Senator Lindsey Grahan’s plan to cut UN funding. In his retweet, Senator Lankford stated: “As a member of the Foreign Ops Subcmte on Approps, I agree. UN funding should be up for discussion if the anti #Israel resolution is approved.” (@SenatorLankford 8:57 AM – 23 Dec 2016) Senator Lankford also tweeted: “Anti #Israel resolutions like the one passed today at the #UNSC do nothing but hurt the prospects for peace in the region.” (@SenatorLankford 12:18 p.m. – 23 Dec 2016) Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla): ZOA praises Senator Rubio for also promptly stating that he will work to assure that U.S. dollars do not fund anti-Israel efforts. Sen. Rubio stated: “With yesterday’s abstention, President Obama has aided and abetted radical, anti-Semitic forces at the U.N. and cemented his legacy as the most anti-Israel U.S. president in history . . . I intend to work with the incoming administration to ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars do not continue to fund efforts to isolate the Jewish state of Israel.”(“Rubio: President Obama Cements Legacy as Most Anti-Israel U.S. President in History,” Dec. 24, 2017.) ZOA regrets that this is an incomplete list. We appreciate every single Congressperson who condemned UNSC Res. 2334 and Kerry’s speech, and who has committed to action, or will take action to reverse the horrendous anti-Israel resolution. |
ZOA Expresses Solidarity With Reform’s Hebrew Union College, Cincinnati, After HUC Defaced By Swastika
Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton A. Klein released the following statement:
The ZOA sends our heartfelt support to the administration, faculty, staff, students and alumni of Reform Judaism’s academic center at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) in Cincinnati. ZOA is saddened and appalled that a swastika was painted on the sign at the entrance to the HUC-JIR campus earlier this week. Defacing a Jewish school with a swastika is hateful and offensive. It is calculated to frighten and cause pain to the relatives of the six million innocent Jewish men, women and children murdered by the Nazis.
Thankfully, HUC-JIR was able to promptly remove the paint and repair the sign, and the authorities are investigating the incident. (“Statement By Rabbi Aaron Panken, Ph.D., President, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute Of Religion,” Jan. 3, 2016.)
Unfortunately, there have been way too many anti-Semitic incidents and attacks during recent years, both in the United States and around the world. According to the FBI’s hate crime statistics, Jews are by far the major target of religious hate crimes: there were 731 victims of anti-Jewish hate crimes in the U.S. in 2015; 648 victims of anti-Jewish hate crimes in the U.S. in 2014; and 737 victims of anti-Jewish hate crimes in the U.S. in 2013. (Victims include institutions such as HUC-JIR, as well as individuals, etc.).
ZOA stands in solidarity with HUC-JIR and with all victims of anti-Jewish hatred. We must continue to stand together to combat the baseless scourge of anti-Semitism.
JPost: ZOA Condemns French Conference Promoting Terror State Endangering Israel
By Danielle Ziri
| In the aftermath of the UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity, American Jewish organizations expressed their strong opposition to the Middle East peace conference expected to take place on January 15 in Paris. Some 70 countries are expected to attend the summit, organized at the initiative of French President François Hollande.
Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the conference proposal, making clear he would agree to meet with Hollande and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for talks, but only if there is no international summit. Leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations called this week for the French to cancel or, at least, postpone what they called an “ill-conceived, poorly timed and damaging” event. “Now is a time for serious reflection on how peace can best be achieved, not for another sham forum in which the usual one-sided outcomes against Israel are the likeliest result,” the group wrote in a statement. “Given the significant issues that were raised in the past week which have long term implications for the prospects for peace, proper preparation after serious consultation is essential.” According to the Conference of Presidents, there are a number of compelling reasons to postpone the Paris event, including the impending transition to a new US administration, just five days later. |
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| “It makes no sense that the next administration is precluded from participating in a discussion of an essential component of US foreign policy with which it will be engaged,” they explained. “Possible outcomes would add further uncertainty that will harm future prospects while unnecessarily inserting a new element of instability to the region.” The Conference of Presidents also urged the US to announce that it will not participate on January 15 in light of recent events, and further called on leaders of all the invited countries to “work to cancel the Paris meeting and refocus on the parties coming together for direct negotiations.
“Israel has long sought direct talks, it is time for the Palestinian leaders to stop evading their responsibility and seeking to use international fora to avoid the only true path to a lasting peace,” they added. American Jewish Committee CEO David Harris also told The Jerusalem Post he “can’t see any possible reason to hold the Paris conference, all the more so days ahead of a change in US administrations.” “History has amply shown that it’s not the way to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process,” he said. Anything other than bilateral talks, Harris added, “simply convinces the Palestinians they can avoid the face-to-face bargaining table, while persuading the Israelis they’re dealing both with Palestinian avoidance and international mischief in the guise of ‘do-gooderism.’” Regardless of recent events at the United Nations, Zionist Organization of America national President Morton Klein added the conference is “a disgrace” because it promotes “the establishment of a Hamas/Fatah terror state whose two charters call for Israel’s destruction. “Peace is not possible while the Palestinian Authority [President] Mahmoud Abbas promotes murdering Jews in his speeches, media, and schools,” he told the Post. “When you combine the Paris conference and the UN actions along with the Islamic terror state Iran receiving $150 billion and a pathway to nuclear weapons, the world is clearly working to endanger Israel’s very existence.” This article was published by JPost and may be found here. |
