The Newsletter: February 15, 2019 Edition
Shalom ZOA Members, Friends and Supporters of Israel,
During the past week, Greater Philadelphia ZOA has gotten many calls from people who are concerned about the growing anti-Jewish and anti-Israel climate and actions. We have been asked mostly about Temple University Professor Marc Lamont Hill and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar. ZOA has issued extensive reports on both of these individuals and we will continue to aggressively expose and combat their efforts to hurt the Jewish community and the Jewish State, and the same goes for others who act similarly. This is what ZOA does.
Many of you have asked us what you can do. We thank you for your interest in taking on advocacy. On our Website www.philly.zoa.org are a number of advocacy resources and tips – but often each situation needs to be dealt with in a specific way. One of the features on our Web site is “Effective Strategic Advocacy.” If offers general guidelines about advocacy that can make a difference. Please take advantage of what we have prepared. Please share this information with your friends, email contacts and on social media – and please let them know that this comes from ZOA. Essentially local issues need a local response while national issues require both a local and a national response.
You can help ZOA educate many people at once by hosting an event with ZOA speakers. It can be a large event in a synagogue or a community room, or it can be a small, informal event in a home or apartment. We will help people understand the issues, the particulars of individual situations, how best to respond – and how to be pro-active!
Please see the graphics below to help you to navigate our Web site for this information.
We look forward to hearing from you at 610-660-9466 or [email protected].
Click on images to enlarge
Advocacy Resources Updated
We have updated several of the advocacy resources on our Web site and also added new materials. There updated “Contacting Lawmakers”, “Contacting Leaders” and “Contacting the Media” lists to reflect changes in the House and Senate, the administration and media outlets. Please make these resources a regular part of your pro-Israel advocacy and make your friends and social-media contacts aware of them as well. Please also see and use our many other advocacy resources. All are available at: http://philly.zoa.org/
Be a Part of the ZOA Family!
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https://www.facebook.com/greaterphiladelphiazoa/
Please visit and “like” Greater Philadelphia ZOA on Facebook – and encourage your friends to do likewise!
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For details, or to become a Donor Society member, please call Greater Philadelphia ZOA Executive Director Steve Feldman at 610-660-9466.
There IS Only One ZOA – Help Us Do Even More!
Does anti-Israel mean anti-Jew? | Stu Bykofsky
Minn. congresswoman’s controversial criticism of the Jewish state makes the question timely.
Updated: February 12, 2019 – 5:05 PM
Can you be anti-Israel without being anti-Semitic, or are the two so tightly entwined as to be inseparable?
The question arises after Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar said support for Israel in Congress is bought and paid for. It was not Omar’s first anti-Israel comment, and she did apologize after being tarred as an anti-Semite on social media. But is being anti-Israel actually synonymous with being anti-Semitic?
“They are the same,” says Steve Feldman, executive director of the Zionist Organization of America’s Philadelphia district. A ferocious defender of Israel, Feldman says of Omar: “I believe she is anti-Jewish.”
I differ with Feldman, because I can’t read Omar’s mind. I find charges of anti-Semitism — and racism — to be so serious that they require indisputable proof. Omar knows she’s having a bad week when she is scolded by Nancy Pelosi, hears a demand she resign from President Donald Trump, and wins support from Holocaust denier and ex-KKK leader David Duke.
Read the entire article at:
What’s in a name? Hebrew origins of Palestinian Arab towns in Judea-Samaria
By Lee Bender
With the approval of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2334, which declares as illegal any Israeli presence beyond the 1967 so-called Green Line, including the Old City of Jerusalem, its Temple Mount (Judaism’s holiest site) and the Mount of Olives cemetery where Jews have been burying their dead for more than 3,000 years, and an earlier UNESCO resolution disassociating the Jewish people from Jerusalem and other holy sites, one wonders how the United Nations and UNESCO ambassadors involved in these decisions can keep a straight face.
Given the recorded history of that land from the Bible and other recognized sources, a well-known phrase from Shakespeare is instructive: “What’s in a name?” When it comes to Eretz Yisrael, plenty. The place names verify the absurdity of accusations that Jews are colonizers, strangers to this land and “occupiers of” these areas. It is equally absurd to claim that the Arabs are the indigenous peoples of Israel because virtually all the place names used by local Arabs are non-Arabic in origin, and derived either from biblical Hebrew names or from later Greek or Roman names.
Read the entire article at:
ZOA Expose: Antisemitic Rep. Omar(D-MN) Funded by Israel-hating BDS Leaders and PACs-Remove Her From Committees!
Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) President Morton Klein and ZOA Director of Special Projects, Liz Berney, Esq. released the following statement:
Again and again, Israel-hating Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has displayed frightening, deep-seated, dangerous antisemitism and hatred towards the Jewish people.
Rep. llhan Omar falsely called Israel “evil” and an “apartheid regime.” She promotes anti-Israel boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) – the delegitimization and economic destruction of Israel – after lying to voters about her views on BDS while running for Congress. Ilhan Omar also sought reduced sentences for ISIS terrorists — a position that endangers every American. And she’s never apologized for any of these issues.
While the recent condemnations of Rep. Omar by the Democratic House leadership are an important first step, they are not enough, especially in light of Omar’s phony “non-apologies,” which she immediately backtracked on by again defaming Jews and Israel.
OA initiated the call for real consequences and we continue to call for them: Ilhan Omar must be removed from the House Foreign Relations Committee – a position that enables Rep. Omar to harm U.S.-Israel relations and mainstreams her antisemitism. See “ZOA to Pelosi: Rescind Appt. of Anti-Semite Israel-Hater Rep. Omar to Foreign Affairs Post,” Jan. 18, 2019.); and “ZOA: Remove Anti-Semite Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from Committee Assignments & Vote on Rep. Zeldin’s Antisemitism Bill,” Feb. 11, 2019.
See the entire report at: https://zoa.org/?p=390858
EBulletin for January 11, 2019
Shalom ZOA Members, Friends and Supporters of Israel,
Please read this week’s newsletter all the way through. There is much that you should know about, and opportunities for you to be involved in advocacy and to help out.
Please click on all images to enlarge.
Last Call #1
Register For ZOA’s Israel Leadership Mission!
Time is running out to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime Israel experience!
The Israel Mission takes place Feb. 24-28, with an option to extend to March 3.
To learn more about the National ZOA Leadership Mission to Israel – including itinerary and pricing — click on the link below.
https://zoa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=29eb7d7528ed4ff8219eea4e4&id=7c4143ee5f&e=c425e48090
Mission highlights:
Briefing with Ambassador Dore Gold, President Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs
Visit the new US Embassy in Jerusalem
Head to the Knesset as a ZOA Delegation led by ZOA President Mort Klein for meetings with Knesset
Members
Briefing at Caliber 3, the leading Counter Terror & Security Training Academy in Israel
Meet Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi
Join IDF soldiers for a behind the scenes briefing
Head to Hebron – meet leaders of the Hevron Jewish community and visit the
Me’arat Hamachpelah
Visit Sderot and meet with its mayor
Join Ateret Kohanim for a behind the scenes tour of the Old City of Jerusalem
Head to a base of the Border Police and get a behind the scenes view of how the IDF trains its soldiers in
Counter-terrorism
If you have an interest in going, please call Howard at the National ZOA Office at 212-481-1500.
If you’d like, we can put you in touch with people from our region who have participated in previous ZOA Israel missions.
Last Call #2
Israeli soldiers and border police can use some warmth – warmth in the form of cards and letters from American children who want to thank those in uniform who serve to protect our homeland and our Israeli cousins and allies.
Each year the Zionist Organization of America runs a campaign to get schools and congregations to have their students create “thank you” cards and letters for the soldiers and police that our ZOA Mission participants personally deliver to the young Israeli men and women in uniform as they visit IDF and Border Police bases and installations. The men and women of the IDF are deeply touched by the expressions of gratitude from young Americans.
We welcome individual cards and letters from your kids or grandchildren for this project.
Please get us your cards and letters by January 20 so that we have time to collect them all and send them to Israel in advance of our mission. Cards and letters can be sent to our Office. From there they will be sent to our National Office and from there to Israel where our VIP Leadership Mission participants will pick them up and-deliver them to the soldiers and border police. Please send them to: Greater Philadelphia ZOA, 1 Belmont Ave., Suite 601, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please call the Greater Philadelphia ZOA Office at 610-660-9466.
Thank you in advance for your participation!
Please continue to call and contact Temple University administrators and trustees about Professor Marc Lamont Hill. Hill has called for violence against Jews, has incited violence and Jew-hatred and many numerous anti-Israel/anti-Jewish statements.
Temple University Contacts:
Richard M. Englert
President of Temple University
Second Floor, Sullivan Hall
1330 Polett Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19122
215-204-7405 (phone)
215-204-5600 (fax)
[email protected]
David Boardman, Dean
Lew Klein School of Media and Communication
215-204-8448
Please see the graphic below for the names of Temple’s Board of Trustees, whom you can Google for contact information:
What is the Zionist Organization of America and what are some of the things that ZOA does?
See the Zionist Organization of America’s New Video!
Get ready to be impressed!
To learn more and to get involved, call 610-660-9466.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nucTYTanoOc&feature=youtu.be
Click to donate:
Greater Philadelphia ZOA is looking for volunteers to help out before, during and after our Feb. 4 meeting, and also — in our Bala Cynwyd office, and from the comfort of your home or office.
We need a volunteer to help us get materials and literature to the meeting, and volunteers to help us set up, staff the sign-in desk and also to staff our literature table during the event and to pack up afterward.
Additionally, we are looking for people to make calls to help us update our membership database and to do research on the Web.
There will be no soliciting!
If you can offer us your time and talent, we would greatly appreciate it.
To volunteer, please call Steve at 610-660-9466.
http://philly.zoa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/12/coffee-with-steve-2.pdf
Opinion | Temple Is Actually Protecting Professor Hill
By Steve Feldman
He has falsely accused the Jewish state of poisoning the Palestinian-Arab water supply, practicing “apartheid” and training New York City police to kill black Americans — rhetoric that is bound to sow resentment against Jews and potentially incite violence.
He wants the Jewish state of Israel eliminated and replaced by an Arab state of Palestine, and believes that Arab violence against Israelis — meaning Jews — is the most efficient way toward that end.
These are just some of Temple University Professor Marc Lamont Hill’s assertions about Israel.
What are students to think when a professor advocates violence? What impact does it have when the professor makes the most vile accusations imaginable about the homeland of a minority group on campus? What does it convey when the professor champions the cause of a murderer or a terrorist?
These are not hypothetical questions.
Read the entire op-ed at: http://jewishexponent.com/2019/01/11/temple-is-actually-protecting-professor-hill/
EBulletin for December 28, 2018
At Greater Philadelphia ZOA, we have done a lot this year to promote Zionism, to defend Israel and to help the Jewish Community.
From helping to give people a better understanding of the U.S.-Israel relationship, to educating young professionals about anti-Israel media bias, to trying to help police identify the perpetrators who defaced the Israeli flag above the Parkway, to our recent efforts to expose Temple University’s anti-Jewish Professor Marc Lamont Hill – and so much more. But we realize there is so much more to do in the new calendar year ahead.
Please help us fund the activities, initiatives and projects that we need to do – and that only ZOA does – to educate, activate and reach out throughout our region.
With just a few days left to take advantage of a tax-deductible donation, please support our vitally important work!
We have new Donor Societies that allow you to help our organization in a big way and as a “thank you,” enable you to access special opportunities to meet with and hear from some of the more important, innovative and insightful people engaged in pro-Israel work throughout the world.
We thank those of you who have already donated this year. Please donate more if you are able – and please suggest to your friends, colleagues, relatives and neighbors that they each make a 2018 donation to Greater Philadelphia ZOA.
Please click the link below to donate. Please do it today while you are thinking about it.
Mail checks to:
ZOA
PO Box 56
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
Donate now! Click or copy/paste this link: https://zoa.org/donate/philly/
Greater Philadelphia ZOA is looking for volunteers to help our organization — in our Bala Cynwyd office, and also from the comfort of your home or office.
Specifically we are looking for people to make calls, to help us update our membership database and to do research on the Web.
There will be no soliciting!
If you can offer us your time and talent, we would greatly appreciate it.
To volunteer, please call Steve at 610-660-9466.
EBulletin for December 7, 2018
Shalom ZOA Members, Friends and Supporters of Israel,
We hope that you and your loved ones have been experiencing a joyous and meaningful Chanukah.
We ask that you please continue to contact Temple University to insist that Temple formally condemn Professor Marc Lamont Hill for his advocacy of violence against Jews and his call for the destruction of Israel. It has also come out that Hill has falsely accused Israel of poisoning the Palestinian-Arab water supply. Does such a person belong teaching in a classroom? See contact information below. Please remember to be civil and polite – but firm – if you call or write.
Please see Mort Klein’s Philadelphia Inquirer op-ed about Hill later in this newsletter.
Meanwhile, yesterday, Greater Philadelphia ZOA organized a demonstration is support of Israel on Temple’s campus. See details and photo collage below.
Temple University Contacts:
Richard M. Englert
President of Temple University
Second Floor, Sullivan Hall
1330 Polett Walk
Philadelphia, PA 19122
215-204-7405 (phone)
215-204-5600 (fax)
[email protected]
Please see the graphic below for the names of Temple’s Board of Trustees:
Click images to enlarge!
Speak With Those Who Have Participated in ZOA’s Israel Missions
Register For ZOA’s Israel Leadership Mission!
The Israel Mission takes place Feb. 24-28, with an option to extend to March 3.
To learn more about the National ZOA Leadership Mission to Israel – including itinerary and pricing — click on the link below.
https://zoa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=29eb7d7528ed4ff8219eea4e4&id=7c4143ee5f&e=c425e48090
If you have an interest in going, please call Howard at the National ZOA Office at 212-481-1500.
If you’d like, we can put you in touch with people from our region who have participated in previous ZOA Israel missions.
Israeli soldiers and border police can use some warmth – warmth in the form of cards and letters from American children who want to thank those in uniform who serve to protect our homeland and our Israeli cousins and allies.
Each year the Zionist Organization of America runs a campaign to get schools and congregations to have their students create “thank you” cards and letters for the soldiers and police that our ZOA Mission participants personally deliver to the young Israeli men and women in uniform as they visit IDF and Border Police bases and installations. The men and women of the IDF are deeply touched by the expressions of gratitude from young Americans.
We welcome individual cards and letters from your kids or grandchildren for this project.
Please get us your cards and letters by January 15 so that we have time to collect them all and send them to Israel in advance of our mission. Cards and letters can be sent to our Office. From there they will be sent to our National Office and from there to Israel where our VIP Leadership Mission participants will pick them up and-deliver them to the soldiers and border police. Please send them to: Greater Philadelphia ZOA, 1 Belmont Ave., Suite 601, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please call the Greater Philadelphia ZOA Office at 610-660-9466.
Thank you in advance for your participation!
http://philly.zoa.org/join-zoa-philly/
Think of Greater Philadelphia ZOA as you make your end-of-year donations!
Support ZOA’s Vital Work in Our Region!
Newsletter for November 9, 2018
Shalom ZOA Members, Friends and Supporters of Israel,
Whether you have been to Israel multiple times, just once, or never, you will have an opportunity to perhaps experience Israel like never before – or ever again.
Participate in National ZOA’s Israel Leadership Mission, taking place February 24-28, 2019, with an option to extend your trip to March 3.
Go to places and meet with Israelis that and who other groups skip.
For all of the details about the Israel Leadership Mission including itinerary and pricing, please see: https://zoa.org/mission-events/purim-mission/
National ZOA is planning a very special mission to Israel in February.
For details, please email us or call National ZOA at 212-481-1500.
Ask to speak with Howard.
‘Honoring Mort and Rita Klein
Click on image to enlarge.
Our own Mort and Rita Klein were honored on the occasion of Mort’s 25th year as ZOA’s National President at ZOA’s Justice Louis D. Brandeis Award Dinner this past Sunday in New York. Mort was presented with a stunning piece of art to mark the milestone. Rita Klein was honored as Mort’s Eishet Chayil or “Woman of Valor.” The entire Klein Family was invited on stage for the presentation. At left is ZOA National Chairman of the Board Mark Levenson.
The Brandeis Dinner was an extraordinary event. More than 1,000 people attended. Featured honorees and speakers included Mark Levin and Amb. John Bolton. About 35 people from our region attended. We hope to post more photos and video as they become available. Meanwhile, read about the Brandeis Dinner later in this newsletter.
Support ZOA’s Vital Work in Our Region!
Thanksgiving and Chanukah Are on the Horizon
Have goods from Israel on your table for your Thanksgiving Dinner!
Purchase a Chanukah gift from Israel!
Go to fromisraeltoyou.com and purchase jewelry and Judaica from Israeli artists and artisans. When you make a purchase, please use the code ZOAPhilly at checkout, and we will receive a portion of the proceeds. Thank you! To learn more, click on: http://philly.zoa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/12/from-israel-to-you-jewelry-2.pdf
How Do We Counter BDS and Anti-Israel Media Bias?
How Do We Promote Jewish Rights to Our Land?
Bring ZOA’s Message and Knowledge To Your Friends and Neighbors
Host an Advocacy Workshop, ZOA Speaker or Parlor Meeting
If you are like most people, you have friends, neighbors and even relatives who do not quite understand what is taking place in one of the most pivotal regions in the world.
The Middle East is home to key U.S. allies and enemies; it is the focal point of much of the media; it is the source of most of the terrorism that plagues the world; it is where a large amount of American foreign aid is targeted and the source of much of the world’s oil. It is where our beloved Israel is trying to exist and thrive.
But the Middle East has become a muddled area to most Americans because of incomplete or biased coverage, plus a campaign of miseducation in schools and universities.
One of ZOA’s missions is to clarify the issues and to help Americans understand what is taking place in the Middle East and how it impacts them.
Help us fulfill this vital mission by hosting a parlor meeting in your home. A small gathering can make a huge difference.
To book a ZOA speaker or host a parlor meeting, call us at 610-660-9466 or email us at: [email protected]
http://philly.zoa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/12/coffee-with-steve-2.pdf
Out & About
Greater Philadelphia ZOA Co-President Lee Bender and Media Committee Chairman Jerry Verlin are scheduled to make a presentation to The Chevra young professionals group in Center City this Tuesday evening.