Temple Emanu-El Stands with Israel
HOW TO ADVOCATE FOR ISRAEL
ONEMINADAY.COM
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5 MINUTES TODAY FOR ISRAEL
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AIPAC: Text “ISRAEL” to 24722
For immediate action, and to stay up to date on current legislation, AIPAC has set up a 45-second action. Text “ISRAEL” to 24722 to reach out to your member of Congress, Senators, and President Biden with pre-written emails. Once you send the text, you can follow the steps when prompted. By subscribing, you will continue to receive updates and most current prompts.
LETTER WRITING
Want to put pen to paper, we urge you and your families to write directly to our elected officials. Click here (see sample below) for a sample letter to help guide your writing, either via mail, email, or phone. If you live outside the Union congressional districts, please find your elected officials here.
Sample Letter:
Dear Representative/Senator ________, I want to thank you for your continued outspoken and unequivocal support for Israel. The horrific terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas must be condemned and America must continue to stand with our ally and partner.
There is no justification for terrorism and the United States must continue to be resolute in its support for the Jewish state. [INSERT PERSONAL CONNECTION– “As a member of Temple Emanu-El in Westfield, NJ, this is important to me because the Jewish people have the right to defend the Jewish homeland]
I want to thank you for being a tremendous leader during this most difficult time and I urge you to continue standing unequivocally with Israel.
Regards,
NAME TOWN, STATE
Senator Cory Booker
717 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-3224
Senator Menendez
528 Hart Senate Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20510
(202) 224-4744
Tom Kean
251 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5361
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ORGANIZATIONS + PLACES VISITED BY THE TEMPLE EMANU-EL MISSION TRIP
United Hatzalah (https://israelrescue.org/)
United Hatzalah of Israel is the largest independent, non-profit, fully volunteer emergency medical service (EMS) organization that provides the fastest emergency medical service throughout Israel, completely free of charge. United Hatzalah’s services are available to all people regardless of race, religion, or national origin. We have a network of more than 7,000 volunteers across the country, available around the clock – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year – who respond to more than 2,000 emergencies each day.
Israel Reform Movement (https://reform.org.il/en/)
Guided by values of Reform Judaism in general, and Tikkun Olam in particular, the Israel Reform Movement works every day to make progressive and pluralistic Judaism accessible to all Israelis.
NATAL https://il.natal.org.il/
The NAtal Association stands firm in its mission to provide vital mental support to help its citizens cope with the trauma and anxiety. Through a helpline, clinical care unit and community resources, Natal organizes and makes available to the general public tools for maintaining resilience and dealing with anxiety and stress in an emergency, from the extensive knowledge and experience gained by the leading professionals in trauma care.
ISRAEL INTELLIGENCE HERITAGE & COMMEMORATION CENTER (IICC) https://www.iicc.org.il/
The Israel Intelligence Heritage and Commemoration Center (IICC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to commemorating the fallen from all branches of Israel’s intelligence community and perpetuating the values and heritage of the community through research and educational programs.
Mapping the massacre. Details of everyone murdered and taken hostage on October 7.
Kibbutz Be’eri
A mile from the Gaza border, Kibbutz Be’eri is a picturesque kibbutz in the northwestern part of the Negev Desert. Be’eri is one of the most successful kibbutzim, home to the Be’eri Press which prints the majority of credit cards and bank statements in Israel.
On October 7, 70 Hamas militants had attacked the kibbutz, taking 20 residents as hostages and killing at least 112 people, claiming the lives of 10% of the community’s residents. Dozens of homes were also burned down.
Re’im
The site of the Nova Music Festival where 40 hostages were taken, 364 civilians were killed and many more wounded by Hamas on October 7.
The A Team (https://swordsofiron.org.il/)
Completely volunteer led and funded, The A Team is a pop-up food court a few miles outside Gaza, empowering our soldiers with strong support providing food, equipment, hot showers, laundry, and everything that helps our soldiers approach the battle with high morale.
New Israel Fund (https://www.nif.org/)
NIF advances & protects liberal democracy in Israel. For over 40 years, NIF has provided $300 million to over 900 Israeli civil society organizations. Since October 7, NIF is providing aid to Israelis, both Jewish and Arab, who have been affected; advocating for the release of the hostages being held captive by Hamas in Gaza; safeguarding human and civil rights in Israel and the occupied West Bank; and working to advance a shared, peaceful future for everyone in Israel.
Congregation Tfilat Haadam
A reform congregation in Cesearea, established in the summer of 2015 and is a member of the Israel Movement for Reform (Progressive) Judaism.
SUGGESTED RESOURCE
A message from Rabbi prosnit - December 14, 2023:
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Reflections from the Greenstein family on their experience of attending the March for Israel in Washington, DC:
My husband Yonatan, having been born in Israel to American parents who made Aliyah, always had a strong Jewish identity. I, however, grew up in Brooklyn in a family that emigrated here 40 years before the Holocaust. Early on, most of my friends weren’t Jewish and I attended a temple that didn’t really cater to a younger generation, so my Jewish identity really didn’t solidify until college where I joined Hillel, went on Birthright, made more Jewish friends, and soon after met Yonatan. Still, my experiences with antisemitism growing up were few and far between, and it was hard for me to imagine a world where Israel did not exist- it just seemed to be a given. I attended a very progressive liberal arts college in Boston, and never experienced or noticed racism towards Jews. In the last few weeks, I’ve come to realize that my children might not be afforded this same privilege.
The atrocities of October 7th have shaken me to my core- as a mom, a Jew, a trauma therapist, and a human. While the violence of last month and the reverberating antisemitism are difficult topics to discuss with 8-year-olds, we feel that it is crucial for our kids to have an understanding of the current climate; they cannot be complacent or take their Jewish identify as a given as I did growing up.
They need to learn now to advocate, use their voices for good, and to feel even prouder of their Jewish identify than ever. They need to understand the facts that can help guide their understanding of a complicated and nuanced history and inform their conversations with others. Even more importantly, I believe, is what they saw in Washington. Whatever struggles or adversity they may face in the future, I hope they now see that they will never be alone. On Tuesday, they got to march, stand, cheer, sing, whine (because they’re 8), dance, high five, and just be with 300,000 people, mostly strangers, who are and always will be their friends, family, allies, supporters, and protectors.
Yonatan and I talked with them about why it’s important to show up even when you feel lost in an enormous crowd. The “collective we” showed them that you can support a cause peacefully with words, song, and spirit, not violence, intimidation, and hate, while still holding space for tolerance, sadness, and grief for the innocent civilians on the other side. Like in any situation, you can feel two things at once. It breaks my heart and it seem so unfair that my 8-year-olds need to think about the fact that kids their age and much younger are being held captive and used as tools of terrorism, and others were killed “just because,” but we feel that they must know why we’re so sad and outraged, and also why our energy to come together and support one another as Jews is stronger than ever. As Yonatan said when we were weighing our options on attending the rally, “Work and school can wait, but this once in a lifetime show of support for Israel cannot.” I am so grateful that my children got to experience the pride and positivity in Washington this week, and I truly hope that if they ever attend another rally such as this, it’s only for celebration, not because they’re fighting to secure a future for the Jewish people and state.
A huge shout out to the Federation of Greater Metro West and Temple Emanu-El for putting New Jersey’s trip to Washington together so quickly. It was an organized, seamless day. And thank you Bus 38 for putting up with some invigorated eight-year-olds on the ride back to Westfield.
Lisa and Yonatan Greenstein
TEMPLE EMANU-EL TO CREATE EMPTY SHABBAT TABLE
FOR 220 HOSTAGES BEING HELD BY HAMAS
On Friday, October 27, in support of and urging the release of the current hostages in Gaza, the Temple Emanu-El community will recreate the Tel Aviv Museum of Art’s Empty Shabbat Table. Each empty place setting represents one of the 220 hostages being held by Hamas since October 7.
Friday’s installation will be live on the Temple’s front lawn from 4:30 PM to 7:00 PM. The Community is invited to view the exhibition in solidarity. Setting an empty seat for prisoners has been part of the Global Jewish Protest lexicon since the 1960s when the movement to free Soviet Jews made it a hallmark of its symbolism.
In addition to the installation, there will be opportunities for congregants and visitors to write letters to soldiers in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) and learn about other ways to support Israel at this time.
“As one of the largest Reform synagogues in New Jersey, we have an immense responsibility to draw attention to the hostages and call for their release,” said Rabbi Ethan Prosnit, Senior Rabbi at Temple Emanu-El. “In addition to bringing awareness to the terrorist attacks on Oct 7, 2023 and the ongoing unrest in the Middle East, we want to continue bringing our community together to mourn, heal, and celebrate Shabbat. As we gather to celebrate Shabbat as a community, we recognize that 220 hostages cannot mark this holy time with their family and friends, and we pray for their safety and release.”
Last week, in addition to Tel Aviv, tables for the hostages were set up in advance of Shabbat in the Jewish Quarter of Rome and on Australia’s famous Bondi Beach. Similar installations have been created throughout the world since.
“As war rages on in the Middle East and anti-semitism is at an all-time high, we can not lose sight of the hostages being held in Gaza right now,“ stated Allison Cohen, project organizer. “It is our hope this public installation brings awareness and inspires others to speak out and demand their safe return.”
Upcoming Events about Israel:
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Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest Israel Emergency Fund
Dollars donated to this fund will enable us to send help right now to mobilize resources to our international partner organizations.
Magen David Adom
Resources on how to talk to your children (K-12) about Israel now
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Resources from the ADL
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