Rallies to Support Israel

The current flare-up of violence in the Mideast, orchestrated by Iran, Syria, Hezbollah and Hamas, obliges all of us to act decisively to support Israel's right and duty to do what is necessary to ensure the safety of her citizens. For those in the US, we want to inform you about two important rallies that will be taking place during the next few days. The first will take place on Sunday, July 16 and is being sponsored by CJC-Amcha. Full information follows:

Demonstration against Syria and Iran and Memorial Service for those murdered in Israel

Sunday, July 16, 2006, 11:00 am, at the Syrian Mission to the UN: 820 Second Ave. (between 43rd and 44th St.), New York, NY

We will first gather in front of the Syrian mission to protest against Syria and Iran, the states that are directly responsible for Hamas and Hezbollah. We will then walk to the Israeli Mission, 800 Second Avenue, where we will host a memorial service for the fallen Israeli soldiers, and offer prayers both for the continued safety of the Israeli soldiers fighting the war against terror, and the safe return of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers.

There will also be a rally on Monday, the 17th, which is being sponsored by the President's Conference, JCRC, and UJA-Federation, which will take place at noon across from the UN at 1st Ave. and 42nd Street, New York, NY.

We urge everyone who can attend either of these rallies, or others that are being organized in other cities, to do so. In addition, it will be critically important, in the coming weeks, to ensure that US legislators know where we stand on Israel's right to self-defense; anti-Israel lobbying groups are already gearing up their letter-writing campaigns. You can reach your representatives by phone or e-mail through the following web sites:

• US House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/writerep/
• US Senate: http://www.senate.gov/
• President Bush, Vice President Cheney, and the White House staff can be reached via http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Please take a few moments, before or after Shabbat, to let our elected leaders know where you stand.

This is also a good time to renew your support for Israel's soldiers, who need to know that we all stand behind them — one way you can do so is by donating to Friends of the IDF, http://www.israelsoldiers.org/.