Today’s suggested actions to support Israel in your local community:
- Urge your Members of Congress in the House to support the swift passage of aid to Israel, funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, and assistance for Ukraine. You can call their offices and send them a message through our action alert.
- Bring the hostages to your Seder table with this special Haggadah, which can be purchased here, produced by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
- Share our social media post on Twitter and Instagram on the abuse of Palestinian civilians by Hamas.
- Read this Wall Street Journal op-ed by Gerard Baker on why Israel’s defeat of Hamas is vital to ensuring the future of Western democracy.
- Read and share the story of 47-year-old Elad Katzir, described as a man of the soil and a person of principles who lived his values as a farmer and social activist. A proud Zionist, Elad was the prime caretakers of his parents on Kibbutz Nahal Oz. On October 7, Elad and his parents were taking refuge in their shelter when terrorists infiltrated their home, killing
Elad’s father and taking Elad and his mother Hanna captive. Hanna was released in the earlier hostage deal. Over the weekend, the IDF recovered Elad’s body from Gaza, bringing him home for proper burial. The IDF estimates that terrorists murdered Elad in January. His sister eulogized him, saying, “You had the biggest heart of anybody around you.”
Over the last six months, Hamas has waged an information war as part of its strategy to defeat the Jewish State. Misinformation has played a significant role in the Israel-Hamas War by manipulating the Western World to stand with Hamas.
- Yesterday, the IDF released a video of an interrogation of Tariq Salami Otha Abu Shoulf, a spokesman for the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, who admitted that Hamas and Islamic Jihad manipulate the media to spread their victim-playing agenda and to falsely blame Israel.
- At the start of the war, for example, Hamas blamed Israel for the rocket explosion in the vicinity of Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza. Media outlets immediately parroted Hamas’s claims and condemned Israel for striking a hospital and leaving hundreds dead. Only after Israel provided evidence that the strike was a result of a failed Islamic Jihad rocket launch - and that it didn’t even hit the hospital - did the outlets edit their headlines. But the damage to Israel’s image was
done.
- In his interrogation, Abu Shoulf admitted, “It was a local rocket; we said it was Israeli.” He continued, “In order to erase the story, the organization made several moves. It fabricated a story that the rocket belonged to ‘the occupation’ and that the target was the building (the hospital).”
- Hamas officials have asserted in international media that they “didn’t kill any civilians” on October 7th. This denial has fueled international condemnation and conspiracy theories against Israel. Hamas has also denied any accusations of rape and sexual violence against women, despite dozens of testimonies and well-documented evidence.
- Abu Shoulf explained that there is interest to “leverage a certain narrative,” saying, “It’s true that this story is false, but we want to promote it.”
- Hamas continuously lies about using hospitals and ambulances for terror activities, despite repeated findings proving their use by Hamas. Abu Shoulf corroborates this by explaining how hospitals serve as meetings places for the terror groups. “For example, if you’re in Al-Qassam and I’m in Al-Qassam, then we meet in this [hospital] room.”
- The number of civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip are also questionable, as Hamas-controlled organizations have been the source of data for these figures, ones which do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. Yet, these numbers continue to be the official records used internationally.
- Since Hamas cannot defeat Israel militarily, it relies on a campaign of demonization of Israel to win in the court of public opinion. Military expert Professor Geoffrey S. Corn explains that Hamas sees combat as the supporting effort to their
information campaign. “For them, the ultimate information advantage is compelling the enemy to cause death to civilians, injury to civilians, and destruction of civilian property.”
Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey CEO Dov Ben-Shimon wrote an op-ed in the New Jersey Jewish News in response to Governor Murphy’s statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War. He expressed gratitude over the Governor’s consistent commitment to the New Jersey Jewish community and support for Israel, but also disagreed with the governor’s claim that an immediate ceasefire will ensure long-term peace and security in the region. Ben-Shimon wrote, “What Governor Murphy and others should recognize is that the future of Israel – and the balance of the free world – depends on the
eradication of Hamas from Gaza. This is not just Israel’s fight. It is a fight for decency, for civilization, and for the future of the West.” He concluded, “I’m proud to stand among the leaders of the five main Jewish Federations in New Jersey and together with six dozen New Jersey synagogues, institutions, and agencies to articulate the Jewish community’s dissatisfaction and look forward to meeting with Governor Murphy to help him understand the implications of his statement.”
Click here to access Jewish Federations’ toolkit on the War in Israel.
The Community Mobilization Center is monitoring major developments in Israel and North America related to Israel’s war against Hamas. The Community Mobilization Center will rapidly disseminate resources to help mobilize and support our local communities as they build and sustain civic and political support for Israel in this conflict. The work of the Community Mobilization Center will continue as long as it takes Israel to eradicate the terrorist threat and restore security to the country. The Community Mobilization Center is at your service. Click here to send us an email. Click here to sign up for the Dispatch
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