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, by calling their offices and signing our action alert. 
• Share this important call to action with your networks on social media.
• Use media influence to advocate for the swift passage of the supplemental aid package, with the help of this op-ed template which can be sent to your local news outlets.
• Read this Newsweek op-ed by urban warfare expert Major John Spencer on the unique challenges the IDF faces in Gaza that make this war like none other in military history.
• Read and share the story of 43-year-old Police Commander Jayar Davidov, wife of Inbar and father of four children. Jayar was dedicated to protecting the citizens of Israel through his service as the commander of the police station in the Bedouin community of Rahat. He was described by Israel’s Police Commissioner as a man who “always had a sparkle in his eye.” Jayar immediately left his home on the morning of October 7 when he was notified that terrorists had invaded the area of Re’im. He was killed during the fighting. A few weeks later, his daughter Tal decided to join the Border Police to follow in the footsteps of her father.

Issue:
Located on the border between Gaza and Egypt, Rafah has come under increased attention over recent days. This Hamas terror stronghold is the last major enclave critical to defeating Hamas. It has also served as a refuge for an estimated more than 1.3 million Palestinians who have evacuated areas where the fighting has focused. President Biden has urged Israel to create a plan to ensure the safety of civilians before launching a major military operation in Rafah. The IDF says it is drawing up plans.

Background:

• Rafah remains under Hamas control, which allows the terror group to control much of the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The city has historically been a site of smuggling weapons into the strip.
• Hamas’s last remaining battalions and its top leadership - as well as most of the Israeli hostages - remain underground in the city.
• According to military analysts, most of the weapons Hamas used to massacre Israelis on October 7 came through the Rafah crossing. Retired U.S. army officer and FDD Senior Director Brad Bowman explained the strategic value of destroying Hamas infrastructure in Rafah. “They also need to get after those tunnels that Hamas leaders are using to escape and also to bring in additional weapons so they can prepare for the next October 7th.”
• Prime Minister Netanyahu said last week, “It is impossible to achieve the goal of the war of eliminating Hamas by leaving four Hamas battalions in Rafah.” He added that Israel is working on a “plan for evacuating the population and destroying the battalions.”
• NSC Spokesman John Kirby reiterated the U.S. position that Israel should create a credible plan for the safety of Palestinian civilians in Rafah before the IDF enters the city. He also emphasized that, “We never said that they can’t go into Rafah to remove Hamas.  Hamas remains a viable threat to the Israeli people.  And the Israelis and the IDF, absolutely, are going to continue operations against their leadership and their infrastructure, as they should.  We don’t want to see another October 7th.” 
• To complicate matters, Hamas has an interest in concentrating large numbers of civilians in Rafah as opposed to allowing them to evacuate to the nearby designated civilian zone of Al-Mawasi. This is Hamas’s strategy of using civilians as human shields to try to get international bodies to pressure Israel to stop its military operations.
• In the early hours of Monday morning, Israeli army and elite police commando units conducted one of the most dramatic rescue missions in its history. Based on precise intelligence, a raid was carried out on a building in Rafah leading to the successful and heroic rescue of two Israeli hostages, Louis Har and Fernando Marman.

Community Spotlight

Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles convened 125 superintendents, heads of school, and other education leaders from public and private schools throughout Los Angeles, as part of its inaugural Education Leaders Summit. Speakers focused on deepening understanding of how to support Jewish students during these challenging moments.

Submit a community initiative here that you would like to highlight for our system.

Additional Resources

Click here to access Jewish Federations’ toolkit on the War in Israel, which links to the Community Mobilization Resource Hub to help you speak up for Israel.

Click here for guidance on responding to anti-Israel resolutions proposed by city councils.  

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.

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