| BDS WATCH:
Victory in Brooklyn!
The recent victory of Pro-Israel activists against an attempt to have the well known Park Slope Food Co-op boycott goods from Israel could be a significant event in the battle against BDS campaigns and their damaging rhetoric.
A referendum called on the proposed boycott failed by a margin of about 60% to 40%. Supporters of the boycott
are also claiming victory in that getting 40% of the vote anywhere in Brooklyn is a victory. It is unclear whether the same commentators who are spinning this story know that the more religious members of the community probably don't shop at the Park Slope Co-op.
Another take is that when a show of hands is actually taken, whether in Brooklyn, Somerville, Mass., or on the Penn campus - right here in Philadelphia - the results are always the same. Despite the rhetoric of the organizers, boycotts against Israel are simply not widely supported.
The only thing that does slightly taint this victory is the same awful shame we always see connected to BDS efforts. The publicity generated by the BDS PR machine - not by those who stood up to them - did get their cause on the national stage yet again. They even got themselves featured on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart this time, and as is always the case when debates make their way to Comedy Central - neither side comes out smelling like a rose.
Follow the debate about who won and who lost through the links below:
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Upcoming Events:
Tel Aviv to Hollywood
Renaissance Group
Wednesday - April 11th - 7pm
Community Commemoration
of the Holocaust
Sunday - April 22nd - 1pm
Memorial Day Ceremony for Israel's Fallen Soldiers and the Victims of Terrorism
Tuesday - April 24th - 7:30pm
Community Israel Independence Celebration
Sunday - May 20th - 1-5pm
The Ultimate Israel Adventure
December 19-28, 2012
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For more information on Israel Advocacy or Israel Education programs, or to arrange a speaker, please contact
or 215-832-0549
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GLOBAL MARCH TO JERUSALEM / LAND DAY As expected, a series of Palestinian and international groups, with the support of the Iranian government and several radical organizations, organized a "Global March to Jerusalem" (GMJ) Friday, March 30. The organizer's stated goal was to bring "millions" to Israel from around the world to "demand freedom for Jerusalem and its people and to put an end to the Apartheid, ethnic cleansing, and Judaization policies affecting the people, land, and sanctity of Jerusalem." The plan called for massive marches on Israel from Jordan, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza, all in the direction of Jerusalem, as well as coordinated protests in cities around the world, including in front of Israeli embassies. The marches coincide with the annual Land Day, which commemorates the death of six Israeli Arabs who participated in a general strike in 1976. This year's marches in the Middle East did result in deaths and numerous casualties - along with the corresponding accusations about who is to blame. Please follow the links below to find out more about the aftermath of the Global March and it's connection to the global de-legitimization campaign against Israel. |
Leadership Teleconference:
LIVE Conference Call: Wed. April 4, 2:30pm Can Economic Sanctions and Diplomatic Pressure Prevent a Nuclear Iran?
The Jewish Federations of North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, together with their Israel Action Network are sponsoring a live teleconference at 2:30 p.m. EST on April 4, to offer analysis and discussion on U.S. and global economic measures to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons capability.
The call will feature Daniel Glaser, Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing in the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, and Ambassador Brad Gordon, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) director of Policy and Government Affairs. The speakers will offer insights on the present situation in Iran, what economic measures are being employed now to persuade the Tehran regime to desist from its nuclear enterprise, and non-military actions that might be launched in the future if current sanctions prove to be unsuccessful.
Dial-in Number: 1-800-399-0118
Conference ID: 67049802
Please use these links below to listen to recordings of the past two national conference calls on Southern Israel and Iran and the Israel/US relationship.
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A Passover Wish:
A Call From the Heart by Mrs. Eva Sandler of Toulouse
As the holiday of Passover approaches, we felt compelled to pass along these heartfelt words from Mrs. Eva Sandler - wife to Rabbi Jonathan Sandler and mother to Gavriel and Aryehi Sandler - three of those recently shot and killed in Toulouse, France.
We believe that her two most basic wishes - to bring more light into the world by lighting Shabbat candles for this year's first Seder, and to truly consider inviting a stranger to your Passover Seders this year - are ways we can all take an active role in remembering her loss and this horrible tragedy for the Jewish community around the globe.
Please follow the link below to read more about what Eva Sandler is asking of us this Passover.
(Please note; the inclusion of this article is not an endorsement of any particular religious perspective.)
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