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April 18, 2014 /18 Nissan 5774
Candle Lighting: 7:25 PM    
NEWS & NOTES
Federation's weekly e-news to keep you informed, inspired and connected to Jewish life in Delaware and the Brandywine Valley.

Message from the CEO...

    

Greetings!,      
 
On Monday, the White House released an official Passover message to offer prayers to the families and friends of the victims of Sunday's Jewish community center shooting that left three dead.

The President's statement draws the connection between the Israelites' struggle for freedom in Exodus with the many obstacles we still face as a society, especially in light of Sunday's attack. The President says violence has "no place in our society" and that "we will continue to come together across faiths to combat the ignorance and intolerance, including anti-Semitism, that can lead to hatred and violence."

 

Here is the complete statement:

Michelle and I send our warmest greetings to all those celebrating Passover in the United States, in Israel, and around the world.

 

On Tuesday, just as we have every year of my presidency, my family will join the millions taking part in the ancient tradition of the Seder.  We will enjoy the company of friends and loved ones, retell a timeless story, and give thanks for the freedom we are so blessed to enjoy.

 

Yet even as we celebrate, our prayers will be with the people of Overland Park, Kansas and the family and friends of the three innocent people who were killed when a gunman, just one day before Passover, opened fire at a Jewish community center and retirement home on Sunday.  As Americans, we will continue to stand united against this kind of terrible violence, which has no place in our society.  We will continue to come together across faiths to combat the ignorance and intolerance, including anti-Semitism, that can lead to hatred and violence.  And we will never lose faith that compassion and justice will ultimately triumph over hate and fear.

 

For that is one of the great lessons of the Exodus. The tale of the Hebrew slaves and their flight from Egypt carries the hope and promise that the Jewish people have held in their hearts for thousands of years, and it is has inspired countless generations in their own struggles for freedom around the globe.

 

In America, the Passover story has always had special meaning. We come from different places and diverse backgrounds, but we are bound together by a journey from bondage to liberty enshrined in our founding documents and continued in each generation. As we were so painfully reminded on Sunday, our world is still in need of repair, but the story of the Exodus teaches us that with patience, determination, and abundant faith, a brighter future is possible.

 

Chag Sameach.

We wish our local and global families freedom, peace and fulfillment as we work together to build a stronger community here in Delaware and the Brandywine Valley, in Israel and around the world.

TOGETHER We Do Extraordinary Things.

Chag Sameach,

SJK signature  
Seth J. Katzen


Jewish Federation of Delaware and Conversations For Peace
Present a Special Screening of Two Sided Story
At the WilmFilm Festival
Sunday, April 27 at 4:00PM
Penn Cinema Riverfront





Directed and Edited by Tor Ben-Mayor

 

In the film, Emmy award director, Tor Ben Mayor follows a group of 27 Palestinians and Israelis who meet under the frame of a unique project called "History through the Human Eye" led by Parents Circle-Families Forum - bereaved Palestinian and Israelis for Peace and Reconciliation. The project's goal is to acknowledge the narrative of the other. Together they create the conflict mosaic. Among them include Bereaved families, Orthodox Jews and religious Muslims, settlers, ex soldiers in the Israeli army, ex security prisoners, citizens of the Gaza strip, kibbutz members, second generation holocaust survivors, non violent activists and more. Each and every one holds his own historical truth, and carries with him his own emotional baggage.

 

They are not trying to convince each other that their narrative is right, nor are they seeking a political solution. They have simply been asked to listen, to clarify the differences between how they grasp reality and how they see the other side. The participants offer us an insight into their inner world; they share their personal experiences along with historical and political interpretation to key events in the conflict: The Nakba, the Holocaust, Occupation, bereavement, suicide bombing, Israeli army, the separation wall etc.  

 

Will the group, in spite of the gaps and the natural tendency to stick to their former views, accept the reality that is reflected in the mirror of their colleagues? The same colleagues who outside are allegedly defined as their enemy?

CLICK HERE to purchase tickets online.


 
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Jewish VOICE 
April 2014
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