Yair Lapid Becomes Prime Minister of Israel

By joelleyden | June 30, 2022

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By Joel Leyden Israel News Agency / Jewish News Agency Jerusalem, Israel — June 30, 2022 … Outgoing Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and incoming Prime Minister of Israel Yair Lapid held a modest handover ceremony at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, today (Thursday, 30 June 2022). Senior Israeli officials from their bureaus and members of the Bennett and Lapid families also attended the ceremony. An orderly and in-depth transition meeting was then held between outgoing Prime Minister Bennett and incoming Prime Minister Lapid in which the former outlined the main security and diplomatic issues of the State of Israel.  Outgoing Prime Minister Bennett: “This very special position, and this country, does not belong to any one person.” Bennett continued: “This Jewish nation belongs to the entire people of Israel. I hand over to you the responsibility for the State of Israel.” “I wish that you guard it well and may G-d watch over you. Lihi, I want to say that it is not easy to be the Prime Minister’s wife. But the stability is at home, the warmth is at home, the place that you are familiar with. Everyone will be there for you, without outside interests, without anything. This is the cornerstone for Yair’s success. Gilat, you are amazing, you are something special. The children, I know that it was not an easy year but what I told you at the outset, we are all together for the country. Together, you have paid a price for the country.”  “Yair, every Shabbat we bless the children: ‘May G-d make you like Efraim and Menashe. May the Lord bless you and keep you. May he make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you. May He lift up his face to you and grant you peace.’ Good luck my brother!”  Incoming Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said: “Amazingly, my mother said the same blessing to me 25 minutes ago. I will yet say what I have to say. I have worked under prime ministers. I am familiar with prime ministers. You are a good man and an excellent prime minister. You are also a good friend. This is not a farewell ceremony because there is no intention to take leave of you.”  Following is a list of incoming Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s senior staff.   Chief of Staff – Dani Vesely Senior Special Advisor – Gili Haushner Director General of the Prime Minister’s Office – Naama Schultz Diplomatic Adviser – Yair Zivan Director of Communications – Yael Bar Spokesperson – Roei Konkol Senior Adviser – Tami Nassee Director of Government-Knesset Relations – Dana Pitelis Kaduri Head of the Digital Department – Noy Alroy Schnitzer Head of Bureau – Heli Sinai Israeli President Isaac Herzog met today with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. The President thanked the Prime Minister for their close cooperation for the sake of Israel’s security and added that their work together has always taken place in a positive atmosphere of friendship and mutual respect. President Herzog thanked Prime Minister Bennett and noted that he has always worked with his sights set on the good of the public and of the State of Israel. Prime Minister Bennett thanked President Herzog for their friendship, his wise counsel, and his love of the State of Israel. The Prime Minister also thanked the President for his consistent work to bring together all parts of the nation. The two also discussed the diplomatic and security picture, U.S. President Joseph R. Biden Jr’s. expected visit, and the resumption of the nuclear talks.

Jewish Law And Abortion

 

By Rabbi Randall J. Konigsburg
Via: IsraelNewsAgency.com

Connecticut — May 9, 2022 … Since all that anyone is talking about this week is the first draft of a Supreme Court decision about abortion rights in the United States, I take this opportunity to teach a bit on Jewish Law and how Judaism approaches this hot button, culture war issue.

Let me begin by saying that neither the Supreme Court nor any other court in this country should rule according to Jewish Law. Jewish Law is for Jews. I am speaking this day to Jews so we can know what our tradition has to say about abortion and maybe it will inform our understanding of American Law. I also note that as of this moment, nothing has changed in American Law relating to abortion. What found its way into the press was a first draft of an opinion of the Supreme Court about the status of the ruling that governs abortions in this country.

Jewish Law also starts its own deliberations on issues with a first draft, and many changes are
made throughout the process until other Rabbis can agree with a position. How significant is a
first draft? Actually, it is not all that important. Rabbis have made authors of first drafts go back
and start over again if they do not like what was done. If the first draft cannot be changed
enough, then alternative papers and dissents are written. A first draft is like the list of
ingredients in a recipe. There will be a lot of mixing, pouring, and baking before anything of use
will come out. The reason it is all kept secret is because we really do not want to know how the
sausage is made.

So, what does Jewish Law say about “Abortion” and “Privacy”? Neither word is mentioned in
the Torah. That does not mean that the Sages did not talk about either one. If the Torah does
not mention “abortion” and “privacy,” how is the law decided? What Torah states is that we
are required by God to be a holy people; that is the point of our Parsha this week. This means
we need to follow God’s laws. One of those laws is found in Exodus 21:22. There it talks about
two men fighting and, in the fight, a pregnant woman is pushed and miscarries the child. The
husband can determine how much the one who pushed should pay unless the mother is injured
in which case the usual damages must be paid. The point here is that the miscarried fetus is not
considered a life. If it were a life, then the miscarriage would be a capital crime, punishable by
death. But instead, it is considered an injury to the woman and the damage is assessed by the
woman’s husband. If there is any other injury to the woman, it is treated like any other injury
under the law, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, etc. Our basic legal document, the Torah, does not
mention everything it needs to cover. It is the job of rabbinic courts to apply the law to new
situations.

The Mishna codifies this status for the fetus saying, “if a woman’s labor becomes life
threatening, the fetus is dismembered in the womb and taken out limb by limb, for her life
comes before the life of the fetus. Once most of the child has emerged from the womb, it can
not be touched. For one life cannot be put aside for another.” We are not allowed to say one
life is more important than another life. Here we have the definition of life. According to the
Mishna, life begins at birth, not before. Before the child is born, the fetus is considered as just
another organ in the body of its mother.

Maimonides explains this further, inserting the laws of abortion into the laws of the rodef. The
rodef is someone who is chasing after you with an intent to kill. It is completely illegal to kill
another person unless they have been convicted of a capital crime. The one exception is the
rodef. If the rodef is armed and threatening, one can kill that person first, before he can kill you.
Rambam then compares the fetus to a rodef threatening the life of its mother. It is
permitted/required to kill the fetus to save the life of the mother. Again, once the head or most
of the body is born, it is now alive and, again, one life cannot be put aside for another.
It is interesting that the Rabbis push this idea further. If a fetus is a rodef, once the head is born, it is still a rodef.
The law about the rodef says it can still be killed; but here, the Rabbis will not tread. 

Once the child is born, it is not the child who is threatening the life of the mother, it is
now a decree from heaven whether this woman will die; women die in childbirth for all kinds of
reasons. Once the child is born, it is no longer the source of the threat to the life of the mother.
What we still do not have is a definition of “threat to the mother.” Is her life in danger? Is her
health in danger? How do we know when a fetus becomes a rodef?
How do we know when the fetus is endangering its mother?

It is only in the modern world where we understand more about medicine and the stages of childbirth that we can begin to focus more on the question of the meaning of “threat to the mother.”

We have an opinion from the modern period from a rabbi who is asked the question, “can an
adulterous married woman (who is pregnant) be allowed to abort the child?” This rabbi, in his
“She’elat Ya’vetz,” permits the abortion. He says, “And even in the case of a legitimate fetus
there is reason to be lenient if there is a great need. As long as the fetus has not begun to
emerge, even if the mother’s life is not in jeopardy, but only so as to save her from an evil
associated with it that would cause her great pain.”

Another rabbi responding to this opinion comments on this ruling by adding: “This is because of
the mother’s need to save her from embarrassment and disgrace when the child is born, for all
of her days. … For there is no need, nor physical and spiritual pain, greater for a mother who
has done teshuva than her illegitimate child who will be living reproof constantly. It is simple
and clear that if we permit abortion for this reason, then we should permit it in the case of a
married woman who is raped, for the child would be illegitimate when conceived by rape.
Therefore, it seems that if there is a valid concern that the child will be born deformed or in
constant pain, we should permit an abortion within 40 days of conception and, at the most, up
to three months and providing that the fetus is not moving.”

What has been decided here is that the “health” of the mother should include her physical
health, her mental health, and her emotional health. If the child will cause her embarrassment
throughout her life, or if it is deformed, or will be in constant pain, then it is permitted to abort.
I do want to add here, in none of these cases is there the idea of “abortion on demand.” The
Rabbis have far more respect for life, even potential life, to let abortion be the last chance for
birth control. The Rabbis could be very lenient about the health of the mother, but they did
understand that an unrestricted use of abortion would lead to a disrespect for human life.
What happens then, is that if there is a medical reason for an abortion, due to physical health
issues, mental health issues or emotional health issues, then an abortion is permitted. But no
human being can just remove a part of his or her body just because they do not like it.
Thus, this decision is a decision between a woman and her doctor. It is not a place where a rabbi
determines what is medically necessary.

To be sure, there are rabbis that disagree with these lenient positions. Some major Halachic
authorities forbid abortion in all cases. In their minds, this disrespect for a life that has been
given by God is just too great. These authorities remain a minority opinion. They represent,
however, how serious the decision to abort should be.

In the 1980’s, the chairman of the Law and Standards Committee of the Rabbinical Assembly,
Rabbi Kass Abelson wrote, “There is clear precedent in the tradition… to permit abortion of a
fetus to save a mother’s life, to safeguard her health or even for a very thin reason, such as to
spare her physical pain or mental anguish. Some … also consider the well-being of other
children, and the future of the fetus itself as reasons to permit abortion. All agree that there
must be a reason to justify the destruction of the potential person the fetus will become after
birth. Where there is reason to believe that the fetus may be defective … if the tests indicate
that the child will be born with major defects … It is permitted to abort the fetus.”
What we learn here is, as usual, Judaism takes a position that is not radical to either side of the
current debate. It is neither fully pro-life nor fully pro-choice. Abortion is permitted but not in
every case. A woman has the right to choose, but also must have a reason. But the most
important part of these rulings is that this is a medical decision relating to the health of the
mother and the fetus. There is extraordinary room for a woman and her doctor to decide what
is best in her case. Judaism is supportive, not judgmental, in dealing with this issue and with the
people involved. Abortion is not birth control, but neither is a pregnancy a burden that must be
carried every day of a woman’s life. I should also add that the Jewish community had and still
has a dedicated support network for women who choose to carry their fetus for its full term
and raise the child.

Our American health system still leaves far too many poor people behind. The inability of our
health care system to cover those who are financially unable to pay, this alone makes it difficult
for a woman to choose to have a child. Childbirth is, by definition, a threat to the life of a
pregnant woman. We should not force a woman to endanger her life without consulting her
and valuing her opinion. The right to control our bodies is not a right that is easily revoked. And
here I offer one personal reflection: I do find it interesting that the same people who said that
the government does not have a right to control their body and to make them wear a mask
during a pandemic, these same people also say that the government does have the right to tell
a woman what to do with her body and forbid her to have an abortion.

I teach this lesson not to suggest the Jewish law is superior to American law. They are separate
legal systems that start with different assumptions. I offer this example to show that there is
middle ground, there is a measured way to ensure that abortion is safe, legal, and still respects
women and the children they bear.
May God give us the wisdom to find the proper balance in life and in law as we say….
Amen and Shabbat Shalom

AJC, WJC Commend EU Declaration on Combating Anti-Semitism

http://israelnewsagency.com/ajc-wjc-jewish-eu-europe-declaration-anti-semitism/

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Brussels — December 7, 2018 … The American Jewish Committee (AJC) praised the Council of the European Union unanimous adoption of a statement on combating anti-Semitism across Europe. It is the first time the Council’s 28-member states have passed a comprehensive measure aimed at coordinating counter anti-Semitism actions and to assure the safety of European Jews.

In its declaration, the EU Council acknowledges that Jewish communities in some European Union countries feel particularly vulnerable to lethal terrorist attacks, following an increase in violent attacks in recent years. It notes that anti-Semitic hatred remains widespread, as confirmed by the E.U.’s 2018 Fundamental Rights Agency report on anti-Semitism.

“The EU has taken a historic step toward fighting all forms of hatred targeting Jews,” said Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of the AJC Transatlantic Institute, the Brussels-based arm of AJC, the global Jewish advocacy organization.

“Significantly, the 28 EU member states have jointly recognized the severity of continuing threats to Jews, the need to protect Jewish institutions and communities, and the value of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Anti-Semitism.”

Schwammenthal praised Austrian Chancellor Kurz, who currently holds the EU presidency, for initiating the Council Declaration. “Chancellor Kurz has admirably made anti-Semitism an EU priority.”

The Council Declaration asks member states “to adopt and implement a holistic strategy to prevent and fight all forms of anti-Semitism.” It expresses EU determination to “ensure a future for Jewish people to live with the same sense of security and freedom as all other citizens in the European Union.” And it calls on EU member nations that have not yet adopted the IHRA working definition to endorse it.

The World Jewish Congress said in a statement that it worked for several months with the Austrian government and European institutions, as well as the EJC, to draft the declaration.  It applauded the council for passing the declaration and called on the EU to appoint a Coordinator on Combating Anti-Semitism.

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder said: “I strongly welcome the decision by the Council of the European Union to adopt this important declaration on the fight against antisemitism and the protection of Jewish communities. Just days after polling revealed that antisemitism continues to haunt Europe, and with the memory of the Holocaust fading, this declaration is a clear recognition by the governments of all EU Member States that serious action, both politically and practically, is needed to deal with the clear and specific challenges posed by this ancient hatred. We look forward to continuing to engage with both the EU institutions and the governments of the EU Member States to inform this serious work going forward.”

In 2015, AJC convened in Brussels “A Defining Moment for Europe,” a strategy conference on combating anti-Semitism. The Call to Action adopted at the groundbreaking conference was updated in June 2018.

Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu had requested that the EU adopt the working definition of anti-Semitism issued by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an intergovernmental organization that was founded 20 years ago.

This definition states that some criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic, such as: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” or by applying double standards to Israel not demanded of any other nation.

Some EU countries were concerned that this definition could prevent criticism of Israel’s residential and commercial activities in the Jewish state’s biblical and historical land in Judea and Samaria (West Bank). A compromise was therefore reached and the final statement calls on member states to use the IHRA definition as a “guidance tool,” without making it obligatory.

WJC Applauds Historic Chad Visit To Israel

http://israelnewsagency.com/chad-israel-africa-wjc-idriss-deby-netanyahu-rivlin-robert-singer/

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Photo: Marc Israel Sellem

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem, Israel — November 25, 2018 … Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, welcomed the President of Chad Idriss Debyat at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem this evening. It marked an historic, unprecedented trip for the leader of the Muslim-majority nation in Central Africa, which does not have diplomatic relations with the Jewish state.

“President Déby and I had the opportunity to discuss the relations between our two countries and the way we can cooperate for the benefit of our peoples and for peace and for security,” said Prime Minister Netanyahu at the start of their first meeting.

“And I’m delighted that my wife Sara and I can welcome you to our home and your delegation. We will continue our discussions and I think they are going to be very fruitful. I think the historic visit of President Déby to Israel marks a new era, a new era for security, for cooperation and for peace. I welcome you in this spirit to our home here in Jerusalem. Welcome.”

During his time in Israel Deby is expected to meet with Israel President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Netanyahu for further talks.

Last year WJC CEO Robert Singer held talks with Chadian Ambassadors in Geneva and Paris, at the time urging the reinstatement of diplomatic relations between Chad and Israel.

Commenting on the official visit, Robert Singer said: “I warmly welcome this promising development of improved ties between the Republic of Chad and Israel. This is further evidence of the positive role Israel is playing in Africa, including with Muslim-majority countries – with cooperation possible in a number of areas from technology to security. We look forward to continuing to promote and assist in the development of this important bilateral relationship as part of our intensified collaborations with African nations.”

The Republic of Chad cut diplomatic ties with Jerusalem in 1972. Some 13.5 million people live in Chad today, 55 percent of whom are Muslim. About 40 percent are Christian.

Netanyahu has traveled three times to Africa in the last two years, visiting Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Uganda and Liberia. Netanyahu constantly vows to expand ties with all countries on the continent, including those that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

Israel is working to establish diplomatic ties with a number of central African nations, including Sudan.

A senior Israeli official told the Israel News Agency that Déby’s visit was laying the groundwork for normalizing ties with Muslim-majority countries Sudan, Mali and Niger.

Holocaust Remembrance Day Honored Online

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Jerusalem, Israel — January 27, 2018 … A valuable online resource which honors the memory of the 6 million Jews who were murdered during the Holocaust can be found at:

www.HolocaustRemembranceDay.org

The domain directs to an interactive Facebook page which integrates the most valuable and respected Holocaust resources including Yad Vashem, World Jewish Congress, the US Holocaust Museum, the Anne Frank Center, the Israel Defense Forces and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators.

Holocaust is a word of Greek origin meaning “sacrifice by fire.” The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were “racially superior” and that the Jews, deemed “inferior,” were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community.

Nazi Dr. Fritz Klein, center, who selected prisoners to be sent to the gas chamber at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany, was forced to move bodies to a mass grave after the camp was liberated by the British in April, 1945. Klein was later tried and hanged.

In 1933, the Jewish population of Europe stood at over nine million. Most European Jews lived in countries that Nazi Germany would occupy or influence during World War II. By 1945, the Germans and their collaborators murdered two out of every three European Jews as part of the “Final Solution,” the Nazi policy to murder the Jews of Europe.

The United Nations General Assembly designated January 27 – the anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau—as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. On this annual day of commemoration, the UN urges every member state to honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and millions of other victims of Nazism and to develop educational programs to help prevent future genocides.

Stuart Leyden - Loving Father, Son, Husband, Grandfather, Cousin, Friend

Stuart S. Leyden

Stu owned STPA - Sportsman's Trading Post of America, was an avid golf champion at Battleground Country Club, 73 Stuart S. Leyden of Ocean Township, N.J., passed away on Saturday, June 13, 2015. He was 73. 

Funeral services will be held on Monday, June 15, at 11 a.m. at Bloomfield Cooper Jewish Chapels, 2130 Rt. 35, Ocean, followed by interment at the Congregation Agudith Achim Cemetery in Neptune, N.J. 

The family will sit shiva at their residence on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, from 2 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. 

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Stuart lived in Holmdel, N.J., before moving to Ocean in 1984. 

He served in the U.S. Navy. 

Stuart Leyden went on to own Sportsman's Trading Post of America - a marine and ski supply business in Union, N.J., and Shrewsbury, N.J., for many years, after which he was a successful mortgage banker until his retirement. 

An avid golfer, he was club champion and past president of Battleground Country Club in Manalapan, N.J. He also belonged to Woodlake Country Club in Lakewood, N.J. Son of the late Henry and Lillian Leyden, Stuart was also predeceased by his brothers, Paul and Howard Leyden. 

He was the beloved husband of Linda (Bartok) Leyden for 31 years; the cherished father of Daniel Leyden and his wife, Dina, Jeffrey Leyden and his wife, Kim, Julie Youngblood and her husband, Boyd, and devoted stepfather of Jill Skubik and her husband, Dave, and Mindy Wheeler and her partner, Jen. 

Most importantly, he was the loving "Poppy" and Grandpa of Scott, Eric, Alyssa, Hunter, and Jake Leyden, Kori and Hannah Wheeler, Brenna Trumper, Boyd Youngblood, and Samantha and Alison Skubik. His greatest joy was spending time with his family. 

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association , P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, Va. 22312.

Joel, Lior, David and Amanda Leyden of Ra'anana, Israel will miss our cousin.
A loving, warm and kind mench who was always there for his family.

Join us at www.StuartLeyden.com

How I Became A Conservative

By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

New York --- US President Barack Obama said today that the US was winning in Iraq and Syria.

The Atlantic asked Obama if the US was losing the fight against ISIS, Obama said: “No, I don’t think we’re losing."

City after city is falling. Yesterday it was Mosul. This week, it is the provincial capital of Ramadi in Iraq and the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra. 

More than one third of Iraq is now controlled by ISIS with ISIS now less than 100 miles from Baghdad. News anchors from CNN to FOX News are asking: "if this is not losing, then what does losing look like?"

The US has a President with no military experience.
A man who is a dreamer. A dangerous dreamer who refuses to engage an enemy which beheads Christian children.

Years ago, we had FDR who refused to take action. That invited Pearl Harbor.
Today, we have already had our Pearl Harbor - it's called 9/11. But Obama still refuses to defend innocents overseas from an enemy which has called for the destruction of the United States.

It's not an all or nothing proposition as Obama states. Again, his military ignorance screams out. We need boots on the ground but we do not need to be sucked into a long, drawn out war. We don't need to engage the enemy every hour of every day. The US military has rapid deployment forces, special forces which were just used for the first time under Obama in Iraq this past week. They go in, do their job and fly out. But Obama is reluctant to do even this. Obama is not a warrior. He is a lawyer. Perhaps he can sue ISIS and take them to the International Criminal Court.
Bottom line - do something. Do not tell the US public that we are winning when hard fought winning battles under George W., US lives that were lost to stabilize Iraq, are now being lost.

How can anyone ignore real and present danger?
This made me think about how I became a Conservative.

I was at IDF sniper target practice when suddenly I became very depressed. I stopped shooting. I was hitting bulls eyes shot after shot.

I said to my commander: "I'm killing people. I'm hitting bulls eyes and killing people with each and every shot".

He paused and motioned for me to walk over to him.

"Leyden, it's either you or him. What do you want."
These few words set all in perspective for years to come.

It became quite clear that sometimes you just can't reach out and discuss things.
There are times when negotiations do not work. And if you hesitate - you're dead.

I was born a Democrat. Always wanting to understand and help the needy.
I still help the needy but have learned that if someone is shooting at you or your family - shoot back.

Obama never learned this. Nor will he.
The Secret Service protects Obama. He need not worry for his family.

My children who live under Iranian threat of nuclear weapons and of ISIS knocking at their small, Israeli borders are at risk.

Jewish and Christian children who awake every day in the sleepy suburbs of the US are also at risk.

When you have a President who lives in denial of ISIS taking over the Middle East - one has to start worrying about dirty bombs exploding in Chicago, Miami, Denver and LA.

Allah Akbar has been heard in the US - from Boston and Texas to North Carolina and Denver.
I pray that it does not take more Islamic terror attacks on our heartland for you to become a "Conservative". 

You need not go through IDF sniper training.

Why BDS Groups Should Not March in Celebrate Israel Parade!

Dear Hindy,

As you must already know, there has been an overwhelming positive reaction to the letter I sent to you and Michael Miller last week regarding your admittance of the NIF and other BDS supporting organizations to the Celebrate Israel Parade.  My letter’s statements and requests to disinvite these organizations to the Parade have garnered hundreds of very positive and supportive letters from all around the world. Additionally, the public’s online comment threads to the resultingAlgemeiner article, Matzav article, and other publications clearly demonstrate not only to me, but should also demonstrate to you, Michael Miller and the rest of the Board and staff of the JCRC and the UJA that there is a preponderance of evidence and support that BDS supporting groups should not be permitted to march in the Celebrate Israel Parade. 

As per my telephone conversation with you the morning after I sent you my original letter, I spoke with the specifically requested Israeli government official that you felt should be made aware of the impending situation. He stated to me that he was not aware, nor did the JCRC ever inform him that the NIF was going to march in the parade.  He then went on to state that he would like to investigate the situation further and will inform the JCRC whether he will march with his delegation or not.  I am confident that based on his own investigation, he will make the correct decision, for which I will wholeheartedly support. 

In your response email to me last week after I sent you my original letter, you mentioned that you would be setting up a meeting with John Ruskay and others; I have yet to receive any additional information about this meeting.

Your telephone conversation with me on the morning after I sent you and Michael Miller my original letter included several issues, which I would like to list here, as well as to reiterate my own position.  

I will assume you were speaking on behalf of the JCRC and the UJA.  As you know, I was speaking 

on behalf of the four major Sephardic institutions here in NYC.  I also informed you that I would be communicating with several major Jewish institutions for which I have a large presence in and around NYC and beyond.  As you might expect, I have already begun to do so.

1. You commented that as a Jewish Community, we need to have a “big tent” and include many 

groups for which we don’t necessarily agree with their position on every issue regarding Israel.

My position: I would have no problem including groups that we don’t agree with, as long as they only voice their opinion - without taking action - at imposing their opinion on society. However, the moment a group takes action, especially an action that hurts the Jewish People and the State of Israel while consorting with the enemies of Israel, they forfeit their right to be a part of the peaceful “big tent”. The groups has decidedly excluded themselves from such a privilege. Their opinion on the Peace Process or the size of Israel is their right to have. However, the moment any group uses their 

actions to boycott Israel in order to force their opinion, that is what is completely unacceptable, 

immoral and unethical. 

Why is it unacceptable, immoral and unethical?  Because their support of BDS against Israel and its citizens is inflicting tremendous damage on the people of Israel’s livelihood, lives and welfare. The BDS’s mission is to destroy a person, a family, a village, a town and even an entire country, only to make the world know their opinion.  Only the enemies of Israel can support such a movement. How 

can we, as true supporters and lovers of the State of Israel, allow groups that seek to destroy Israel’s wellbeing, the honor of marching together with Israel's most ardent supporters? Either they are friends of Israel or they are not. These groups can no longer act as the proverbial wolves in sheep’s clothing. We need not be apologetic about what we stand for. 

As a Rabbi, I have sometimes been asked, why is it that the pig has become the iconic representative of a non-kosher animal, when a camel, a rabbit and a hare are also not kosher? The answer is that 

since the pig is the only one that has a split hoof yet doesn’t chew its cud, he is outwardly trying to 

mislead people into believing that he is kosher - yet deep inside, he is not. This behavior is analogous to how the BDS supporting groups are acting.  It is time to remove their disguise.

2. Your comments conveyed your defense of some groups that differentiate between boycotting products from "Israel proper” and boycotting products of the “Settlements” in Judea and Samaria.  

This is incongruous. Since when do we have the moral and ethical right to hurt any Jew, regardless of his place of residence? If I am to understand your comments correctly, you are of the position that if we as Jews like where a person lives, then we can help him.  However, if we don’t, then we not only refuse to help him but we try to injure him? Really?

My position: There has not been any historical precedent of Jews denying help to any other Jew, no matter where that Jew lives. Didn't we come to the rescue of the Jews of the Former Soviet Union? 

What about of Ethiopia, Iran and Syria? We are even now coming to the rescue of the Jews of the Ukraine. Does it really make a difference where a Jew lives in order to be responsible for him? We Jews are responsible for each other no matter where that Jew lives, whether it is in prison or on the Moon. To make that differentiation is tantamount to deciding who will live and who will die.  We are not G-d, and therefore we cannot make those decisions. Throughout history, this has been done to us by our enemies and not so long ago, during the Holocaust. 

3. Your comments conveyed that I am boycotting the Celebrate Israel Parade.

My position: This is simply not true. I want to clarify that I am not boycotting the Parade. I want to make it clear that I am abstaining as to whether or not to march with my institutions until the BDS supporting groups are not permitted to march in the Celebrate Israel Parade.  Boycotting has a negative terminology. These BDS supporting groups are boycotting, divesting and sanctioning Israel because they do not support Israel; they are hurting Israel and its population, and they are destroying the lives of innocent Jews living in Israel and their livelihoods. These actions could potentially have a negative ripple effect on Jews from around the world.  I, on the other hand, support the Parade wholeheartedly and want our institutions to march.  My abstention is not hurting anyone and it is not destroying any lives. I am abstaining for now, until my requests are heard and a correct, moral and ethical action is taken by the JCRC.

Lastly, I am attaching two yet unpublished research documents from October 2013, which reveal unequivocally the activities of the NIF.  Its support of groups like B’Tselem, American for Peace Now, Meretz USA, and others that are acting against the welfare of the State of Israel is very clear.  They are helping our enemies seek the destruction of Israel.  If it was up to them, soon there will be nothing for your parade to “Celebrate”.

It may seem to you that I am causing a division amongst the participants in the Parade and creating some discord.  However, it is completely the opposite. I am trying to unite all of the people that support and Celebrate Israel. On the other hand, the BDS supporting groups, which you have invited to march in the parade, are trying to divide and discriminate against their fellow Jews because of their place of living or political views. They are the ones who are sowing divisiveness.

Hindy, I reiterate what I wrote in my last letter - as a friend and admirer of yours and Michael Miller’s selfless devotion and dedication to Israel and the Jewish People, I urge you to disqualify these groups from ever marching in the Celebrate Israel Parade. Nothing less is acceptable. Unless and until you assure me that the BDS supporting groups will not be marching in the Parade, I will pull our support from marching and will not be renewing our contract for a float this year.

I hope this unfortunate issue will be resolved quickly, thereby clearing a path so we can march with pride and support, and really Celebrate Israel.

Sincerely,

Elie Abadie

Rabbi Elie Abadie, M.D.
Edmond J. Safra Synagogue
11 East 63rd Street
New York, NY 10065
Tel +1 212-754-9555
Fax +1 212-754-6211