Coming up:
Chicago
Ladies day trip!
Elul/Tishrei 5774 • September 2014
See page 4 for more information
Have a healthy and happy
ROSH HASHANAH
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Local seniors have a thrilling time at the 2014 Camp L'chaim
Come show support for Israel!
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PJ fun with PJ Library
Thursday, September 4 5 - 7 p.m. Temple Shomer Emunim
All ages welcome Israeli food (light buffet), speakers, children's activities, and more
By Joel Marcovitch, CEO Watching events transpire in Israel has been heart wrenching. Two months ago, we came together as a community to honor the memory of the three Israeli boys who were kidnapped and brutally murdered by Hamas. As we stood together with neighbors and friends, family and loved ones and mourned the loss of the boys, we had no idea it would be the start of such a painful period in Israel’s history. Since then, thousands of rockets have been indiscriminately fired at Israel, forcing millions of Israelis to seek refuge in bomb shelters. Tens of soldiers have died protecting Israel from those who wish to destroy it. The world is protesting on streets of capital cities calling for “death to Jews;” some of these same cities heard that chant 70 years ago. We look on aghast and dumfounded as Jews are fearfully locked in synagogues, beaten in the streets, Jewish businesses firebombed and destroyed while the UN continues to pass resolutions condemning Israel and conveniently ignoring far worse situations in Syria and Iraq. CNN, BBC and
The New York Times have shown staggering amounts of bias against Israel. Twitter has been a focal point of anti-Semitic hate filled messages hoping to gather support for boycott and divestment from Israel. Supermarkets in the UK are forced to remove Kosher items due to pressure from protestors. Even in our own community, the Students for Justice in Palestine, a college campus organization, has held rallies on Central Avenue at Secor Road with placards showing the human shield casualties that Hamas hopes for. In the first few weeks of the conflict, we came together to raise money and do our part to aid our brothers and sisters in Israel. Your amazing support raising $50,000 has helped individuals and communities in Israel begin the long, difficult process of rebuilding lives and getting back on their feet. During the conflict, tenuous ceasefires were put in place only to be continuously
broken by Hamas. And now, as rocket fire resumes again, it is unclear if this latest episode will be short-lived, or if Israel will continue to see sustained rocket fire. With all this going on in Israel and around us, it is easy to lose hope. It is for that reason, Jewish Federation of Greater Toledo is hosting an Israel event at Temple Shomer Emunim on Thursday, September 4 (5-7 p.m.), where we can once again proclaim our solidarity. We will proudly wave our Israel flags and sing our hearts out in support of Israel, but we will also learn from those that can teach us, improve our knowledge about the conflict and arm ourselves with knowledge to fight anti-Israel and anti-Semitic attacks in our community. The evening will be for all age groups with child-friendly activities; Israeli food; local speakers and more. The time has come for the Toledo Jewish community to come together and elevate the conversation, elevate our passion and show our unwavering support for Israel. We look forward to seeing you there proudly in support of Israel.
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Young Jewish Toledo women enjoy a "Chai" Tea
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Childcare is available. Please contact Colette Lundberg at 419-724-0361 or colette@JewishToledo.org to sign up.