16 Kislev, 5763
Jerusalem

Weekly Jewish Solidarity Update
(For the week of 14 - 21 November 2002)

MANIFESTATIONS OF SOLIDARITY

·         Today, 21 November, Rabbi Avi Weiss, of AMCHA, the Coalition of Jewish Concerns, is organizing a protest demonstration in front of the PLO Mission in New York City, in reaction to the bombing of a Jerusalem bus in which 11 Israelis, among them four schoolchildren, were murdered.

·         This week New York City named a street for a victim of last July's Hebrew University terrorist bombing. 69th St., from Madison to Fifth Avenues will henceforth be referred to as the late Janis Ruth Coulter St. Coulter, a member of the Friends of the Hebrew University was among the nine victims of the attack.

·         200 students marched in support of Israel at the University of Maryland, in a demonstration organized by Hillel to protest the campaign to have the University divest its holdings in companies doing business with Israel.

·         Bnai Brith-UK launched a campaign to have Bnai Brith offices throughout the world adopt families of terror victims.

SOLIDARITY MISSIONS

·         A Solidarity Mission from France, comprised of 350 individuals, conducted a for a five-day solidarity visit (from 10-14 November) under the auspices of Keren Hayasod. Many leaders of French Jewish Communities were among the participants in the mission. During the course of the trip the group visited terror victims at hospitals, held a memorial service at the Park Hotel, in Netanya (the site of the bloody Passover suicide bomb attack) and dedicated a square honoring the memory Janusz Korczak at Yad Vashem. Three major French Jewish organizations: the Conseil Représentatif des Israélites de France (CRIF ), the Appel Unifié Juif de France and the Fonds Social Juif organized the mission.

·         A high-level delegation of New York State and city elected officials, including two of the top citywide office holders, county executives well as several state assemblymen visited Israel from 17-20 November in a show of solidarity. The UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council sponsored the visit. During their visit, delegation members met with Minister Danny Naveh, Former Prime Minister Shimon Peres and senior officials. They visited the Jewish Agency Mevasseret Zion Absorption Center to learn first-hand about immigration, toured Hadassah Hospital, visited Zaka HQ, held a memorial ceremony at Hebrew University and be briefed on the UJA-Federation supported Israel Trauma Coalition.

·         A businessmen's solidarity mission from New York arrived in Israel to assist Jerusalem businessmen, who are in difficulty. The UJA organized this mission in the context of the Jewish Agency's "Partnership 2000" program. The Jewish Agency and Mati (Center for Business Initiatives) in Jerusalem collaborated in the organization of this visit. Members of the delegation met with 25 small businessmen from central Jerusalem in an effort to share their experience with their Jerusalem colleagues.

·         A solidarity visit sponsored by Bnai Brith of the United Kingdom, arrived in Israel. The delegation will visit victims of terror. 

VOLUNTARISM

There has been great interest, especially among students to come to Israel on volunteer programs coordinated by the Jewish Agency's Tnuat Aliyah Department. Well over 3,200 have applied to come to Israel, and over 736 volunteers have served or are presently serving in volunteer programs, which include Civil Guard, Magen David Adom, a special physicians program, Sarel, kibbutz and social welfare programs.

SELECTED ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENTS

·         9 November 2002. Berlin, Germany. On the anniversary of Kristalnacht, a man stood opposite a Berlin synagogue and gave the Nazi salute.

·         13 November 2002. Paris, France. A young men of Maghrebian origin hurled stones at participants in an activity organized by the Bnai Akiva .

·         14 November 2002. New York, New York. An anonymous caller cursed staff members of the Jewish Agency offices.

·         17 November 2002. Brussels, Belgium. An anti-Israel and anti-US demonstration took place.

Anti-Semitic incidents may be monitored on the official State of Israel-Jewish Agency website: www.antisemitism.org.il