Page 19 - Jewish News_Sept2021
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FEDERATION NEWS September 2021 19A
Community Havdalah Is Israel a good citizen of the world? Robert and Esther Heller
CRC
onnect
onnect
beats the summer heat By David Millstone
ach month, CRConnect brings
In addition to providing intelli-
when terrorism strikes
trapped under ruins of a collapsed
you information to help under- ically designed to rescue people Assisting other countries gence to prevent terrorist attacks, Isra-
hats as the leaders of this fun program Estand difficult questions we all building. Israel intelligence services, Mossad el has helped other countries in several
in late July. face concerning Israel and antisemi- The IDF’s Search and Rescue Unit and the Military Intelligence Director- different ways.
Attendees broke into smaller af-tism. Modern antisemitism includes was quickly on site after a build- ate, have been instrumental in provid- Israel has counterterrorism agree-
finity groups afterwards. Club Fed attacks on Israel and its credibility as ing collapse in Nairobi, Kenya, ing information to other countries to ments with various countries in-
members, who represented active se-a nation among nations. There is fre- in 2006. Rescue workers walked prevent terrorist attacks. Here are some cluding Egypt. Israel has assisted
niors, got together for “Just Schmooz-quently misinformation in the press amid the rubble, and using search examples: Egypt in fighting terrorist groups
ing.” Younger families joined with and propaganda that demonizes Israel dogs were able to locate both sur- In 2016, ISIS was planning co- inside Egyptian Sinai by using
MG Berman, PJ Library Communi-and applies a double standard when ex- vivors and victims. One hundred ordinated attacks in Albania, warplanes and helicopters to carry
ty Connector, and Priya amining Israel. That is a form of mod- soldiers and officers took part in Kosovo and Macedonia, includ- out attacks against ISIS and other
Weiman-Parikh, PJ Chair, ern antisemitism. the mission, including medical ing an attack during the Albania- terrorist groups.
for Picnic+Play, enjoying This month’s question addresses staff. The IDF also used rescue Israel World Cup soccer match. In 2015, Israel provided intelli-
books and crafts on picnic claims that Israel has no right to ex- dogs, and state-of-the-art rescue With intelligence provided by Is- gence to help France with its in-
blankets. ist as a Jewish state and acts without equipment. rael, local authorities were able to vestigation of a terrorist attack
Priya reflects back on moral compass. Over the next couple Earthquake relief arrest and convict the terrorists and in Paris which left 120 people
the event and shares, “The of months, we will look at some of the Since it first provided aid by helping prevent the attacks from occurring. dead. Israel also provided train-
feeling of being a commu-things Israel does that makes it an ex- survivors and giving necessary medi- In 2017, the Israeli military intelli- ing to French first responders and
nity together, in person, emplar state rather than a pariah. This cal assistance in the Ionian Islands in gence unit tipped off its Australian trauma experts on coping with
praying together and hear-month, we look at ways Israel helps Greece after an earthquake in 1953, counterparts to successfully thwart terror.
ing the kids running around other nations when disaster strikes, Israel has been a first responder set- a plot by Lebanese-Australian In the United Kingdom, the po-
was priceless! We were whether natural or man-made. ting up field hospitals and aid when brothers to blow up a scheduled lice have turned to Israel for train-
so pleased with the great Next month we will address what earthquakes hit in places like Albania, flight between Sydney and Abu ing and help on how to stop “lone
turnout, and amazing kids’ Israel has done to assist other countries Armenia, Ecuador, Dominican Repub- Dhabi. wolf” terror attacks.
crafts at Havdalah. Looking with health crises and how Israel has lic, Greece, Haiti, India, Italy, Japan, Intelligence was transferred to Conclusion
forward to the next one!” helped people from around the world Kashmir, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Tur- Turkey to prevent a number of dif- Israel has been, and is, an exemplar
This event was so well when faced with devastating health key. Israel’s offer of aid to Iran and ferent terrorist attacks. Israel con- nation to the world. It is there when
received, we will be plan-conditions. We will also address Israel Iraq when those countries were dev- tinued to provide intelligence even disaster strikes, and it is there to help
ning more Havdalah events as an innovator. astated by an earthquake in 2017 was while President Erdogan of Turkey prevent disaster from striking.
in the upcoming months. In answer to the question of wheth- rebuffed. was publicly berating Israel and For more detailed information and
For more information er Israel is a good citizen of the world Just as in 2010, Israel was on the during the time the two countries original source material, please visit
about community events, and whether it deserves a place among scene after the horrific earthquake in had severed diplomatic relations. the Federation website at jfedsrq.org/
visit jfedsrq.org/events or the nations of the world, the answer is Haiti in August 2021 to distribute re- In 2015, the Mossad provided crconnect.
contact me at jlisitza@jfed – absolutely! Let’s look at some of the lief items like water, sanitation and Great Britain with intelligence that Any opinions expressed in this article
srq.org or 941.343.2113. many reasons: hygiene equipment, and to provide helped foil an effort by Hezbollah are those of the author and not nec-
As the television commercial for first aid and mental health care. Isra- to stockpile explosives in London, essarily those of The Jewish News or
a prominent insurance company goes, el’s Foreign Minister tweeted after the which was part of a plan for fu- The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-
“Like a good neighbor, Israel is there.” disaster hit, “Israel stands with Haiti ture attacks including in Thailand, Manatee.
Israel is considered a world leader in and we will deliver immediate humani- Cyprus and New York.
disaster assistance and emergency tarian support.”
medical care. Israel is always a first Other natural disasters
responder in sending manpower, mate- In 2017, Israel immediately sent hu- “To save one life is to save the
rial and expertise when disaster strikes. manitarian aid when mudslides and
If local hospitals are overwhelmed or flooding killed more than 300 people world entire.” — The Talmud
out of commission, the Israel Defense and left 30,000 homeless in Sierra Le-
Forces (IDF) can have a field hospital one. Over the years, Israel has provided
up and operating within 12 hours of ar- assistance from mudslides, hurricanes,
rival – a logistical feat unmatched by tsunamis and flooding to Colombia,
other countries. No other country can Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka,
dispatch search-and-rescue teams or Thailand and the United States.
field hospitals as fast and effectively as Firefighting
Israel. Israel has provided assistance and
Let’s take a look at some specific manpower to fight dangerous fires that
examples: have occurred. Just two months ago, Is-
Building collapses rael dispatched firefighters, firefighting
Three examples come to mind: planes and flame-retardant material to
Just this year, in response to the Cyprus to help that country fight what
Surfside condo collapse in Miami, was the “worst forest fire” in its history.
the IDF sent its Search and Res- Israel has also provided firefighters and
cue Unit to help search for survi- equipment to help countries around the
Attendees of all ages enjoyed celebrating Havdalah together vors and the remains of victims. world deal with large-scale wild fires,
The unit built a 3-D model of the including Australia, Brazil, Ethiopia
condo which they collapsed so and the United States.
they could understand where the Israel also joins with its neighbors This High Holiday season, as we seek spiritual and physical renewal for
greatest chance for finding peo- to train in fighting fires and dealing ourselves and our loved ones, let us also remember those in Israel who
ple would be. They interviewed with other potential disasters. In 2017, nurture and renew life every day. Whether it’s treating civilians wounded in
family members to understand the Israel hosted civil defense units from terror and rocket attacks or vaccinating them against Covid-19, no organization
residents’ habits and be able to rec- West Bank Palestinian Arabs, Jordan, in Israel saves more lives than Magen David Adom.
ognize possessions that might lead Spain, Italy and France for an exercise
to discovery. Unfortunately, there simulating huge fires that might result Magen David Adom is not government-funded. Its 27,000 volunteer EMTs
were no survivors to recover from in regional catastrophes. The exercise and paramedics and 4,000 full-time professionals rely on support from people
like you for the vehicles, supplies, and equipment they need to perform their
the rubble. However, the Israeli was designed to improve skills and lifesaving work.
unit either recovered or helped to share knowledge in cooperative fire-
recover 81 of the 97 victims. fighting management, evacuation of No gift will help Israel more this coming year. Support Magen David Adom by
Israel’s Search and Rescue Unit people, humanitarian assistance and donating today at afmda.org/rosh or call 800.626.0046. Shanah tovah.
was successful in helping to rescue preservation of nature. The Boycott,
78 people from the debris of a large Divestment and Sanctions movement
department store that collapsed in condemned the Jordanian and Pales-
Ghana in 2012. The team includ- tinian cooperation as an unacceptable
ed experts and equipment specif- act of normalization with Israel. afmda.org