Two weeks into the current conflict, I want to share with all of our members, supporters and readers Ameinu’s response to the events on Israel’s Northern border. Our first instinct has been to express our solidarity with Israel and particularly with the hardest hit, the residents of the north currently under attack from Hezbullah. We immediately established the Ameinu Children’s Emergency Fund to purchase books, toys and games for children spending time in shelters and to help support the special summer camps established for kids from the north. While the ultimate goal is to raise as much money as possible for those affected in Israel, this project also gives members of the Ameinu family an opportunity to touch individuals in Israel at this time. Ameinu members have also participated in many rallies around the country, distributing information about the fund while showing their support for Israel.
The organization has also been active on the educational and informational front, helping the American Jewish community make sense of events taking place in the Middle East. We have created a Crisis in Israel Resource Page that provides a wide range of both political views from Israel on the situation as well as personal perspectives. I believe that both of these aspects are important. While we are strong in our support for Israel, we are keenly aware that there are a variety of political perspectives on Israel’s next steps militarily and diplomatically. We are doing our best to provide you with current information from a variety of sources. I want to make special note of the transcript of our recent leadership briefing with MK Colette Avital. Within Ameinu we often speak about creating a personal connection with Israel. On the resource page you will see a growing section of Reports from Israel which are not newspaper articles but rather letters from our friends and contacts in Israel reflecting their views on life and politics. I would urge you to regularly visit this page as it is updated daily.
As part of this informational effort, Our Policy and Advocacy Committee has created two statements during the crisis in attempt to express our support for Israel while formulating an analysis of what lies ahead for Israel. We will continue this process as the situation develops and add our voices to those in Israel looking for a secure cessation of the warfare on Israel’s Northern border.
All the projects and resources I mentioned in this letter can be accessed from our home page. I urge you to spend some time on the website, read a little and get involved with Ameinu’s response to the crisis.
