Jerusalem deputy mayor calls on Israelis to stand with Jews abroad

Over the 20 years that I have lived in Israel, through one intifada, a second Lebanon war, and multiple Gaza conflicts, a constant reassuring and stabilizing feeling for me has been the knowledge that our Jewish brothers and sisters in communities around the world stand with us. 

 

To be sure, whenever there is a crisis in Israel, an escalation of violence or even on the positive side a major celebration, leaders from Jewish communities around the world drop everything and fly to Israel.  For many Jews, one of the harshest realities of the corona global pandemic has been not being able to simply get on a flight and come to Israel.  

 

But no matter how dire the circumstances, Jewish leaders and friends of Israel rally by our side and show support with their feet by organizing solidarity missions and simply showing up, no questions asked.  

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In my role as deputy mayor of Jerusalem, overseeing global and foreign relations for the city of Jerusalem, it is a privilege to welcome these leaders and graciously accept their wishes of solidarity.  As the eternal capital and the beating heart of the Jewish people, Jerusalem is more than just in our prayers, Jerusalem embodies the symbol of Jewish sovereignty in our land.   

On behalf of the mayor and the city, we salute these demonstrations of support and are emboldened and encouraged by their warm embrace.

 

In that sense this past week has been no different from other times of conflict for Israel.   With a cease fire announced, dozens of impromptu solidarity missions have been quickly and efficiently arranged to stand together with Israel.   It was especially gratifying to see how quickly the UJA mobilized to gather a delegation of leading Rabbis from the NY area.

 

However, this time something is different, something has changed; whilst we receive groups of support to Israel by the day, we are witnessing on the nightly news an upsurge of virulent antisemitic incidents around the world. Our communities are under attack from a vile antisemitism no longer pretending to hide behind the pretext of antizionism. This past week we painfully watched the vitriol and venom being flung at Jewish communities.   As the violence increased, I have grown deeply concerned. 

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Solidarity goes both ways.  In Israel however, we have gotten used to being the focus of concern for the Jewish homeland from communities around the world.  However, when we speak of Areivut, the concept of mutual responsibility in the context of Jewish peoplehood, mutual should be the emphasis.  And this demands more than words.  It demands actions. 

 

Now that this round of conflict in Israel has ended, we cannot sit in Jerusalem and witness the attacks on our brothers and sisters and do nothing.  It is time for us translate our concern into action and show up and be counted.  Israel is a country of innovation with incomparable coping strategies.  We need to lend support by listening and understanding the scope of the Global Jewish communities’ challenges and help develop the tools for a solution.  

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I call upon my fellow municipal, national and spiritual leaders to join me on a solidarity mission to particularly hard hit Jewish communities.    If you are a Zionist leader in Israel and you are able to travel, now is the time to visit your home communities.

 

Over the next couple of days, I will gather the details for this trip.   

In the meantime, I invite those who see the sting of Antisemitism and who have similarly sworn Never Again, to join our solidarity mission.   When fellow Jews are beaten in the streets of New York, London and Los Angeles, it is our time to act.