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Dear Marketing,
We would like to share the important updates below with you regarding our community locally and in Israel.
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A local Dallas teen [↗] recently moved to Israel to serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), joining about 21 other Lone Soldiers from Texas according to Friends of the IDF. Lone Soldiers are military personnel who do not have family in Israel. If you or a loved one has been impacted by this war, consider filling out this form [↗] so that we may connect you with important resources and a space to share your personal story. | Bishop Edward Burns of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas recently released a video [↗] to more than 1.3 million local congregants proclaiming support for Israel and acknowledging the importance of our collective efforts. | |
In this video [↗], former President George W. Bush calls Hamas “cold-blooded killers” and adamantly states that the US must stand behind Israel’s response to ensure safety and security for her residents.
Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced on Friday the purchase of $20 million in Israel bonds, providing liquidity to Israel [↗] as it defends itself against Hamas.
President Biden and members of his administration are staying in constant communication with Israeli leadership and have committed to ensuring that Israel has whatever it needs to defend her country and its people, as well as US citizens living, working, and traveling in Israel. In a forceful message of deterrence, the President stated, “Make no mistake: The US is ready to take action should any actor hostile to Israel consider trying to escalate or widen this war.”
| A recent nationwide poll from NPR/PBS News [↗] indicates that a plurality of Americans believe Israel’s military response to Hamas is appropriate. Nearly two in three Americans say the US should publicly support Israel and a majority of Americans think the Middle East is safer with an expression of US support. | Jewish Federations have collectively launched an unprecedented $500 million campaign to support Israel. This is the value of the Jewish Federations – the ability to respond quickly and effectively. Here in Dallas, JFGD Israel Emergency Campaign [↗] has already raised $1.7M. Every dollar raised in this special campaign goes directly to Israel. | PHILANTHROPIC RESPONSES FROM NORTH AMERICA AND ISRAEL | The first round of emergency Jewish Federations allocations is going to 20 organizations providing emergency relief and support in Israel, including the Jewish agency for Israel, JCC, World ORT, Israel Trauma Coalition, United Hatzalah, Magen David, Adom, ZAKA, Barzilai Medical Center and the Soroka Medical Center. These funds are being funneled to a slew of immediate and urgent needs such as medical care, emergency services, evacuation, transport, housing, supporting victims of terror, trauma relief and psychological support, as well as preparing for medium- and long-term needs. |
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ISRAEL SITUATION UPDATE: Day 9 | |
Today is day 9 of Israel’s War with Hamas and this update takes a slightly different approach. In addition to the latest developments, today we will provide links and information focusing on more behind-the-scenes developments and areas, to give readers a better sense of the feeling in Israel.
- Israeli society is displaying unprecedented unity during this war and has come together wiith extensive volunteer efforts and aid from various organizations.
- Heroic stories are emerging, including a journalist's rescue by his father and a retired couple's ordeal during a 20-hour Hamas hostage situation.
- The war is impacting Israel's economy, with business limitations and ongoing challenges due to terrorist activity.
- Arab Israelis struggle with the aftermath of the conflict, as questions on ethical considerations and the proportionality of Israel's response arise.
- International support for Israel escalates, with the US dispatching additional military aid, and European leaders expressing steadfast support for Israel.
- Jewish Federations launched a $500 million campaign, offering aid and resources for those affected, while maintaining close collaboration with Israeli authorities and partners on the ground.
| Israeli society has been galvanized by the war, leading to extraordinary giving and unity. See more in these links: |
- Israelis are united as never before
- Israeli artists give their all to console, entertain amid Hamas war
- Legendary show Zehu Ze reunites for war effort
- How Israeli teens can help
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See this ad from Israel’s largest bank, as an example of how commercial entities are supporting the public.
- Jewish Federation partners are also involved in numerous volunteer efforts, including:
- Many Jewish Agency Masa Fellows are participating in volunteer activities, including assembling food packages, babysitting, conducting deliveries and more.
- Kids studying at a vocational school supported by are helping survivors in the south. Students in the carpentry track created locks for safe spaces in apartments, to enhance their protection, while others in the culinary track prepared hot meals for families in the South.
- Also, JDC converted an employment center in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak into a volunteer hub. So far, 500 Haredi volunteers have signed up and are staffing call centers, visiting elderly, and supporting community services. JDC aims to replicate this model in similar centers throughout Israel.
- Across Israel, hundreds of thousands of citizens are taking part in a multitude of activities to assist soldiers, those evacuated from the south, and others in need. A few, almost random examples:
- In the ultra-Orthodox city of Elad, youth are making 3,000 sandwiches a day for soldiers at a nearby IDF base.
- In this writer’s street in a city in the center of the country, a call went out on Saturday night from a resident who explained that her son was returning from the Gaza Front for just twelve hours bringing uniforms, socks and underwear from many soldiers in his unit. Dozens of families immediately volunteered to do laundry and he headed back to the front with clean clothes for the whole unit.
- There are endless stories of soldiers entering restaurants, falafel stands and countless other businesses being told, “their money is no good here” with products and services being provided for free.
- Makeshift donation centers have sprung up in shopping malls, parking lots, and multiple other venues. Tens of thousands of Israelis are bringing food, clothing, personal hygiene items, home-baked cakes and cookies to these hubs so other volunteers can get them to soldiers at the front.
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Every day, we are learning more details, particularly about the events on the first day of the war, and with them countless stories are emerging of heroism, sometimes from unlikely places. See a collection here.
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Haaretz journalist Amir Tibon was rescued from the fighting by his 62-year old father, a retired major-general. See here for more on the story, and here for Amir Tibon’s own retelling.
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Read here the account of journalist Nir Gontarz who traveled south to save his son at the Rave attacked by Hamas gunmen.
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One of the stories that has captured many Israelis’ attention has been that of Rachel and David Edri, a retired couple, held hostage in their home by Hamas for 20 hours. Rachel “bought time” until rescue forces could arrive by, among other methods, cooking food for the terrorists. See more, including video footage, here.
| THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF WAR | |
Conflict of this scale has, by definition, a significant impact on both the Israeli and the global economy. With so many reservists called up, key employees are out of pocket in many firms and businesses, and the Home Front Command has imposed restrictions on hours of operation for shopping malls and many other venues. Read below for more insight on this aspect of the war.
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Arab Israelis face unique questions any time there is an escalation. The barbarism and horrific nature of the October 7th attack, has left many struggling. Read more here:
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Funerals took place across Israel, as the country continues to bury its dead. Professor Erdan Segal of the Weizmann Institute published data showing that last week’s massacre was the deadliest terror attack anywhere in the world proportionate to the size of the country. Per millions of citizens, the attack was at least thirteen times as deadly as the attacks of 9/11. See here for an account of those involved in the grim task of identifying victims.
At least 265 families have now been notified officially of the death of family members. Tragically, there are still over a thousand victims awaiting final identification and burial. This process is extremely difficult due to the fact that bodies have been badly mutilated, beheaded and burned beyond recognition. Forensic teams are working hard to identify them using DNA or dental records. In addition, some 120 families have been notified of the positive identification of their loved ones as hostages in the hands of Hamas.
See here for a list of the names of those murdered that have been released so far, and here for a site in Hebrew with the names and photos of fallen soldiers.
View dramatic footage here from an IDF helicopter involved in rescuing injured soldiers during the initial fighting last Saturday.
Two-thirds of the residents of the city of Sderot in the south have already left their homes, and the remaining third have been urged by the IDF to leave today ahead of an expected ground war.
Rocket fire has slowed considerably, but has been punctured by barrages, including to Tel Aviv and other locations in the center of the country. See here for video of the impact of a rocket that fell in the town of Bat Yam, just outside of Tel Aviv yesterday.
While schools and most businesses in Israel are shuttered, there are some signs that elements of normalcy may be returning. The Ministry of Education has announced that commencing Monday, there will be a gradual return to in-person schooling, in safer areas. Meanwhile the Ministry of Health announced that non-elective surgeries would recommence in areas not directly affected by the fighting. A large area around the Gaza Strip remains a closed military zone, to which entry by civilians is prohibited. See map here. Last night, the area within 4 kilometers of the northern border was also closed to all but residents, who were ordered to remain in close proximity to shelters and safe rooms.
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On Saturday, a small group of Israeli ground forces briefly entered the Gaza Strip. Based on precise intelligence information, they recovered the bodies of an undisclosed number of Israelis who had been captured by Hamas during last week’s incursion.
Israeli forces appear to be poised for a ground invasion of Gaza. See video here of troop preparations underway, and photos here.
Following the IDF warning issued to Gazan civilians to evacuate the north of the Strip, Israel estimates that more than 600,000 of the area’s one million residents have left their homes. Israel opened three “humanitarian corridors” to provide safe passage for civilians. Sadly, and cynically, Hamas has placed roadblocks on these two routes, to stop civilians from leaving the area. See video images of Hamas road blocks here, and still photos here. At one point, Hamas announced that Israel never issued a call for Gazans to leave, prompting IDF Spokesman Daniel Hagari to appear on Al Jazeera TV where he told Gazans to leave the area immediately, in his own voice.
While a full-scale escalation has not erupted in the north, Hezbollah continues to provoke Israel. Yesterday and today, the terror group fired mortar shells and rockets into Israeli territory as well as multiple anti-tank rockets at IDF positions near the border. The IDF retaliated with artillery fire towards the source of fire in Lebanon. In addition, rockets were fired at Israel from Syria today. Israeli media have described the attacks in the north as “more a show of solidarity with Hamas than an actual intent to enter the war.” Nonetheless, the frequency of attacks in the north appears to be increasing.
Overnight, the IDF carried out ongoing airstrikes against hundreds of Hamas targets in Gaza. Among the targets were terror tunnels, multi-story buildings housing Hamas assets, military compounds, residences of senior Hamas members used as military command centers, weapons storage warehouses, and communications rooms.
According to Hamas sources, some 2,329 Palestinians – many of them Hamas representatives – have been killed in Israeli strikes, in addition to the 1,500 terrorists killed during the initial invasion into Israel on Saturday.
Following the formation of the national unity government in Israel, the Likud party announced that Yisrael Beitenu Party chair Avigdor Liberman, a former minister of defense, would also join the emergency government. This has not yet been confirmed by Liberman.
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On Saturday night, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to US President Joe Biden for the fifth time since fighting began. The Prime Minister updated the President on latest developments, and the President reiterated the United States’ firm backing of Israel in the current war. The US has now dispatched a second aircraft carrier, the USS Eisenhower along with its entire carrier group to further bolster Israel in this dark hour; and the United Kingdom is also sending an aircraft carrier.
The Prime Minister also spoke with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis today. The European leaders expressed their unswerving support for Israel.
A bipartisan delegation of United States senators led by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer arrived in Israel earlier today and have met with President Isaac Herzog and other leaders.
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Jewish Federations have launched an unprecedented $500 million campaign to support Israel. See more here.
For those in Israel – or with family or friends there – who are looking for help, critical information about the situation on the ground, or other assistance, see this resource page put together by Jewish Federations.
See also this Jewish Federations information page on requests for personal protective equipment which are circulating and this update regarding volunteering.
Readers can access a Jewish Federations toolkit of resources here.
Our Israel Office, having activated emergency protocols, is working closely with our partners on the ground, and is close contact with the Government of Israel and the IDF. We will continue to update as the situation develops.
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As the situation unfolds, you can view prior information releases below: |
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Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas Leadership | |
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BOARD CHAIR
Dot Haymann
IMMEDIATE PAST BOARD CHAIR
Bill Finkelstein
SECRETARY
Shiva Beck
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BOARD VICE CHAIRS
Sherry Goldberg
Grant Herlitz
Debbi K Levy
Jeffrey Whitman, MD
TREASURER
Dan Levitan
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PRESIDENT AND CEO
Igor Alterman
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Thank You to Our 2024 Corporate Sponsors | | | | |
