DOCSLIB.ORG

Video, Photos: Agudah's Historic Am Echad Mission Shares Narrative Of

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Video, Photos: Agudah's Historic Am Echad Mission Shares Narrative Of Video, Photos: Agudah’s Historic Am Echad Mission Shares Narrative of American Orthodox Jewry with Israel PM and High Level Officials February 28, 2018 The first half of a two day mission to Jerusalem to raise awareness of the deep emotional, spiritual and financial connection that America’s Orthodox Jewish community shares with the State of Israel was extremely productive, as the more than three dozen members of the Am Echad delegation spent 12 consecutive hours in back to back meetings with top elected officials and Israel’s chief rabbis. Am Echad is Agudath Israel of America’s third mission conducted to give high ranking Israeli leaders a firsthand and accurate portrayal of the American Orthodox perspective. Two Am Echad missions led in 1997 and 1998 by then-president of the Agudah, Rabbi Moshe Sherer, z”l, eloquently made the case against religious pluralism, a theme being echoed once again two decades later. Armed with facts, analyses and statistics, the delegation left their businesses, families and pre-Purim preparations behind in order to share their passion for the Am Echad cause, demonstrating the Orthodox community’s unparalleled commitment to the State of Israel, its institutions and its economy. The group included a nationwide contingent of the Agudah’s senior staff, both past and present, members of the Agudah’s board of trustees, well known American and Israeli community leaders, prominent businesspersons in a wide variety of fields including real estate, health care, law and media and representatives of multiple international institutions of higher learning and community service organizations. The highlight of the day was a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Shlomo Werdiger, chairman of the Agudah’s board of trustees, introduced the mission to the prime minister, explaining that while all religious choices are to be respected, America’s Orthodox Jewry has long been Israel’s most significant source of support overseas, despite claims to the contrary by other groups. Addressing the mission briefly before departing to a Knesset meeting, Netanyahu thanked America’s Orthodox Jewish community for its continued commitment and dedication, noting that the Jewish nation’s endurance and history is a direct result of its unwavering faith. [wonderplugin_gallery id=”172″] Members of the mission met with an impressive array of Israeli lawmakers throughout the day including Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, Knesset members Dudi Amsalem (Likud), Hilik Bar (Zionist Camp), Naftali Bennett (Habayit Hayehudi Chaired by Naftali Bennett), Yudi Edelstein (Likud), Yisroel Eichler (United Torah Judaism), Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism), Tzachi Hanegbi (Likud), Rabbi Yaakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism), Uri Maklev (United Torah Judaism), Rabbi Menachem Eliezer Moses (United Torah Judaism), Ayelet Shaked (Habayit Hayehudi Chaired by Naftali Bennett), Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi Chaired by Naftali Bennett) and multiple members of the Shas party. The contingent ended their day at their home base, the Ramada Jerusalem Hotel, with an elegant dinner graced by Israel’s chief rabbi, Rabbi Dovid Lau and featuring guest speaker Rabbi Yaakov Litzman. Both spoke warmly to the mission’s members, praising them for their continued support that has had tremendously positively effects throughout the State of Israel. “It was a privilege and an honor to be welcomed so warmly by so many esteemed officials. The time has come for the Israeli government to hear our story, one that is closely intertwined with that of contemporary Israel, woven together by the hundreds of millions of dollars that we invest annually in the local economy, the children that we share with the Jewish state and the deep personal commitment that bonds each and every Jew to our eternal homeland.”.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Israel Update
    Israel and the Middle East News Update Friday, November 4 Headlines: Ex-Shin Bet Chief: Iran Has 25,000 Fighters in Syria EU Declares Israel Boycott Protected as Free Speech Pro-Israel Alliance Prepares for 2017 Anti-Israel Campaign Lieberman Appoints new IDF deputy, Air Force Commander IDF Prevented US Diplomats from Visiting Jordan V. Pal. Israeli Exit Poll: Trump 49%, Clinton 44% David Duke: Jews Dominate Media, International Banking Report: Israel's UN Ambassador Made Secret Visit to Dubai Commentary: Yedioth Ahronoth: “Rabin, The Leader Who Taught Me Everything” By Moshe (Bogie) Yaalon, former IDF chief of staff and Minister of Defense Al Monitor: “Can battle over public broadcasting bring down Netanyahu?” By Ben Caspit, Senior Columnist at Al-Monitor’s Israel Pulse. S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 www.centerpeace.org ● Yoni Komorov, Editor ● David Abreu, Associate Editor News Excerpts November 4, 2016 Ynet News Ex-Shin Bet Chief: Iran Has 25,000 Fighters in Syria Iran now commands a force of around 25,000 Shi'ite Muslim militants in Syria, mostly made up of recruits from Afghanistan and Pakistan, the former head of Israel's domestic intelligence agency has told a visiting Swiss delegation. Avi Dichter, chair of Israel's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, told members of the Swiss parliament the Iranian-backed force was focused on fighting Sunni rebels opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, not ISIS. "This is a foreign legion of some 25,000 militants, most of whom have come from Afghanistan and Pakistan," Dichter told the delegation, according to details provided by his office.
    [Show full text]
  • Israel's National Religious and the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict
    Leap of Faith: Israel’s National Religious and the Israeli- Palestinian Conflict Middle East Report N°147 | 21 November 2013 International Crisis Group Headquarters Avenue Louise 149 1050 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32 2 502 90 38 Fax: +32 2 502 50 38 [email protected] Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... i Recommendations..................................................................................................................... iv I. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1 II. Religious Zionism: From Ascendance to Fragmentation ................................................ 5 A. 1973: A Turning Point ................................................................................................ 5 B. 1980s and 1990s: Polarisation ................................................................................... 7 C. The Gaza Disengagement and its Aftermath ............................................................. 11 III. Settling the Land .............................................................................................................. 14 A. Bargaining with the State: The Kookists ................................................................... 15 B. Defying the State: The Hilltop Youth ........................................................................ 17 IV. From the Hills to the State ..............................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 08/15 Aktuelles Aus Israelischen Tageszeitungen
    Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 08/15 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 01.- 15. April Die Themen dieser Ausgabe 1. Rahmenabkommen über iranisches Atomprogramm ....................................................................................... 1 2. Tragödie von Yarmouk ..................................................................................................................................... 3 3. Koalitionsverhandlungen und Perspektiven für eine Einheitsregierung ........................................................... 4 4. Medienquerschnitt ............................................................................................................................................ 6 1. Rahmenabkommen über iranisches ously damage Iran's nuclear facilities. The alterna- Atomprogramm tive is living (or dying) with a nuclear weapons- Das Anfang April erreichte Rahmenabkommen der capable fanatical, tyrannical, aggressive regime fünf UN-Vetomächte und Deutschlands mit der irani- much more dangerous for the rest of the world than schen Regierung stieß in Jerusalem auf scharfe North Korea will ever be. Too bad the meetings Kritik. Ministerpräsident Benjamin Netanyahu warnte weren't held in the holy city of Qom. In that case the in einem Telefonat mit US-Präsident Barack Obama comparison with the betrayal of Czechoslovakia by vor einer existentiellen Gefahr für Israel. Die Eck- the British and French in 1938 would have been punkte, die bis zum Sommer in einen Vertrag mün- even more perfect. That famous meeting, leading to den sollen,
    [Show full text]
  • Haaretz20170122 Annexing Settlements Like Thieves in the Night Haaretz Editorial
    Haaretz20170122 Annexing settlements like thieves in the night Haaretz Editorial In bid to push annexation, Israeli government tries to give Trump crash course in Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is doubtful whether U.S. President Donald Trump knows exactly where Ma’aleh Adumim is, or whether the term E-1 – the area that was annexed to the Ma’aleh Adumim municipality – brings back childhood memories. But this won’t last for long. It seems the Israeli government has decided to give Trump a crash course in understanding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and, mainly, to give him a loyalty test without any preparation. Only two days after Trump’s swearing-in, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation is scheduled to discuss Sunday the annexation of the West Bank settlement to the State of Israel, in order to quickly prepare a 1 draft of the bill to be presented to the Knesset for approval. The conventional wisdom is that from the moment Trump was elected president, Israel received a stamp of approval to carry out any scheme it could think of in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. >> Citing pressure from Trump, Netanyahu tries to torpedo legislation to annex West Bank settlement << Based on this logic, there is actually no need to put Trump to the test, and no need to rush as if this were a window of opportunity that might close at any second. But as everyone knows, gangs of thieves are never confident that the policeman they bribed will not turn against them at the last minute. Hence the urgency to grab Ma’aleh Adumim and annex it to Israel.
    [Show full text]
  • How Palestinians Can Burst Israel's Political Bubble
    Al-Shabaka Policy Brief Policy Al-Shabaka March 2018 WHEN LEFT IS RIGHT: HOW PALESTINIANS CAN BURST ISRAEL’S POLITICAL BUBBLE By Amjad Iraqi Overview the allies holding up his fragile rule, from the ultra- orthodox Jewish parties to his personal rivals within Although no indictments have been issued yet, Israelis Likud. “King Bibi,” however, survived them all. A are speculating whether the latest developments in skilled politician, he has been adept at managing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption Israel’s notoriously volatile coalition system, and [email protected] scandals finally mark the beginning of his political has remained in power with three consecutive demise. The second-longest serving prime minister governments over nine years – each more right wing after David Ben-Gurion, Netanyahu has had a than the last.2 profound impact on Israel’s political scene since the 1990s. It is therefore troubling, especially to Netanyahu directly influenced the country’s media Palestinians, that if these corruption cases are the landscape by shaping the editorial stance of Israel harbinger of Netanyahu’s downfall, they will have Hayom (the nation’s gratis, most-read newspaper, had nothing to do with the more egregious crimes for funded by American billionaire Sheldon Adelson), which he is responsible, and for which he – and future and used the Communications Ministry to threaten Israeli leaders – have yet to be held accountable. and harass media outlets that were critical of him. Despite crises and condemnations throughout This policy brief analyzes Israel’s political his career – including mass Israeli protests for transformations under Netanyahu and maps out the socioeconomic justice in 2011 and, more recently, current leadership contenders from a Palestinian weekly protests against widespread government perspective.1 It argues that Israel’s insular political corruption – Netanyahu withstood public pressures discourse, and the increasing alignment of Israeli to step down.
    [Show full text]
  • Download File
    Columbia University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Human Rights Studies Master of Arts Program Silencing “Breaking the Silence”: The Israeli government’s agenda respecting human rights NGOs activism since 2009 Ido Dembin Thesis Adviser: Prof. Yinon Cohen Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts 12 September, 2018 Abstract This research examines a key aspect in the deterioration of Israeli democracy between 2009-2018. Mainly, it looks at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Right-wing governments utilization of legislative procedure to limit the right to free speech. The aspects of the right to free speech discussed here pertain to dissenting and critical activism against these government’s policies. The suppression of said right is manifested in the marginalization, delegitimization and ultimately silencing of its expression in Human Rights NGOs activism. To demonstrate this, the research presents a case study of one such NGO – “Breaking the Silence” – and the legal and political actions designed to cause its eventual ousting from mainstream Israeli discourse. The research focuses on the importance and uniqueness of this NGO, as well as the ways in which the government perceives and acts against it. First, it analyzes the NGO’s history, modus operandi and goals, emphasizing the uniqueness that makes it a particularly fascinating case. Then, it researches the government’s specific interest in crippling and limiting its influence. Finally, it highlights the government’s toolbox and utilization thereof against it. By shining a light on this case, the research seeks to show the process of watering down of a fundamental right within Israeli democracy – which is instrumental to understanding the state’s risk of decline towards illiberal democracy.
    [Show full text]
  • Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief
    Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief Updated January 27, 2021 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R44245 SUMMARY R44245 Israel: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief January 27, 2021 The following matters are of particular significance to U.S.-Israel relations. Jim Zanotti Domestic issues: March 2021 election. After the collapse of its power-sharing Specialist in Middle government in December 2020, Israel is scheduled to hold another election for its Eastern Affairs Knesset (parliament) on March 23, 2021. The election will be Israel’s fourth in the past two years—a frequency without parallel in the country’s history. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has managed to maintain power despite an ongoing criminal trial on corruption charges that is set to resume in February 2021. Netanyahu apparently hopes to create a coalition government that will grant him legal immunity or to remain indefinitely as caretaker prime minister (as he did from December 2018 to May 2020) by preventing anyone from forming a coalition without him and his Likud party. Palestinians and Arab state normalization. On the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Trump Administration policies largely sided with Israeli positions, thus alienating Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Chairman and Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas. In the second half of 2020, the Administration pivoted from its January 2020 Israeli-Palestinian peace proposal to helping Israel reach agreements—known as the Abraham Accords—on normalizing its relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco. In connection with its deal with the UAE, Israel agreed in August 2020 to suspend plans to annex part of the West Bank, though announcements related to settlement activity have accelerated since then.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 7/16 Aktuelles Aus Israelischen Tageszeitungen 1
    Schlaglicht Israel Nr. 7/16 Aktuelles aus israelischen Tageszeitungen 1.-15. April Die Themen dieser Ausgabe 1. Rassentrennung im Krankenhaus ........................................................................................................................ 1 2. Soldat erschießt bewusstlosen Terroristen ........................................................................................................... 3 3. Herzog und Deri unter Verdacht ........................................................................................................................... 5 4. Medienquerschnitt ................................................................................................................................................ 6 1. Rassentrennung im Krankenhaus we see in hospitals. Patients, doctors, visitors and Bezalel Smotrich, Abgeordneter der Siedlerpartei other staff represent every grouping in Israel, Jew, Habayit Hayehudi, rechtfertigt die Rassentrennung Muslim and Christian, religious and secular, refugee im Kreißsaal israelischer Krankenhäuser. Es sei and citizen alike. In Israeli hospitals, there is no ganz normal, so tat er via Twitter kund, wenn seine “occupier” or “occupied,” only doctors and nurses Frau es ablehne, ihr Kind zu entbinden, wenn neben and those they care for. They can be showcased as ihr eine Frau liege, deren Kind in 20 Jahren sein a great example of co-existence. MK Bezalel Kind ermorden könnte. Parteichef Naftali Bennett Smotrich’s comments on the topic represent the distanzierte sich von Smotrich,
    [Show full text]
  • Caesarea Forum - Xvii
    CAESAREA FORUM - XVII PROGRAM Chair: Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Minister of Finance Academic Director of the Forum: Mr. David Brodet Wednesday and Thursday, 1st -2nd July 2009 Hotel Royal Beach, Eilat WEDNESDAY, 1st JULY 2009 8:30 - 9:30 Registration and assembly 9:30 - 13:00 First Session : "The Requisite Size of the Government - between Economy and Politics" [The Olive and Acacia Hall] Presentation of the Team's Recommendations: Prof. Joseph Zeira , Department of Economics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Presenters: Prof. Avishai Braverman, Minister of Minority Affairs Mr. Yoram Ariav , Director General and Acting Head of the Budget Department, Ministry of Finance Prof. Zvi Eckstein , Deputy Governor, Bank of Israel Dr. Michel Strawczynski, Director, Macro-Economic and Policy Department, Bank of Israel Prof. Omer Moav, Department of Economics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Prof. Manuel Trajtenberg , Head, National Economic Council, Prime Minister's Office Ms. Yael Andorn, Director General, Amitim Pension Funds Dr. Yossi Bachar , Economic Consulting and Business Development Ltd. Dr. Eldad Shidlovsky , Head, Economics and Research Department, Ministry of Finance Plenary discussion 13:00 - 14:15 Minister of Finance's Session : [The Ranch House Restaurant] Luncheon Address by the Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Minister of Finance 14:30 - 18:15 Second Session : "The Future of Growth Promotion in Israel: A Return to Boosting Avant-garde Industries and Scientific Technological Innovation" [The Olive and Acacia Hall] 14:30-16:30 Presentation of the Team's Recommendations: Prof. Arnon Bentor, Dean, Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty, and Senior Researcher, The Neaman Institute, The Technion Presenters: Mr. Eli Hurvitz, Chairman, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
    [Show full text]
  • Netanyahu Tells Israelis: Now It’S an Order — You Must Stay at Home | the Times of Israel
    3/19/2020 Netanyahu tells Israelis: Now it’s an order — you must stay at home | The Times of Israel TOP HEALTH OFFICIAL: THIS IS JUST THE START OF THE VIRUS Netanyahu tells Israelis: Now it’s an order — you must stay at home Government to approve emergency ordinances requiring people not to leave home unless necessary; PM says rules initially in effect for 7 days By TOI STAFF 19 March 2020, 10:34 pm Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a televised statement on the coronavirus at the Prime Minister's Oce in Jerusalem on March 16, 2020. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday announced authorities would begin taking legal action against Israelis who leave their homes in violation of strict Health Ministry directives aimed at containing the coronavirus. “Yesterday I asked you to listen to the Health Ministry directives and stay at home,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement from his ofce. While many Israelis had heeded the call, others had not, and so the directives would now become mandatory. “The government will approve emergency ordinances tonight to limit movement,” he said. “This isn’t a request, this isn’t a recommendation, but a binding requirement that will be enforced,” he added. Netanyahu said the mandatory regulations would come into effect immediately after their overnight Thursday-Friday approval and would remain in force for an initial period of seven days. “The purpose of these instructions — to ensure as few people will be infected and will infect [others],” Netanyahu said. https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-tells-israelis-now-its-an-order-you-must-stay-at-home/ 1/4 3/19/2020 Netanyahu tells Israelis: Now it’s an order — you must stay at home | The Times of Israel Netanyahu acknowledged the move was “unlike any since the founding of the State of Israel,” but said the country has never before faced anything like the coronavirus.
    [Show full text]
  • Israel and Overseas: Israeli Election Primer 2015 (As Of, January 27, 2015) Elections • in Israel, Elections for the Knesset A
    Israel and Overseas: Israeli Election Primer 2015 (As of, January 27, 2015) Elections In Israel, elections for the Knesset are held at least every four years. As is frequently the case, the outgoing government coalition collapsed due to disagreements between the parties. As a result, the Knesset fell significantly short of seeing out its full four year term. Knesset elections in Israel will now be held on March 17, 2015, slightly over two years since the last time that this occurred. The Basics of the Israeli Electoral System All Israeli citizens above the age of 18 and currently in the country are eligible to vote. Voters simply select one political party. Votes are tallied and each party is then basically awarded the same percentage of Knesset seats as the percentage of votes that it received. So a party that wins 10% of total votes, receives 10% of the seats in the Knesset (In other words, they would win 12, out of a total of 120 seats). To discourage small parties, the law was recently amended and now the votes of any party that does not win at least 3.25% of the total (probably around 130,000 votes) are completely discarded and that party will not receive any seats. (Until recently, the “electoral threshold,” as it is known, was only 2%). For the upcoming elections, by January 29, each party must submit a numbered list of its candidates, which cannot later be altered. So a party that receives 10 seats will send to the Knesset the top 10 people listed on its pre-submitted list.
    [Show full text]
  • The Bennett-Lapid ‘Change Government’
    BICOM Briefing The Bennett-Lapid ‘Change Government’ June 2021 The Bennett-Lapid ‘Change Government’ On Wednesday evening, 2 June, Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid informed President Rivlin that he had succeeded in forming a coalition government, adding that it would “work for all the citizens of Israel, those that voted for it and those that didn’t. It will do everything to unite Israeli society”. Swearing the new government into office, which only requires only a relative majority, will take place within the next 11 days. Yamina’s Naftali Bennett will serve as Prime Minister for the first two years, followed by Lapid. Maariv 1 June, Bennett and Lapid stare lovingly at eachother as the sun – with the face of Netan- yahu sets The Change Government How did we get here? The elections for the 24th Knesset which took place on 23 March 2021 gave neither the pro-Netanyahu bloc nor the anti-Netanyahu bloc a clear majority of 61 seats. Following the results, two parties who defined themselves as unaligned were considered to be key to both sides - Naftali Bennett of Yamina (7 seats) and Mansour Abbas of Raam (4 seats). Bennett emphasised his preference for a right-wing and ultra- Orthodox coalition. When Likud sources sent out feelers to Raam to support the government from outside 2 the coalition, that move was opposed by Bezalel Smotrich and his Religious Zionist party. With Saar unwilling to sit with Netanyahu, and Smotrich unwilling to countenance outside support from Raam, the pro-Netanyahu right-wing/ultra-Orthodox coalition could only muster 59 seats.
    [Show full text]