We have all been focused on the events surrounding the death of Osama bin Laden. But, we must not forget that parts of our country have been devastated by tornadoes, floods and fires. Via Twitter, I have been in contact with people in some of the hardest hit parts of Alabama and they are in desperate need basic supplies: clothing for adults and children including socks and underwear, non-perishable food, school supplies, bicycles and helmets for transportation…Please consider putting together a care package and mailing it to: Five Points Baptist Church 3718 36th Street Northport, AL 35473. Let the recipients know that Ramat Shalom cares.
Archive for the ‘Action’ Category
Don’t Forget About Alabama…
Posted in Action, Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, Ramat Shalom, tagged alabama, helping, tornadoes, victims on May 5, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Support The Blog
Posted in Action, Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, Ramat Shalom on January 18, 2011 | 1 Comment »
To the readers of BlogShalom – I am asking for your help. Please supporting me as I run 2 Half-Marathons in Florida. I call it “Rabbi Runs For Ramat” (my synagogue). My races are sponsored by DATA FORM CORPORATION – but I could use your support as well. Please consider making a donation. You can do so by clicking here.
Remember Gilad this New Year
Posted in Action, Israel, Jewish Holidays, Rabbi Andrew Jacobs, Ramat Shalom on September 7, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Send a Message of Support to Gilad
Gilad Shalit has been held captive by Hamas for four long years. For more than 1,500 days, he has been denied visits by the Red Cross and cut off from all contact with his family. Tell Gilad he is not alone as he marks his 24th birthday on August 28th and his fifth Rosh Hashanah in captivity. Send him a card for his birthday and/or the Jewish New Year.
Mail Gilad a personal card to the address below, drop a card off at Ramat Shalom or send an electronic messages. The Conference of Presidents will deliver your message to the International Committee of the Red Cross and demand that Hamas allow the ICRC to visit and deliver the messages to Gilad in accordance with international humanitarian law.
Mail your message to:
Gilad Shalit
c/o Conference of Presidents
633 Third Avenue, 21st Floor
New York, NY 10017 In Israel:
Gilad Shalit
By Magen David Adom
PO Box 101101
Tel Aviv, 61950
OR
Drop your card off at Ramat Shalom during the holidays and we will mail it. Place it on the bimah, on the special chair reserved for Gilad this year.
OR
Submit an Electronic Message to Gilad Here
Please, Give 4 Minutes @ 4:00 for Gilad
Posted in Action, In the news, Israel, tagged action, fort lauderdale, Gilad Shalit, Miami, rabbi andrew jacobs, Ramat Shalom, What can I do? on June 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
On June 25, 2006, Corporal Gilad Shalit (later promoted to Staff Sergeant) was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists within Israeli territory. The kidnapping was part of an unprovoked and well-planned attack which involved seven terrorists, armed with explosive charges, anti-tank missiles, light arms and more, and which made use of a tunnel under the Israel-Gaza border.
For four years, the Hamas terrorist regime has denied Gilad Schalit’s most basic human rights, as well as any visit from international organizations. This is illegal and morally appalling. We have watched the world attack Israel for stopping the flotillas that are attempting to enter Gaza despite the fact that Israel sends humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people. Simply put, it is disgraceful that those wrongfully sladering Israel in the name of “human rights” are totally silent when it comes to the injustice being shown to Gilad Shalit.
A friend of mine has asked me to do one simple thing today – at 4:00, stop what you are doing for 4 minutes. Dedicate these 4 minutes to Gilad. No matter what you are doing (pull over if you are driving) – pause for 4 minutes, each minute symbolizing a year Gilad has spent locked away from the world. I ask that you join me in this powerful symbolic act.
THE US CAN’T BACK A UN PROBE AGAINST ISRAEL
Posted in Action, American Judaism, In the news, Islamic Extremism, Israel, tagged flotilla, Gaza, Israel, rabbi andrew jacobs, resolution, UN, William Kristol on June 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
FROM WEEKLY STANDARD
Sources: Obama Administration to Support Anti-Israel Resolution at UN Next Week
BY WILLIAM KRISTOL
THE WEEKLY STANDARD has learned that senior Obama administration officials have been telling foreign governments that the administration intends to support an effort next week at the United Nations to set up an independent commission, under UN auspices, to investigate Israel’s behavior in the Gaza flotilla incident. The White House has apparently shrugged off concerns from elsewhere in the U.S. government that a) this is an extraordinary singling out of Israel, since all kinds of much worse incidents happen around the world without spurring UN investigations; b) that the investigation will be one-sided, focusing entirely on Israeli behavior and not on Turkey or on Hamas; and c) that this sets a terrible precedent for outside investigations of incidents involving U.S. troops or intelligence operatives as we conduct our own war on terror.
While UN Ambassador Susan Rice is reported to have played an important role in pushing for U.S. support of a UN investigation, the decision is, one official stressed, of course the president’s. The government of Israel has been consulting with the U.S. government on its own Israeli investigative panel, to be led by a retired supreme court justice, that would include respected international participants, including one from the U.S. But the Obama administration is reportedly saying that such a “kosher panel” is not good enough to satisfy the international community, or the Obama White House.
PLEASE CONTACT THE WHITE HOUSE AND ASK THE PRESIDENT NOT TO SUPPORT A UN PROBE: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
NO TERROR CONNECTIONS ALLOWED
Posted in Action, In the news, Islamic Extremism, Israel, tagged flotilla, JCRC, Jewish Community Relations Council, rabbi andrew jacobs, Ramat Shalom on June 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Urge State Dept to Investigate Flotilla Passengers
We, the undersigned, support the petition of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, and call upon the State Department to investigate any and all of the passengers of the Mavi Marmara and other ships from Turkey’s IHH flotilla who apply for visas to enter the United States on a speaking tour. It has been announced that a number of these passengers plan to speak in New York City in the coming weeks.
In 2006, a report issued by the Danish Institute for International Studies stated that during the 1990s the IHH maintained links with al-Qaida and a number of “global jihad networks.”
The report also stated that the Turkish government launched an investigation into the IHH starting December 1997 after receiving intelligence that the IHH had bought automatic weapons from Islamist terrorists. According to the report, the Turkish government launched a raid on the organization’s Istanbul offices where they found weapons, explosives, and instructions for bomb-making. The report added that an examination of documents found at the IHH office indicated that the group was planning to take part in terrorist activities in Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Bosnia. In addition, a French intelligence report found that in the mid-1990s IHH leader B’ulent Yildirim recruited soldiers for jihad activities in a number of Muslim countries and that the IHH transferred money, firearms, and explosives to jihadists in a number countries.
According to Section 212 of the Immigration and Naturalization Act, the State Department will deny visas to representatives of and those providing assistance to terrorist organizations. The significant documentation proving that IHH is a terrorist organization provides a prima facie argument that the passengers of the “flotilla” are inadmissible to the United States.
We respectfully urge the U.S. State Department to exercise its statutory obligation to investigate and determine that any such applicants demonstrate, by clear and convincing evidence, that the he/she did not know, and should not reasonably have known, that the IHH is widely considered a terrorist organization and associated with Hamas and the Union of the Good, an Islamic umbrella affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Furthermore, applicants should prove, by the above standard, that the cash in the possession of the passengers of the Mavi Marmar was not meant to fund or to give things of value to support terrorist activity or a terrorist organization, namely Hamas.
Any such visa applicant, who cannot provide the requisite clear and convincing evidence or proof, should be deemed inadmissible to the United States.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN THE PETITION TODAY!
Please forward this petition to your friends! We already have over 13,500 signatures!
Resigned!? Come on Hearst!? We Deserve More…
Posted in Action, American Judaism, Israel, tagged action, condemn, fired, Hearst, Helen Thomas, phone number, rabbi andrew jacobs, resigned, Steven Swartz on June 7, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
As you may have heard, Helen Thomas resigned today from Hearst Newspapers. I spoke to Mr. Swartz’s office asking if Hearst was going to condemn the hateful and dangerous comments Ms. Thomas made. I was told someone would call me back. Still waiting…If another cultural, ethic, religious group was attacked in such a manner, my guess is there would be a lot more apologizing – and rightfully so. Hearst, as a major media organization, owes it to the Jewish community to teach the world that Thomas’ comments were wrong. If you feel that Hearst should do more, give Mr. Swartz’s office a call at 212-649-2000. Connie is his assistant. Please be polite.
If you haven’t seen this classic Thomas moment, check it out.
TELL HEARST TO FIRE HELEN THOMAS
Posted in Action, tagged fire, Hearst, Helen Thomas, petition, rabbi andrew jacobs, Ramat Shalom on June 5, 2010 | 4 Comments »
Feel free to use this letter or write your own….
UPDATED WITH HEARST PRESIDENT’S EMAIL (Steven Swartz)
Dear Mr. Swartz, (E-MAIL ADDRESS Sswartz@Hearst.com), Ms. Bagley, (E-MAIL ADDRESS: lbagley@hearst.com)
I am writing as to tell you how disgusted I am with the comments made by Ms. Helen Thomas who works for Hearst Newspapers. Her comments were hateful and dangerous and exposed not only her ignorance, but also her incredible bias. Ms. Thomas is clearly not qualified to be a reporter for your organization. She should be terminated immediately.
Silence Is Not An Option!!!
Posted in Action, American Judaism, Giving, Islamic Extremism, Israel, tagged flotilla, Gaza, Hamas, Iran, pro-Israel, rabbi andrew jacobs, Ramat Shalom on June 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
The flotilla is a wake up call to all who believe that “Never Again!” really means “Never Again!”.
Silence Is Not An Option Part 1
Silence Is Not An Option Part 2
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee Alert
Posted in Action, American Judaism, Israel, tagged AIPAC, flotilla, free gaza, Gaza, rabbi andrew jacobs, Ramat Shalom, Turkey, What can I do?, what can we do? on June 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Vice President Biden and Congressional Leaders Speak Out in Support of Israel
Urge Senators and House Members to Make Statements in Support of Israel’s Right to Self-Defense
On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces intercepted six ships, known as the “Free Gaza” flotilla. The flotilla attempted to break Israel’s blockade of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Despite claiming its primary aim was to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, in reality, its objective was to provoke Israel and incite international scrutiny on the blockade, intended to prevent weapons from being smuggled into the territory.
The flotilla was sponsored by the Turkish Humanitarian Relief Foundation—an organization that has well documented ties to Hamas and has been linked to other Islamic terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda. Israel’s interception of the ships—and the deaths of nine individuals, including some radicals with ties to terrorist groups—have garnered tremendous media attention and international condemnation. As Israel faces international criticism, members of Congress are speaking out in support of Israel’s right to self-defense.
Click here to view statements made by Vice President Biden and members of Congress
Please call members of Congress and thank them for their support
Call Senators and House members and urge them to make statements in support of Israel’s right to self-defense. Senators and House members can be reached through the Capitol switchboard at (202) 225-3121. If you have any questions or feedback, please contact Julie Peretz at (202) 639-5192 or jperetz@aipac.org.
Flotilla Sought Provocation, Not to Provide Assistance
Who Was Behind the Gaza Flotilla?
