Israel is at War

Dear friends,

Israel is at war!

Please read the following statement from Combined Jewish Philanthropies and Jewish Community Relations Council.

Center Makor and Jewish Community of the Former Soviet Union stand with Israel and mourn for all the Israelis who lost their lives today. Please join the North American Jewish Federations tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. for an opportunity for get an update on Israel.

We are very grateful to our Ukrainian friends for standing with us and Israel in these terrible times.

Until further notice all donations to Center Makor will be forwarded directly to Magen David Adom.

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Dear friends,

Our hearts break as we write this critical update. As you are likely aware, CJP and JCRC typically do not communicate either on Shabbat or on many Jewish Holidays (such as today, Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah). However, we are taking the extraordinary step of being in direct communication with you today given that Israel is now at war.

Here in Boston, we awoke to terrifying scenes in Israel. The IDF has confirmed that hostages have been taken to Gaza and that, as of now, over 100 people were killed in a Hamas assault, with another 900 injured. The scale of the destruction is unfathomable (see IDF: 100 killed in huge Hamas assault, hostages taken to Gaza; PM: Israel at war | The Times of Israel for live updates). We have been in touch with our colleagues on the ground, all of whom are sharing how serious this moment is and how grateful they are to know that – as always – we stand in complete solidarity with them against terrorism and those who seek to destroy us.

CJP and JCRC are working closely together and will be sending updates soon on opportunities to gather, learn, and show our support for Israel. To that end, we want to make you aware of an opportunity tomorrow Sunday, October 8, at 12 p.m. through Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) for up-to-date- information. Register.

We will also be sharing updates on social media, making sure to acknowledge how unusual a step it is for us to post on Shabbat or this holiday.

We stand with Israel always. We are horrified at these brutal acts of terrorism, aggression, and destruction and we will work tirelessly to ensure that our friends and family in Israel know that we are with them. Please look for more communications from us soon.

Praying for peace and for the safety and security of Israel and all we love there,

CJP and JCRC

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UCCA Condemns Terror Attacks Against Israel and their State Sponsors

– A Daily Act of Terrorism in Ukraine by Russia

The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), the nation’s largest representative body of Americans of Ukrainian descent, condemns this morning’s surprise attack by Iranian-backed terrorists against the people of Israel. In addition to the nearly 5,000 rockets fired on civilian areas, the terrorists have reportedly taken civilian and military hostages. This assault is a clear violation of worldwide norms and an affront to the Nation of Israel, a democratic and stalwart ally of both the United States and Ukraine.

In reiterating Israel’s unquestionable right to self-defense, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared, “Terror should have no place in the world, because it is always a crime, not just against a specific country or this terror’s victims, but against humanity in general and our entire world.”

In unequivocally condemning this appalling assault, the President of the United States, Joe Biden, stated, “Terrorism is never justified. Israel has a right to defend itself and its people. The United States warns against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation.”

In stark contrast, Russia’s Dmitry Medvedev personally welcomed the terrorists responsible for today’s attacks in Moscow earlier this year, and responded to today’s attack on Israel by calling for a civil war inside the United States.

Anyone who resorts to terror commits a crime against the world. And whoever finances terror is committing a crime against the world. For years, the world has allowed the Kremlin to support and finance terrorist regimes and terrorist organizations, including its status as the main supplier of weapons to the Assad regime in Syria, supporting terrorists across Latin America, organizing acts of international terrorism in the United Kingdom, downing a civilian Malaysian airliner with impunity, organizing mass executions, rape, child abductions, and physical abuse in the Central African Republic and Mali, and all the while arming and funding Israel’s enemies. And for the past 19 months, the Ukrainian nation has experienced the sheer brutality and terrorism at the hands of the kremlin.

On the morning of their Sabbath, Israeli residents of several kibbutzim barricaded themselves into safe rooms as armed militants stormed their civilian settlements. Similarly, Ukrainians woke up on Thursday to discover that 52 civilians were killed in a terrorist attack on the village of Hroza in eastern Ukraine: in an instant, a missile wiped out a sixth of the village’s population. As with the 20,000+ genocidal abductions of Ukrainian citizens, today Israeli grandmothers and children have been dragged across the border against their will.

A new and rejuvenated Axis of Evil has subjugated the world to terrorism. The world must stand united and in solidarity so that terror does not attempt to break or subjugate life anywhere and at any moment.

Beginning with UCCA President Stephen Shumeyko’s greeting to the people of Israel 75 years ago proclaiming “at long last the Jewish people have managed to establish their own free and independent State of Israel, and today are making valiant efforts to preserve it,” UCCA continues to stand in total solidarity with the people of Israel following this massive, unprovoked crime against the world. Israel, like Ukraine, has every right to defend itself.