More than 300 people filled the sanctuary at Mill Basin’s Temple Sho-lom on Wednesday, August 23 to show their support for Israel in the latest Mid-East crisis. Attesting their love and backing for the Jewish state as it ob-served a tentative cease fire in its war in Lebanon with Hezbollah, the temple virtually shook as the congregants voiced their praise during this South Brooklyn Rally for Israel.
“Ahm Yisrael chai! Ahm Yisrael chai!” chanted Leonard Goldberg from the dais as the congregants joined in and repeated the phrase. “The people of Israel live,” Goldberg, the temple’s Men’s Club chairman, interpreted, though those gathered at the synago-gue no doubt knew and agreed. For the last six years, Temple Sho-lom has hosted a summer fundraiser at this time, but this year, Goldberg and the Men’s Club, which organized the event, pulled out all stops in light of Israel’s recent war.
“We want the world to know that Brooklyn loves Israel; that Brooklyn supports Israel; that Brooklyn will stand by Israel,” Goldberg said before introducing Leslie Rimer, cantor of Madison Jewish Center, who led the American national anthem and then the “Hatikva,” Israel’s equivalent.
The rally brought together seven Con-servative Jewish synagogues and community groups stretching from Brook-lyn Heights to Brighton Beach and East Midwood.
Goldberg managed to gather prominent members of the community, and a number of local politicians to speak, having invited “Jews, Christians, Friends of Israel — whatever your religion or race” in advertisements for the gathering.
Seated on the dais, many of these community leaders took turns addressing a rapt audience in the stained-glass-and-mahogany sanctuary. Their approaches varied, often according to their personal or political beliefs, but the message was always the same: unwavering support for Israel.
Temple Sholom President Barry Weintrob gave a hearty welcoming address that urged involvement, both vocal and financial, and a number of the speakers hailing from beyond the synagogue’s walls possessed a mark-edly somber tone in their speeches.
Rabbi Joel Weintraub, of Temple Shalom criticized Arabs' acquiescence to terrorists.
“If I was a Muslim, I would weep for a religion that was once revered as a civilizing force,” Lerner said to thunderous applause. “What Israel is fighting for is the survival of civilization.” He also referred to Israel’s enemies as “Arab terrorist murderers.”
State Senator Marty Golden raised two of the evening’s most common themes: the conflict is rooted in religion, and the U.S. must fight alongside Israel because the Jewish state is the first line in the war on terror, a war he called “a world war.”
“Much more bloodshed will come,” he concluded. “And we will be there to fight it. But we cannot coddle those who would fight it.”
State Senator Carl Kruger agreed that “Israel’s fight is everyone’s fight,” but he also made a sobering point held by many Jews: “While Jewish blood spills in the streets for nothing more than the fact that they are a Jew, our blood, too, spills in the streets.”
Representative Anthony Weiner echoed Kruger, and many Jewish leaders since the Holocaust, by calling for remembrance. As he put it, “History didn’t start yesterday.”
Weiner explained that he and other Israeli advocates in Congress, including Rep. Ed Towns, who was also at the rally, are taking a new approch to open dialogue months in advance, not weeks, when the issue is on the door-step. He said this made him and his colleagues better prepared for this most recent conflict.
“For most of the world, they’re look-ing at it fresh,” he said. “But for Jews this is nothing new. We must do what doesn’t come naturally — walk them through the things we understand in-trinsically.”
While most of the speakers hailed from New York, two people spoke for Israel, Daniel Adam, the executive vice president for American Friends of Magen David Adom, and Amir Ofek, Consul for Public Affairs at the Israeli Consulate of New York.
They had much to say about the conflict, but their biggest emphasis was on thanks. Adam delivered a note of gratitude directly from Israeli De-fense Minister Amir Peretz, though Ofek’s was a bit more personal.
“I want to simply say thank you,” he said. “As an individual, in the name of my family, in the name of all the people Israel.”
Copyright 2006 Canarsie Courier