Jewish groups launch new campaign to fight vilification of the State of Israel

26 April 2010

The European Jewish Congress (EJC) and the World Jewish Congress (WJC) have jointly launched a new campaign in support of Israel that will battle the attempts to vilify the Jewish State. The campaign, initiated earlier this week by the WJC on Yom Haatzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, has begun with a project which calls on all Jewish affiliated communities throughout Europe to widely circulate a pledge of support to Israel and mobilize as many signatures as possible.

A statement on the petiion reads: "Israel is under attack on many levels. On many levels, throughout the world, there are efforts to delegitimize the State: trade unions are calling for economic sanctions against Israel, academic institutions are calling for boycotts of Israeli universities and professors, Israeli sports men and women are denied the right to participate in sporting events, the world's media focuses obsessively on Israel, yet reports are biased and one-sided, and the United Nations spends more time singling out Israel for criticism than any other country.".
"Efforts to demonize and delegitimize the State are becoming more and more commonplace," the WJC stressed.

"2 years after its founding, Israel is still struggling to exist in peace and security. Yet even its right to defend itself from terrorist attack is questioned.”

"We are urging Jews around the world to sign a declaration of support which will be delivered to Israeli President Shimon Peres," it added.
“62 years after its founding, Israel is still struggling to exist in peace and security. Yet even its right to defend itself from terrorist attack is questioned.”

WJC President Ronald S.Lauder asked “to distribute this campaign email as widely as possible within your communities and ask members to sign our pledge and to pass this on to as many people as possible too.”

“A strong showing of support for Israel from World Jewry at this time is very important,” he said.

European Jewish Congress Moshe Kantor explained that this first step “is merely to create awareness,” adding that the campaign "will be long and arduous, but we promise to consider using any means, as long as they are legal, to assist our brothers and sisters in Israel during this difficult battle."

The EJC, which is a representative of Jewish communities throughout Europe, believes that this campaign in support of Israel "will also help Europeans."

"Israel is a nation which shares our morals and values as Europeans and is on the frontline of the battle against an Iranian leadership whose missile range extends into the heat of Europe. Now, more than ever, Europeans should be standing alongside Israel and understand that a threat to Israel is a threat to Europe," Kantor said.

The EJC said it will seek to enlist its contacts and connections with European officials and press to implement existing legislation against hate crimes, which should include the defamation of Jews and the Jewish State.
 

 

This article first appeared in the European Jewish Press on 23 April 2010.

WJC and Supporting Israel