Israel Forever

Shalom Virtual Citizen of Israel,

Our motto has always been “None of the politics. All of the pride.” Ours is an a-political organization and as such, our goal has always been to help Jews everywhere connect to Israel in ways that are natural to their needs and desires, without demanding any type of political stance.

Due to the riots on the Gaza border in recent weeks, Jews everywhere are being bombarded with politically-driven messaging telling them that, at least in this situation, they cannot be proud of Israel.

As always, we at Israel Forever want to help you sift fact from fiction and encourage you in your continued connection, pride and respect for Israel.

The success of this demonization of the Jewish State and those that stand in support of her right to exist is easily measured by the reporting of alleged crimes of Israel’s military, or the silence of her society. But the truth must speak for itself.

THE CONTEXT AND THE FACTS: READ MORE



ASK YOURSELF:

  • How capable do you feel to respond to the claims being made? What more do you need to feel confident in doing so?

  • Have you seen the footage of Gazans who did succeed in breaching the border and what they declared they were on their way to do? Do chants for the murder of Jews matter in this ongoing conflict?

  • Have you seen any reports discussing the length of the Gaza border or the proximity of Israeli communities to the fence? Or what would be the consequence of 40,000 people trained to hate and instructed to murder Jews if they managed to storm through the border?

  • Are you aware that fires are being ignited every day, that fields and orchards that provide foods for both communities have been destroyed?

  • Have international environmental agencies recognized the fires disaster, the long term health effects on both Gazans and Israelis?

  • How do the the pro-Palestinian/anti-Israel campaigners, especially those in our own Jewish community, so easily rationalize the ongoing threat to Israeli lives?

  • How does Israel’s defensive reaction relate to our unwillingness to accept these dangers and death chants in the aftermath of the Holocaust?

The imagery used by Hamas is a clear demonstration of their ideology - they fly Nazi flags to show that their hope, their goal is the destruction of Israel.

Being informed is our most important tool to fighting the propaganda, bias and fighting the dangerous propaganda and bias that has persuaded even so many of our own people to take a stand against Israel in defense of these terrorist efforts.

The wars we fight are forced upon us. We would much prefer to live in peace with our neighbors and are perfectly willing to do so. We will not allow our borders to be breached or stand by while there are continued attacks on our population by missiles, by fire, or by demonization and incitement to murder.

You as Virtual Citizens of Israel can feel proud to stand up and proclaim your commitment and solidarity. Facts and context are the best weapons against propaganda and lies. We have prepared for you a collection of useful links and questions to help navigate the discussion around this conflict (see below).

We pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for life in peace for all the people of Israel and around the world. And may Hashem bless and protect all the defenders of Israel - whether on the front lines or around the world.

Sincerely,

Elana Heideman


Discussion and talking points for addressing this conflict with friends, family, colleagues and your children

The Gaza “March of Return” was billed as a peaceful protest by people who want to improve the lives of Gazans but what is actually happening?

1) Pierre Rehov’s two part film: “Behind the Smoke Screen” goes behind the scenes in Gaza to uncover the details the mainstream media is not showing and raise questions that the media refuses to address.

Part 1

Part 2

2) Armed with knives, Gazan rioters break through the fence into Israel, openly declaring their intentions.

  • What does this video tell you about the situation?

  • Do you think these people mean what they say? If not, why not? If you do believe them, what do you think should be the response to this type of behavior?

  • Why is this not being reported in mainstream media?

3) "They tell the women, you go forward, the army doesn't shoot women. They tell the children, you go forward, the army doesn't shoot kids" A rioter explains to the IDF what he experienced, what he saw and why he participated in the riots.

  • What does his description tell you about how Hamas treats the people of Gaza?

  • What does his description tell you about what Gazans know about IDF soldiers? If they know that, how come the media doesn’t report that?

  • When the media portrays the “resistance” as heroic and does not declare the use of human shields to be morally abhorrent what does that say about the media? Do they care about the lives of innocent Gazans?

4) "I opened my eyes and saw what I had done. I had fallen into the trap I had always been convinced I would not fall into. I had condemned Israel for defending itself." Daniel Sugarman

  • What causes Jews who love Israel fall into the trap of accusing her for defending herself?

  • Why is Israel being held to a different standard than any other nation on earth?

  • How can you recognize when you are not seeing an accurate or complete portrayal of what is happening in Israel? What can you do to help others recognize / differentiate between biased media coverage, outright lies and the truth?

5) “When headlines state “Israel Kills Dozens at Gaza Border as U.S. Embassy Opens in Jerusalem” there is an implication of absolute symmetry between the two events, with the headline further implying an active, offensive, not reactive nor defensive motive to the Israel side.” Psychological Asymmetry: Understanding the Gaza “Return” Demonstrations

  • What responsibility do you think the media shares in the spread of anti-Israel sentiment?

  • How could this be improved through efforts by the “common person” and not only activist and advocacy organizations?

Personal Reflections:

  • When you hear about Israel in the news, what is your first reaction? How does it make you feel?

  • Do you feel you can share your feelings with others around you? Why or why not?

  • Do you feel that the news is overtly negative towards Israel? Why do you think this is happening?

  • Do you think we should respect and support subjective narratives the same as facts?

  • When discussing Israel, people often claim that, “One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter.” Do you think that there is truth to this saying?

  • Why do you think it is easy to create a moral equivalency between terrorism, heroism and defense?

  • How can you tell the lies from truth in the mainstream media? What details might you be able to pay attention to that would indicate that the story might be based on an exaggeration or distortion of the facts?


HOW CAN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Show Israelis You Care by sending a letter of friendship to the communities suffering the trauma of living amidst ongoing terror attacks.

Send your letter HERE

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