Saturday, July 3, 2010

Rallying for Shalit - Pro-Israel in San Diego: An example to be emulated

Can we do something about Israel hate? You bet we can! And someone is doing it. The San Diego Israel Coalition held a rally for Gilad Shalit, in captivity for four years.
Here's a video of NBC TV News coverage - Gilad Shalit Rally in San Diego




It is quite a coup for a brand new organization to get network news coverage for their event. Watch these folks and learn!

In San Diego Jewish News, Tinanarie Bernard reports about the San Diego Israel Coalition :
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... Following the now infamous flotilla incident, a new group has formed in San Diego — the San Diego Israel Coalition — to discuss what individuals can do locally to support Israel. Before the Coalition even formed, the group, eager to support Israel amid local pro-Palestinian rallies, managed to do something small, remarkable and upwardly focused: they, along with Morris Casuto of the Anti-Defamation League, organized a peaceful pro-Israel counter rally. The counter rally drew local press and helped empower the local community to take back the dialogue from an increasingly noisy and hostile media.

“We took the other side by surprise and motivated hundreds of San Diegans that there was a place for them to stand up and show their support for Israel,” said Audrey Jacobs, who, along with Michael Lurie, is organizing the group.

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response, Jacobs and Lurie formed the San Diego Israel Coalition, “a grassroots, passionate, inclusive pro-Israel group focused on powerful and peaceful Israel advocacy in San Diego, working in partnership with all local pro-Israel organizations,” Jacobs said.

By the time this article goes to print, they will have had their first community-wide meeting to mobilize future actions.

.. For more information on the San Diego Israel Coalition, email Audrey Jacobs at sdisraelcoalition(at)gmail.com.

The San Diego Israel Coalition joins a growing number of grass roots groups like San Francisco Voice for Israel and the San Diego team group, the Orange Country Task Force and others. They will be working together to beat state-wide BDS initiatives and other organized "spontaneous" anti-Israel activity. They need our help. If you live in California, they need you! Wherever you live, you would do well to follow their example.

Ami Isseroff


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

They further note that a close alliance between religion and politics, even in a Jewish state, has led to the creation of laws that “undermine democracy, human dignity and civil liberties.”

im sorry...but with friends like these, who needs enemies

just another group of diaspora jews attempting to foist their values upon the state.

i have a problem with men sitting and learning forever if they dont have a true calling to do so.

however, i believe that israel continues to exist today as a result of the amount of torah being learned there....not despite it.