Dear Friends of Israel:
We look forward to seeing you on Sunday, when tens of thousands of supporters of Israel will gather for our community's annual celebration of Israel in the Gardens.
We will be in booth #6 on the western side of the Gardens; please stop by to say hi, and to pick up some of our new materials. We also expect to have 5 of the panels of the new StandWithUs "Israel Matters" display
Of course, this being the Bay Area, no Israel event can go without protest from the PWHI (People Who Hate Israel). And in case there was any doubt about what they stand for, the attached screenshot should make it very clear: they call on people to "Protest Jewish Community Celebration" and refer to "64 years of exploitation....". These are not people who simply call for ending Israel's presence in the West Bank; they call for ending Israel's presence in Tel Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem as well.
While there will be a dignified counterprotest to the dozen or so haters when they arrive at 12 noon, we ask everyone not to interact directly with the members of these hate groups. Remember that WE are the ones standing for peace; these people even oppose proposals for peace between the Jewish state of Israel and a proposed Arab state of Palestine!
We also want people to be very careful not to give the other side any "YouTube moments".
As always, if you wish to participate please feel free to make your own signs (note that signs are not permitted inside the Gardens themselves) but please no signs or graphics offensive to any racial or ethnic group-- including but not limited to Arabs, Islam, or Palestinians. Signs in violation of our policies will not be allowed.
