Tikvah, the Zionist Group at UC Berkeley Fundraising for Victims of Syrian War.

According to the Action Group for Palestinians of Syria, as of this week:

• The total number of victims documented by the Action Group is 3665, including 465 women
• 1672 Palestinians are locked up behind Syrian government’s bars, 106 of which are women
• Yarmouk refugee camp is under the Syrian regime army and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine’s siege for 1,691 days in a row
• 205 refugees, mainly in Yarmouk Camp, have died due to lack of medical care and malnutrition
• Water supplies have been cut off Deraa Camp for 1427 days, and 167 days in Yarmouk Camp
• The Regime army has been in control of Handarat camp for more than 522 days. More than 80% of its buildings have been completely or partially destroyed.
• Approximately 85 thousand Palestinian-Syrian refugees fled to Europe by the end of 2016
• 31 thousand refugees are located in Lebanon
• 17 thousand refugees are sheltered in Jordan
• 6 thousand refugees are in Egypt
• 8 thousand refugees are staying in Turkey
• One thousand refugees are present in Gaza

Yet the "human rights groups" that claim to care about the Palestinian people are strangely and uncharateristically silent when they can't hold Israel responsible for their suffering.

Real, tangible help instead comes from the last place you'd expect it- from Israel, a nation officially in a state of war with Syria.  

For over four years, the Israeli Defence Forces has been helping injured Syrians who cross Israel’s northern border, and has been supplying Syrian civilians with food, fuel and household necessities.

From The IDF Operation Good Neighbor website: 

The IDF primarily provides 3 types of assistance as part of Operation Good Neighbor:

1. Medical –  Over 4,000 people have been brought to Israel to receive treatment, including hundreds of children. The IDF also transfers medicine, supplies, and equipment to Syrians across the border. An internationally managed field hospital has also been established at an Israeli outpost near the border.

2. Infrastructure – 450,000 liters of fuel have been transferred for heating, operating water wells, and ovens in bakeries. The IDF also transferred seven generators, water pipes to rebuild Syrian infrastructure, and equipment for a temporary school in the region.

3. Civilian aid – The IDF transferred 40 tons of flour to bakeries, 225 tons of food, 12,000 packages of baby formula, 1,800 packages of diapers, 12 tons of shoes, and 55 tons of cold weather clothing.

UC Berkeley's Tikvah Students for Israel is doing their part as well. On Monday, the Zionist  group will be fundraising  to help support Operation Good Neighbor.  Stop by and help them out.  Their table will be at Sproul Plaza from 11-2.

UPDATE:  Rain Date will be Friday, March 16.  See you there!

Tikvah Rally for Israel

From our friends at Tikvah, Students for Israel at UC Berkeley

Thursday, November 2, 2017, marks 100 years since the Balfour Declaration was penned. On this day, we will defend the right of the state of Israel to exist, and the right of Jews to live in their national and historic homeland. We will counter the lies spread about Zionism and Israel, and will share the truth with our campus community. 

Please join us to show your support for Jewish existence in the Land of Israel, and to stand up against the bigotry and lies that are propagated about the Jewish homeland. We will have posters, shirts, and flags for you!

Join Tikvah and other pro-Israel students on campus in solidarity, as they stand up for Israel's right to exist with safe and secure borders.

Sproul Plaza. Thursday November 2.  11-1.

SJP "Students for Just Us In Palestine" will be there, too.

UPDATE
Photos from the rally.

Tikvah: Students for Israel at UC Berkeley: The Tables Turned

The precious wildflowers of  UC Berkeley's Students for Justice in Palestine had originally planned a "die-in" for Israeli Apartheid Week, but postponed it because of the weather.

The pursuit of lofty goals such as justice are best left for sunshine and clear skies, after all. You might get dirty, otherwise.

On Thursday, March 31, a handful of  Berkeley SJP students, accompanied by a few community activists took to the streets of Berkeley to block traffic and shout vague platitudes at pedestrians and passing vehicles.

Students for Justice in Palestine is unsurprisingly at home in both the physical and the metaphorical gutter.

Tikvah, Students for Israel at UC Berkeley was ready for them.

SJP die-in , UC Berkeley

Kol hakovod, Tikvah. You make us proud.

Celebrating 20 years of India/Israel relations

From the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

"Israel and India share an intimately close and special relationship encompassing virtually every field of human endeavor. From trade to education, from agriculture to science and technology, from energy and water to homeland security - Israel and India today work together in a vast variety of fields, some of which are no less than existential to them both.

At the core of these multifaceted relations lie the values, the interests and the challenges that Israel and India share. Both countries are open and free democracies that embrace modernity and progress whilst preserving their ancient heritage and history. Both countries strive to achieve stability, human development and economic growth for the well-being of all their citizens. Both countries also face a large number of threats and difficulties ranging from the scourge of terrorism to water and energy scarcity. It is these commonalities that make the connection and collaboration between Israel and India so natural and fertile.

The remarkable development of bilateral trade in the past 20 years is an unequivocal example of the vector of Indo-Israel ties. In 1992, the annual trade between Israel and India stood at a mere $180 million. By 2011, the annual civilian trade between the two countries, diversified and well balanced, had expanded almost thirty fold to surpass $5 billion. Both countries have expressed their intention to finalize a Free Trade Agreement by the end of this year, a development which is expected to further invigorate and diversify bilateral trade.

One of the key pillars of the relationship is the cooperation in the field of agriculture. Food security is more than ever a critical concern for both countries. In cooperation projects across India, Israeli technology and knowhow is being demonstrated and shared with Indian farmers, and joint Indian and Israeli agricultural R&D is conducted on the ground. The recently finalized three-year action plan sets the path for the establishment of 27 projects across 7 States in India in various fields. This cooperation will no doubt benefit the Indian farmer and consumer and is already playing a significant role in India’s efforts to ensure food security to all its citizens.

Both Israel and India have excelled in the research and development of science and technology. At present, new platforms are being created for both government and private sectors to jointly enhance scientific innovation in crucial fields such as clean-tech and life sciences."


Live nearby? Explore the India/ Israel relationship further at a talk sponsored by Tikvah, Students for Israel

India meets Israel: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue

Nissim Reuben is currently the director of Jewish-Indian Relations for the American Jewish Committee. Originally born in India, Reuben volunteered with the IDF to participate in relief efforts following the Gujarat earthquake. Accompanied by representatives of the Israeli and Indian Consulate, Reuben will tell us about the history of Jews in India, current relations between India and Israel, and what we can do to ensure a prosperous relationship between both states.


Tuesday, February 7
7:00 PM
Location: 100 Boalt Hall, UC Berkeley