Today’s Dispatch

Issue: President Joe Biden spoke from the Oval Office reiterating his support for Israel with reports of plans to call for Congressional approval of increased military aid to Israel.

Background:

• Following President Biden’s trip to Israel—an unprecedented display of American solidarity for the Jewish state amidst an ongoing war—he spoke to the American people in an Oval Office address on the war Thursday evening. He reiterated his strong support for Israel’s right and necessity to defend itself and made clear that Israel’s fight against terrorism is also essential to the freedom and security of the United States and the world. The President connected the Israeli-Hamas war to that in Ukraine and said “Hamas and Putin represent different threats but they share this in common; they both want to completely annihilate a neighboring democracy.”

• It is reported that the White House has requested $10.6 billion in military and security aid to Israel to defend itself against Hamas.

Issue: As more details of the Hamas surprise attack on October 7th become known, the planned torture and massacre of innocent civilians, including mass murders of children, the elderly, and handicapped demonstrates a moral depravity not seen in the world since ISIS waged war or the 9/11 attacks. Community leaders must understand the nature of this brutality and the necessity of an overwhelming response.

Background:

• Medical first responders recalled how Hamas terrorists tortured families, including young children, before murdering them. The bodies they found had gouged eyes and fingers cut off.

• This account reinforces a steady stream of reports describing the sheer brutality of the massacres, including this report in which both Rabbis and IDF officials responsible for identifying the dead said that “many bodies showed signs of torture as well as rape,” and “we’ve seen dismembered bodies with their arms and feet chopped off, people that were beheaded, a child that was beheaded.” It is clear the full extent of the brutality of the attacks is still emerging.

• 11 Senators from the Senate Commerce Committee sent a letter to social media companies including X, TikTok, Meta, and Alphabet this morning requesting that the companies not permanently delete any content showing the attack.

Suggested actions to support Israel in your local community:

• Watch and share President Biden’s address.

• Sign this action alert to thank your elected officials for supporting Israel.

• Share these nine facts about Israel’s war to defend herself.

• Read and share the harrowing testimony of Maya, a survivor of the horrific massacre at the Nova party near Kibbutz Re’im.

• Watch and share thethe testimony of Noa Ben Artzi, a 25-year-old survivor of the Hamas massacre who shared her story earlier this week at a gathering of Jewish leaders in Washington, D.C.

Community Spotlight

The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia thanked the Philadelphia City Council for passing Resolution 23076 yesterday, which condemns the Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel. Since October 7th, state legislatures in Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, and Texas have passed bipartisan resolutions condemning the Hamas attacks and supporting Israel.

Additional Resources

Click here to access Jewish Federations’ Swords of Iron toolkit, which we are updating every day with new materials.

Jewish Federations along with 50 partner organizations have launched #BlueRibbonsforIsrael, a unity campaign in support of the safe return of the hostages taken by Hamas terrorists in Israel. It symbolizes solidarity with the hostages, their families, and all who care about their safety. Learn more here.
Now, more than ever, it’s important for us to come together and be in community during this challenging time. Join us at next year’s Washington Conference, which will take place from Wednesday, February 28th to Friday, March 1st, 2024. For an early bird rate, please register here.

The Community Mobilization Center is monitoring major developments in Israel and North America related to Israel’s war against Hamas. The Community Mobilization Center will rapidly disseminate resources to help mobilize and support our local communities as they build and sustain civic and political support for Israel in this conflict. The work of the Community Mobilization Center will continue as long as it takes Israel to eradicate the terrorist threat and restore security to the country.

The Community Mobilization Center is at your service. Open zoom hours to ask questions and seek support in your community’s response efforts will be held daily from 10-12 ET at this link. Click here to send us an email.

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