The Honorable Chaim Shacham, Consul General of the State of Israel to Florida and Puerto Rico, keynote speaker, said, “In the past 13 days, Hamas has lobbed over 2000 rockets on Israeli civilians. Hamas has embedded itself in schools, mosques, shops and homes. Israel employs its arsenal to protect civilians, while Hamas employs its civilians to protect its arsenal.”
Israeli Americans and other supporters of Israel rallied nationwide, in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. Other gatherings in support of Israel are planned in communities across the U.S., including Boston, New York and San Francisco. Mr. Shacham said, “When it comes time to peacemaking, our neighbors will find us both forgiving and morally strong.” He concluded by quoting the late Prime Minister, Golda Meir, “We can forgive them for killing our children. But we cannot forgive them for forcing us to kill their children. We will only have peace when they love their children more than they hate us.”
The Israeli American Council (IAC), preeminent Israeli-American organization in the United States, seeks to build an active and giving Israeli-American Community to strengthen the State of Israel, the next generation, and to provide a bridge to the Jewish-American community. Based in Los Angeles with offices nationwide, the IAC serves an estimated 750,000 Israelis in the U.S. today with a large variety of programs and events for all ages, and supports a wide range of other community non-profit organizations. For more information about the IAC, please visit www.israeliamerican.org. Regional Council Board Member, IAC Miami Amir Hayun, amir@israeliamerican.org, 786-586-8740 IAC National contact: Miriam Alpern, Miriam@israeliamerican.org, 424-235-3575.
