Israeli President Herzog: Keep fighting for our people

In an address to Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly Monday, his first major address in the United States since last year’s October 7th terrorist attacks, Israeli President Isaac Herzog made an impassioned plea for Israel’s hostages to be returned, and implored American Jewish leaders to fight “with every fiber of our being” to that end.


“We must use every tool at our disposal and every platform within reach to bring them back home, every single one,” Herzog said. “Failure to bring back our hostages home will leave our nation hemorrhaging and scarred for generations. It will tear through the delicate fabric of our people. I call on you American Jewish leaders, keep fighting for our people, keep fighting to bring them home, we must all together fight with every fiber of our being to do whatever we can to bring them home immediately.” 


Herzog also congratulated President-Elect Donald Trump, who he called “a champion of peace and cooperation, and a great friend of Israel,” and praised President Joe Biden “for his lifetime of friendship with Israel and devotion to the Jewish people” and his “steadfast support from the very beginning of the war.” He also thanked Vice President Kamala Harris for “actively voicing her solidarity with the Israeli people.”


Regarding the recent pogrom in Amsterdam, Herzog said: “The civilized world cannot tolerate a mob seeking out Jews, and we will not allow this to be normalized.”


Herzog echoed other speakers in thanking the American Jewish community for their tireless and unending support of the Israeli people, a theme echoed throughout the night.


Major General (Res.) Doron Almog, Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel noted that thanks to support from Jewish Federations, the Jewish agency has been able to help 10,000 business owners stay afloat through direct grants, delivered 33,000 food packages to over 7,100 elderly residents in Amigour housing, and help a record 33,000 people make Aliyah in this last year.


“We will allow every Jew around the world to be a part of helping Israel through local Shlichim, through volunteer work, and through our partnership networks that connect us all. I invite every Jew around the world to be part of this next step,” he said.


Mark Wilf, Chair of the Jewish Agency for Israel, talked about the incredible impact of North American philanthropy, which has raised $855 million in emergency support funds to Israel.
 

“I've been able to witness firsthand the impact this care has on their lives, each and every time they look at me and tell me how much it means to them that the global Jewish community is with them during their time of great need, your leadership and generosity makes this life changing work possible and has impacted thousands of lives,” he said.


Jewish Federations President and CEO & President Eric D. Fingerhut drew attention to the vast array of needs our communities are working to fill in a difficult time.


“We have more to do in Israel and Ukraine, but we also have more to do at home on security and fighting antisemitism, and caring for the most vulnerable and protecting our children and, of course, of investing in Jewish life and learning,” he said. “That is why we are here together at this important General Assembly.”


He also acknowledged Veterans Day and thanked those who serve for their service.


Earlier Monday, in a wide-ranging conversation with Pulitzer-prize winning political commentator George Will and Senator Kirstin Gillibrand (D-NY).


One topic that both agreed on was that more needs to be done about antisemitism and the fear-mongering towards Jewish students that occurs regularly on university campuses.


“Our college campuses need to be safe. It is an outrage that so many college campuses were unsafe for our children. It is unconscionable. I think any college president who cannot keep all her students or his students day should be fired. Any professor that celebrates October 7 and lifts up the actions of Hamas as a good thing should be fired. It is untenable what's been happening on our college campuses, and we need better leadership than we've had,” Gillibrand said.


Will called out student protestors who can’t answer questions about why they’re protesting against Israel.


“The fact is that Israel's War of Independence in 1948 has not ended,” Will said. “The simple fact is that when Israel was founded on 1/6 of 1% of all the land in the so-called Arab world, no Palestinian state was destroyed by the founding of Israel. There having been a Palestinian state between 70 A.D. and the coming of the British, facts would be an enormous help. If only our universities were still in the fact business.”

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