Official reports say that 50,000 people turned out in downtown New York City yesterday for a \"prayer rally\" in support of Israel. The massive gathering filled several blocks near Wall St., not far from the destroyed World Trade Center site, and featured no speeches - only prayer. In addition to the afternoon Mincha service, Psalms and other prayers were recited aloud in a \"dignified, inspiring, and very unifying\" manner, according to participants.
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, some 10,000 people gathered yesterday outside the Israeli consulate to express support for Israel. It was the first pro-Israel rally ever held in the city. Letters written by children from Jewish schools to Israeli children were read aloud, and speeches were delivered against anti-Semitism, in favor of Zionism, and demanding fair media coverage of the Middle East. Participants represented the full spectrum of Jewish communal and religious life in the city.
A group of Canadians has arrived in Israel to work long, intensive shifts in emergency duties: helping to rebuild cafes and shops destroyed by suicide bombers, guarding schools and city streets in terrorism-hit Be\'er Sheva and Jerusalem, and more. \"These activists and those who will follow are doing much more than merely expressing solidarity with Israel,\" said Howard Weisband, Director-General of the United Israel Appeal Federation Canada. \"They are the Jewish answer to the so-called \'human shields\' who showed up from Europe to spin artificial headlines. These people are rolling up their sleeves and working to counter the horrible effects of the terror attacks.\"
In Sao Paulo, Brazil, some 10,000 people gathered yesterday outside the Israeli consulate to express support for Israel. It was the first pro-Israel rally ever held in the city. Letters written by children from Jewish schools to Israeli children were read aloud, and speeches were delivered against anti-Semitism, in favor of Zionism, and demanding fair media coverage of the Middle East. Participants represented the full spectrum of Jewish communal and religious life in the city.
A group of Canadians has arrived in Israel to work long, intensive shifts in emergency duties: helping to rebuild cafes and shops destroyed by suicide bombers, guarding schools and city streets in terrorism-hit Be\'er Sheva and Jerusalem, and more. \"These activists and those who will follow are doing much more than merely expressing solidarity with Israel,\" said Howard Weisband, Director-General of the United Israel Appeal Federation Canada. \"They are the Jewish answer to the so-called \'human shields\' who showed up from Europe to spin artificial headlines. These people are rolling up their sleeves and working to counter the horrible effects of the terror attacks.\"