An emergency delegation from the Yesha Council - comprising council heads, mayors, and senior leadership - arrived in New York on Sunday morning and opened its visit with prayers at the gravesite of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Queens. The delegation prayed for the strengthening of Jewish communities, the security of the state, and the unity of the Jewish people amid international pressures.
During the prayer, the delegation’s leaders offered supplications for the fortification of Jewish settlement and the application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria; for a secure future for the Jewish people; for the safe return of all hostages; for the healing of the wounded; and for the success of IDF soldiers. The key message emphasized was opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state and support for applying full Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
Israel Ganz, Chairman of the Yesha Council and head of the Binyamin Regional Council, said, “We came here to pray and connect with the Rebbe, to seek compassion in the face of our enemies, for peace and the success of our soldiers, for the return of all hostages, for the healing of the wounded, for the strengthening of the State of Israel, and for the complete application of sovereignty in Judea and Samaria. As the Rebbe would say, ‘We do not rely on the nations.’”
Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, added, “We stand here not only on behalf of the residents of Judea and Samaria but on behalf of all of Israel, seeking compassion alongside the holy souls of Israel’s great leaders. May the Holy One, Blessed Be He, grant strength to the Israeli government to stand firm, win the war, and begin applying sovereignty for the sake of the entire Jewish people.”
In the coming days, the delegation is expected to hold a series of political and public meetings with senior officials, including a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.