Unity of purpose brought together 375 congregational rabbis, serving hundreds of thousands of American Jews, to sign a letter to US President George W. Bush regarding his Road Map for Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The rabbis, representing Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and other communities, came together spontaneously, gathering the 375 signatures in a mere seven days, according to Amcha - The Coalition for Jewish Concerns, coordinator of the effort. The letter was written by the Interdenominational Rabbinic Committee, whose members are Rabbi Bruce Block (Reform), Rabbi Neal Borovitz (Reform), Rabbi Bruce Ginsburg (Traditional), Rabbi Shmuel Goldin (Orthodox), Rabbi Harlan Wechsler (Conservative) and Rabbi Avi Weiss (Orthodox).
"Recognizing that the recently released Road Map presents a potential opportunity to establish peaceful relations between Israelis and Palestinians," the Amcha statement says, "the Rabbis urge President Bush to follow the following three principles:
+The PA must renounce the notion of a Palestinian "Right of Return" to
+the
Jewish State.
+The PA must dismantle the existing terrorist infrastructure and end its
anti-Semitic incitement to violence before the Road Map is implemented.
+Road Map advancement must be based on performance, not on arbitrary
timetables that encourage noncompliance."
More explicitly in protest against the Road Map, the National Council of Young Israel announced that the theme of the 10th annual Israel Day Concert in the Park, to be held this coming Sunday, June 1, in New York City's Central Park, will be "Say No to a PLO Terror State". Event organizers are expecting over 25,000 people to attend the event. Participants are requested to bring a road map and be prepared to rip it up. Further information on the event is available by calling Ronn Torossian at 212-999-5585.
Two weeks later, on June 15, a more strident demonstration will be held in Boston. Under the theme "Stop the Road Map to Auschwitz", participants are invited to gather at noon in front of the Boston World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Boulevard. For additional information, contact (617) 787-5507 or sokolinski@jewishgrassroots.com or visit the website http://www.jewishgrassroots.com.
"Recognizing that the recently released Road Map presents a potential opportunity to establish peaceful relations between Israelis and Palestinians," the Amcha statement says, "the Rabbis urge President Bush to follow the following three principles:
+The PA must renounce the notion of a Palestinian "Right of Return" to
+the
Jewish State.
+The PA must dismantle the existing terrorist infrastructure and end its
anti-Semitic incitement to violence before the Road Map is implemented.
+Road Map advancement must be based on performance, not on arbitrary
timetables that encourage noncompliance."
More explicitly in protest against the Road Map, the National Council of Young Israel announced that the theme of the 10th annual Israel Day Concert in the Park, to be held this coming Sunday, June 1, in New York City's Central Park, will be "Say No to a PLO Terror State". Event organizers are expecting over 25,000 people to attend the event. Participants are requested to bring a road map and be prepared to rip it up. Further information on the event is available by calling Ronn Torossian at 212-999-5585.
Two weeks later, on June 15, a more strident demonstration will be held in Boston. Under the theme "Stop the Road Map to Auschwitz", participants are invited to gather at noon in front of the Boston World Trade Center, 200 Seaport Boulevard. For additional information, contact (617) 787-5507 or sokolinski@jewishgrassroots.com or visit the website http://www.jewishgrassroots.com.