For Immediate Release
Toronto, June 4, 2001… As Israelis reeled from the brutal terrorist bombing attack in Tel Aviv last Friday, a clear attempt to sow panic and dissuade visitors from coming to Israel, B’nai Brith Canada President Rochelle Wilner announced that the first national officers’ meeting under her presidency will be held in Jerusalem in a few weeks time, as part of a solidarity mission open to the community at large.
“Now more than ever it is important for Canadian Jews to express their solidarity in tangible ways”, she said. “Messages of condolence, however heartfelt, cannot compare to the act of visiting Israel to show that we are one people, and that we truly stand together when under attack. We invite the community to join our officers on the upcoming B’nai Brith Solidarity Mission, arranged in conjunction with One Jerusalem, so that together we can demonstrate our unity and commitment to the People and to the Land of Israel.”
Frank Dimant, BBC Executive Vice-President, appealed to the community to make arrangements to visit Israel this summer. “Every time an individual, a family or an organization cancels its plans to visit Israel, or dismisses it as a holiday or study venue due to ‘security concerns’, a blow is struck to the morale of the Israeli people. This is what Israel’s enemies want and we have a responsibility to make sure this does not happen. Israel is our national homeland and we have the right to live there or visit there in safety and security.”
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B'nai Brith has been active since 1875 as the country's senior advocacy and volunteer agency.
For more information, please contact:
Rochelle Wilner or Frank Dimant at (416) 633-6224
Institute for International Affairs
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