VIDEO: 1,400 Celebrate Israel Solidarity Day
North Shore families, politicians walk to support Israel.
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From families with children in strollers to a member of the United States Congress, more than 1,400 people walked through the streets of Highland Park Sunday as part of the Jewish United Fund’s (JUF) annual Israel Solidarity Day.
One of those families was David, Dena, Gabriella and Danielle Cooperman of Highland Park. Danielle, the youngest, was pushed in a stroller by her older sister Gabriella, who had a special role at the event. She's a member of the children’s choir from North Suburban Synagogue Beth El, which sang the national anthems of the United States and Israel to kick the day off.
"I’m leading the Star Spangled Banner and Hatikvah (The Hope)," Gabrielle said.
Gabrielle’s parents were there both to show support for Israel and to teach their children.
"We want to show our kids to be part of something greater," Dena Cooperman said. "We are here to be part of the community, show our support for Israel and the entire Jewish community."
'The American-Israel relationship'
Keynote speaker Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) shared the speaker’s platform with state Rep. Karen May (D-Highland Park), state Rep. Robyn Gable (D-Evanston) and Highland Park Mayor Nancy Rotering.
Two weeks ago, Dold went on a JUF mission to Israel with a number of area residents including Sandy Perl of Glencoe, who walked Sunday's route with the Congressman. Michael Klein of Winnetka and Steve Ritchie of Glencoe also walked with Dold.
"We must stand shoulder to shoulder with Israel and let [the Israelis] know we will never leave their side," Dold said. "I promise to stand on the floor of Congress and lead on the issue of the American-Israel relationship."
Two people who needed no encouragement to stand by Israel’s side were David Schoeneman and Molly Dillon of Highland Park. Schoeneman walked with his grandchildren, Noah and Zoe Parker of Evanston. He literally wrapped himself in an Israeli flag.
"[Israel Solidarity] is very emotional for me," Schoeneman said. "I volunteer there with the army."
"I wear this every day," he added, displaying a dog tag with the names of three Israeli soldiers—Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. Shalit is an Israeli soldier who was captured by Hamas while on patrol near Gaza five years ago. A few days after Shalit’s capture, Goldwasser and Regev were kidnapped by Hezbollah near the Lebanese frontier precipitating the Second Lebanon War. Shalit is still held captive. The other men died in captivity.
Dillon, a 2011 Johns Hopkins University graduate, was wearing an Israeli Navy T-shirt. She recently returned from a Birthright trip—a free trip to Israel offered to Jewish youth by JUF—where she traveled the country with a combined group of Americans and Israelis.
"Now I know people my age who are in the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) making the conflict there very real," Dillon said.
Making it 'real'
While Gabrielle Cooperman led the national anthems, Talia and Naomi Gooze of Glenview stood on the base of a light pole to catch a better view. They came with their father Adam, who is a solidarity day veteran.
"I’ve done this every year for 10 years and before that when I was a kid," Gooze said. "I spent the summer [in Israel] when I was 16 with kids going into the army. It makes it very real. I hope my girls will be bat- mitzvah there."
Some supporters walked alone and others with family or friends. Entire congregations, like Am Ysirael of Northfield, strolled together. Cheryl Wittenstein of Glenview, Stu Witzel of Wilmette, Earl Smith of Deerfield and Daniel Kamin of Highland Park walked the route carrying their synagogue’s banner.
"The whole congregation’s walking together today," Smith said, pointing to people in front and behind. "There are at least 100 of us."
Clad in blue T-shirts, scores of JUF volunteers spent the day guiding enthusiastic groups of participants. Steering traffic at the corner of Ravine Drive and Linden Avenue in Highland Park were Lisa and Javier Rubinstein of Northbrook and Gwen Heyman of Highland Park.
Lisa Rubenstein is on JUF’s board and has been volunteering at the event with her husband for 10 years.
"This is how we show our support for Israel and with our fellow Jews," she said.
Click the photo above to see a video and photo gallery from Israel Solidarity Day. Then click here to read about the elected officials that also attended the event.
kurt swanson
12:36 pm on Monday, June 6, 2011
If you are a Jewish U.S. citizen and you voted for Obama. We will let it slide this time. But if you vote for him again, then you cast a vote for your own demise.. We have a president that does not have a clue ....BOUT ANYTHING. if you only knew just how mad i am that peple fell for his lines of bravo sierra, his charm , his charisma. next time vote with yor brain and not your eyes. STAND WITH ISREAL ! NUFF SAID! I will be voting first in the Democratic primary for anyone but him. Then vote Republican. I agree with Richard Schulte.
Richard Schulte
1:43 pm on Monday, June 6, 2011
Mr. Swanson, it appears that they took my comment down. Let me do this once again. President Obama is anti-Israel-there is no doubt about it. Rather than rally, express yourself with your vote in November 2012. Israel is America's only real friend in the Middle East. America has stood by Israel since 1948. The American people still stand with Israel, even if President Obama wants to throw Israel under the bus.
President Obama brought us this wonderful economy and he is working hard to destroy everything this country stands for. May God bless American and Israel.
kurt swanson
2:36 pm on Monday, June 6, 2011
so what gives Patch? since when do you take down comments that contain no profanity. or i may be wrong. i saw mr. shulte's comment 2 hours ago. his was less aggressive than mine. i thought for sure my comments wouldn last
Jacob Nelson
3:00 pm on Monday, June 6, 2011
Richard's comment wasn't deleted by a Patch editor, it was flagged as inappropriate by enough readers that it was removed automatically. The flagging feature is intended only to be used for offensive comments, but is sometimes misused by readers who disagree with the commenter.
Clif Brown
2:46 pm on Monday, June 6, 2011
The United States and Israel are not similar. The United States keeps religion out of politics, Israel does not - religious parties are represented in the Knesset and have recently been active proposing discriminatory laws.
The United States stands for liberty and justice for all. Israel does not, it is for Jews only.
For Israel, immigrants can on religion alone get Israeli citizenship and participate in the illegal settlement project - the project that Israel has been at from the start - ethnic cleansing the indigenous people.
Allies share, Israel is not an ally because it only takes.
Israel has lost the support of the world and depends upon the United States to cover for it in the United Nations, allowing it to keep arresting, evicting, occupying and too frequently killing the indigenous people at will.
No Israeli human rights organization supports the occupation. One of them, B'tselem, provides a wealth of data online on the awful situation in the occupied territories.
Evanstonians can be proud that our town is the home of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation (JRC) whose rabbi speaks out against the wrongs Israel does on his blog, Shalom Rav. I highly recommend the English edition of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz for anyone wishing to keep current on Israel direct from the source - look in particular for columnist Gideon Levy.
kurt swanson
6:06 pm on Monday, June 6, 2011
Mr. Brown, I respect your views. these would be great comments for Obama to make face to face to the Prime Minister of Isreal , rather than comment in the press that they need to go back to 1967 borders, the day before he arrives in the United States. There will be a day that you may want Isreal in your foxhole rather than those that want to wipe them off the planet. Peace!
Arielle Zionts
1:41 pm on Saturday, June 11, 2011
Richard:
You said “President Obama is anti-Israel-there is no doubt about it”. Why is he anti-Israel? People who are anti-Israel do not want Israel to exist, and Obama does not agree with these people. Obama simply differs with you and others in how peace should be achieved in the region and on how high a standard of human rights Israel should be held to. Just because Obama, like myself, does not agree with all the policy of Israel, it does not mean we are anti-Israel. Just like while not agreeing with all the policy of Obama, makes on anti-American. Just because we think the current situation in Israel needs to be fixed as soon as possible, that Israel should stop building settlements in the West Bank, and that the borders should be based on the 1967 borders (with swaps on both sides!) does not mean we are anti-Israel.
Also you said, “he (Obama) is working hard to destroy everything this country stands for”. I can respect you if you disagree with what Obama does, but I cannot respect people who say things like this-that you actually think Obama is trying to destroy what this country stands for. While I did not agree with everything Bush did, I know that he thought he was doing what was best for the country. Also what is “everything this country stands for”? You need to realize people differ in what America stands for and even if they agree on something it stands for, lets say freedom, they differ on what that (freedom) means!
Arielle Zionts
1:42 pm on Saturday, June 11, 2011
Cliff Brown:
Good points. These dissimilarities are important for all people to know. I would like to argue it is important to know that there are similarities between Israel and the USA and how Israel contrasts to its neighbors. Not that these comparisons excuse Israel from its wrongdoings. Israel and the USA are similar in that they are democratic, they are diverse in terms of religion and background, they have strong militaries, they have a strong (most of the time) economy, they have high technology and tourism industries, and they have been a refuge for the Jewish people
And to compare Israel with its neighbors, while Israel is not perfect, it is the most democratic state in the region. Also, although Muslims suffer from discrimination in Israel, they do technically have equal rights. And Muslims living in Israel have more rights and freedom than Muslims living anywhere else in this religion. When I speak of Muslims in Israel I mean the ones living in Israel proper.
Arielle Zionts
1:42 pm on Saturday, June 11, 2011
Cliff Brown:
I have a problem with this sentence “The United States stands for liberty and justice for all. Israel does not, it is for Jews only”. Yes the USA stands “for liberty and justice for all”, but liberty and justice for all has not yet been achieved. There are still huge inequalities in this world. The second part of your sentence seems to imply that Israel does not want liberty and justice for all. This is not true. While some on the very right wing wish that Israel were a completely Jewish state and think that the Muslims have no right to live in Israel or their own Palestine, most Israelis want liberty and justice for all. No, this is not the case right now, but you cannot say that Israel, as a policy, only wants liberty and justice for Jews. However, you can argue that you disagree with the pace and the methods they are using to achieve this liberty and justice for all.
Swanson
Obama did not say, “that they need to go back to 1967 borders”. He said that the border should be based on these borders and with mutually agreed swaps. This is very different. What Obama says leaves open the option that all of Jerusalem can remain in Israel, or that parts of East Jerusalem (like the Western Wall) can remain in Israel.
Richard Schulte
5:50 am on Monday, June 13, 2011
"Now what about the 1967 borders? Democratic defenders of the president have insisted that "1967 borders with land swaps" is nothing new. But it appears it certainly is. As the insider noted, "Yes, they are pressing for '67 with swaps, not exactly '67. But that's not really the point - they've already adopted what was a Palestinian 'goal' as U.S. policy." "
Source: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/06/obama_and_his_jewish_supporters.html
Richard Schulte
5:51 am on Monday, June 13, 2011
More censorship on this thread? Another post from yesterday morning taken down.
Jennifer Fisher
9:47 am on Monday, June 13, 2011
Richard, it looks like three users flagged two of your posts, which automatically takes them down. I reset the flag count so they now appear again above.
kurt swanson
1:01 pm on Wednesday, June 15, 2011
patch pleas remove this flag option it is being used to rid articles that readers do not agree with. it seems pointless to have. i am sure you monitor the replies and can remove those with profanity.
Richard Schulte
9:19 am on Saturday, June 18, 2011
It's rather interesting that many Americans seemingly don't grasp the concept of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
To quote Hillary Clinton, "We are Americans and we have a right to debate." Yes, that means that conservatives are permitted to voice opinions that liberals and progressives don't like or don't want to hear. The First Amendment is a two-way street.
It seems that liberals/progressives have a totalitarian/authoritarian streak in them. In Evanston, they like to say "Diversity is our strength". Diversity includes tolerating opinions with which you disagree.