Edited by: TJVNews.com
Over a thousand people gathered at the InterContinental New York Times Square Hotel in Manhattan on Sunday for the 2022 Arutz Sheva-Israel National News Jerusalem Conference, as was reported by Israel National News.
The first-ever Jerusalem Prize for the development of Judea and Samaria was awarded during the conference, going to the Falic family for their efforts to support Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria, including the development of tourism in the area and promotion of Israeli businesses.
The conference focused on a number of topics including efforts to secure the return of the remains of two IDF soldiers being held by Hamas; Jerusalem as a model for innovation; education challenges in the Startup Nation; obstacles to efforts aimed at bringing Diaspora Jews to Israel; the difficulties in developing Israel’s periphery; and the phenomenon of Israelis who live abroad returning to Israel.
Attending the event, which coincided with New York City’s annual Celebrate Israel Parade, were Israel’s Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Pnina Tamano-Shata; Benjamin Regional Council chief Israel Ganz; Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan; WZO chairman and Jewish Agency interim head, Yaakov Hagoel; CEO of UJA-Federation of New York, Eric S. Goldstein; CEO of the Conference of Presidents, William C. Daroff; Founder and CEO of Nefesh B’Nefesh, Rabbi Yehoshua Fass; the Mayor of Beit Shemesh Aliza Bloch; Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Minister of Housing and Construction Ze’ev Elkin; and Gush Etzion Regional Council chief Shlomo Ne’eman.
Also participating in the conference were, Yad Vashem director Dani Dayan; Israeli Consul General in New York Asaf Zamir; former White House special envoy Jason Greenblatt; chairman of the World Likud and former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon; National President of Emunah Debbie Bienenfeld; CEO of the Gush Etzion Development Company Aharoni Neubauer; CEO of Netspark Yariv Peer; chief of the Center for Religious Affairs in the Diaspora Roi Abecassis; Chairman of National Histadrut General Federation of Labour Yoav Simchi; Vice Chairman of the WZO and Head of Education Department Gael Grunewald; and JCRC-NY Executive Vice President and CEO Gideon Taylor.
Israeli Minister of Immigration Absorption Pnina Tamano-Shata kicked off the Jerusalem Conference, as was reported by the Israel National News web site.
Tamano-Shata began by addressing the immediate needs of Israeli citizens when they face the challenges of terrorism, according to the A7 report. “When Israel is challenged by terror attacks, Israelis need to know that the support for the Jewish State is not just at home but also across the sea, and that there are many around the world who are looking towards Israel and praying for the safety of Jerusalem.”
She discussed the sentiment of Aliyah to Israel, along with her mission to support all who make Aliyah.
“As the Minister of Aliyah and Integration, representing the olim, who since Israel’s founding, have played a central role in building our state, my answer to all those who seek to threaten or attack Israel, are the planes of olim who land in Ben Gurion Airport, and continue to realize the two-thousand-year-old dream of returning to Zion. Israel will always be the safe and secure homeland of all Jews, from all over the world,” she said.
She added: “Indeed, we are now in the middle of a national operation, called Olim Habayta, which began with the Russian invasion of Ukraine- An operation to rescue our brothers and sisters, and to bring them home to safety in Israel. Last month I visited Ukraine together with my friend, Yaakov Hagoel, Acting Chair of the Jewish Agency.”
“It was deeply moving to meet the olim on their way to Israel, accompanied by the Israeli shlichim.”
Tamano-Shata also reminisced over the successes of the most recent campaign, as was reported by INN. She said, “Thank God, we have already absorbed more than twenty thousand new olim since the beginning of the operation. This is a huge achievement, and we will continue day and night, overseas and in Israel, to ensure that everyone who wants to make aliyah, can.”
“The circumstances surrounding the aliyah from Ukraine, especially touch my heart. When I made aliyah as a small child of three, in 1984, as part of Operation Moses, my family and I were also refugees for a time in Sudan. What gave us strength during that difficult time, was the dream of Jerusalem, and the dream of reaching Jerusalem, “ she added.
Former White House Envoy Jason Greenblatt shared insights on the state of relations between Israel and the United States at the Jerusalem Conference on Sunday in Manhattan, as was reported by Israel National News.
Greenblatt began by addressing the Iran Deal that the Biden Administration is currently negotiating. “I am still fearful. The Iran deal is a threat, not just to Israel and its surrounding countries, it is a threat to America. What we should understand from what is happening in Ukraine. Russia is threatening the U.S., its allies and Ukraine with nuclear weapons, imagine if Iran had nuclear weapons.”
INN reported that regarding Biden’s upcoming trip to the Middle East, he said, “I am not in favor of him visiting the Palestinian hospital unless he is going to visit it under the auspices of the Israeli government. The notion that he would go into parts of Jerusalem, without the Israeli Government, and pretend it’s Palestinian is a huge mistake.”
“He’s messed up the relationship with Saudi Arabia in a huge way. He’s disrespectful to the kingdom, he is disrespectful to the Crown Prince, he said he would make Saudi Arabia the pariah that it is. And now we are begging for their oil.”
When it comes to the current status of the Abraham Accords, INN reported that Greenblatt put forth a plan to strengthen relations in the region. He said, “You cannot fault the UAE for criticizing Israel from time to time. I think it is incumbent on anybody who supports the Abraham Accords and who supports Israel, to go to the countries and show them what Israel is about, and what Judaism is about.”
He added: “It is incumbent on anybody who supports Israel to shout from the rooftops, ‘Don’t sign this Iran Deal.’”
Consul General of Israel in New York, Asaf Zamir, shared insights on the increase of antisemitism in the United States at the Jerusalem Conference, as was reported by INN.
Zamir began by addressing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez’s (D-14) recent stance against Israel following the death of a Palestinian journalist.
He said, “Look, I usually don’t dip into names. I did it anyway this time and I tweeted about it. There’s a certain accountability needed by elected officials. We are a few weeks into this and it’s still unclear where it came from. In light of not getting any cooperation, I would expect elected officials to ask the same from Palestinians,” according to INN.
“Being upset about the death of anyone is ok. It’s ok and legitimate and acceptable to be upset about it. If you think you know better than Palestinian coroners, then you have an issue.”
Regarding the recent rise in antisemitism, INN reported that Zamir attributed this to the spread of anti-Jewish speech and hate on college campuses. He said, “When you look at antisemitism in the US and where it starts, college is the place of this new brand of antisemitism.”
“The outcome is either frightened Jewish kids running around the campus & not saying the things they want, or they see Israel as a burden, socially and politically,” he added.
INN reported that the chairman of Yad Vashem, Dani Dayan, spoke about how he declined a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine, at the conference.
In a conversation with Carrie Rubinstein, former editor in chief at Yedioth Ahronoth America, INN reported that he said, “President Zelenskyy wanted to speak with Yad Vashem via Zoom. After giving it very careful consideration, I refused.”
“The reason I did it is because he wanted to speak with Yad Vashem to say that what is happening in Ukraine is the Shoah.”
INN also reported that Chairman Dayan said, “Now, we have to be very clear about this, there are war crimes being committed in Ukraine. But not every war crime is a genocide, and not every genocide is the Shoah.”
Also addressing the conference and the Besheva newspaper was Texas Senator Ted Cruz, as was reported by INN. He vowed to ensure that Israel’s capital city remain undivided and touting his involvement in the Trump administration’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
“During the ten years I’ve served in the Senate, I’ve resolved to be Israel’s strongest defender in the United States Senate,” Cruz said, according to the INN report. “I’m committed to ensuring that Israel has sovereignty over its territories, and I was proud to lead the push to recognize the Golan Heights.”
Cruz also stressed the need to support Jerusalem as the “eternal and undivided capital of Israel,” amid constant, ceaseless calls to once again divide the city. “Under President Biden [this…] has been a day-to-day and sometimes an hour-to-hour fight,” he related, as was reported by INN. “This administration has expressed the desire to open a Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem which is designed to undermine Israel’s sovereignty in Jerusalem and to elevate Palestinian claims to that city.”
“I’m honored to stand alongside you in the fight for the U.S.-Israel relationship,” Cruz emphasized. “Israel remains strong, as is the unbreakable friendship between us.”
“Thank you, and God bless you.”
INN also reported that Dr. Leah Goldin, joined by Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Kehilath Jeshrun, held a conversation about mutual responsibility at the conference. Goldin’s son, Hadar Goldin, was captured and killed by the Hamas in 2014, and has not been returned to his family for burial.
Goldin began by addressing how the responsibility to bring Hadar home is shared by the United States, as was reported by INN. She said, “Hadar is the victim of a ceasefire. Hadar is an American Jewish problem and we need Am Israel to bring him home.”
Regarding relations with Gaza and the Hamas moving forward, INN reported that Goldin sent a powerful message to those who are holding her son. She said, “They should know that they should never touch any Israeli soldier again, because it is going to cost them.”
Rabbi Steinmetz called on Americans, and other Jews in the conference to take action and support the movement to bring Hadar home. INN reported that he said, “The ceasefire which was violated by Hamas was brokered by the United States, through the Secretary of State and the United Nations. They need to stand by the ceasefire which they broke, not hadar and Simcha.”
“We need a network of communities which are going to take this on their shoulders.”
INN reported that Goldin ended the discussion with an allusion to a message which her son embodied. She said, “In your life you have two options, to deal with yourself or two do great things. I tell myself this every day.” (ArutzSheva.com)
