Post Hurricane Thoughts from Israel

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Friends,

As Houston pulls itself out of the water and Miami starts to clean up, we are witness to a great spirit of kinship among all; and especially with our Jewish brothers who sought shelter in places like Atlanta who opened their hearts and homes, hosting strangers for Shabbat and more. We are one, and Israel is no exception – our country sent medics, first responders, relief workers and trauma therapists to work with those who have lost their homes or have been temporarily misplaced.

How appropriate is the hebrew idiom, “All of Israel is responsible for one another.” It is touching to see the connection, the outpouring of love and care among all people, may we replace any jealousy or small-mindedness in our hearts with this kind of brotherly love. North Korea seems to be on the opposite trajectory, yet the conflict is perhaps waning. One thing for sure is that anything is possible and no one knows quite how to explain the standoff. We can hope and pray, and work to influence our governments to be smart and cautious.

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Jerusalem is an issue that took center stage when President Trump paid his first overseas visit to our capital city. Yet he did not take steps to recognize this city nor to move the embassy from Tel Aviv. He did sign the waiver, his first, and we hope to make it his last – December 1 is the new deadline for him to decline signing any further waiver, move the embassy and recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s rightful capital. We not only hope, but we are working to educate and enlighten friends and decision makers in order to ensure the White House steps up and keeps its promise, in step with policies that strengthen the US-Israel relationship in ways that were not possible until this new Administration moved in.

Looking forward and will stay in touch with actionable items on this. First, here’s a municipal map you may find invaluable when describing what many of you have seen on visits to Israel with us – a complex, diverse city without an easy border drawn down its middle. What was ‘east Jerusalem’ and part of Jordan til 1967, is actually north, east and south – including the very heart of Jerusalem – the Old City, Temple Mount and Western Wall – not to be divided again. With special thanks to our friends at Keep Jerusalem. The vibrant reality of Jerusalem’s many faces is what keeps it together, and special, ensuring access to holy sites for all religions – a reality that was not true until the Jewish state of Israel became sovereign.

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Israel is gearing up for the High Holidays, with more on that next time – so as DC and everyone across the US gets back to work, we face a holiday season putting us once again out of sync with your calendar. Oh well, it’s for a good cause. Keep Jerusalem in mind and together we will work to strengthen this golden capital of Israel, to bring about long-overdue policy changes in the coming months.

Best wishes from the hills of Judea,

Ruthie
& all the gang at Jaffe Strategies

Please share comments and upcoming Middle-East focused activity so we can weigh in and provide insight that can help better inform and advocate for our joint interests…


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