How to contact Federation during its move

The day has finally come...we are moving  April 14, 2011 .  Due to the move and the upcoming Passover Holiday, we will not have computers or phones until Thursday, April 21st.

 

 In the interim, if you need to contact a staff member, you can send an email to jcrcdm@aol.com.

You can also call Tom's cell phone at 515-208-2088 or Elaine's at 515-480-8748.

 

Come visit us in our new offices:

33158 Ute Avenue in Waukee at The Caspe Terrace

515-987-0899

 

Tammy Abdulghani

Campaign Assistant 

Jewish Federation of Des Moines

 

 

Merkel: Germany will not recognize any unilaterally-declared Palestinian state.

Deutsche Welle, Germany       7 April 2011

Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised Israel Germany will not recognize any unilaterally-declared Palestinian state. Merkel spoke after meeting Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss the peace process.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany would never recognize any Palestinian state if it were declared without Israel's acceptance. After talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Berlin on Thursday, Merkel said she supported a two-state solution, with Israel and a Palestinian state coexisting side by side. However, she added that this could only be acceptable to Germany if Israel itself recognized Palestinian independence. Palestinian officials have said they might declare statehood in September.

"When it comes to the question of recognizing a Palestinian state, I repeat again that Germany is working for there to be a two-state solution," said Merkel.

"Unilateral recognitions therefore definitely do not contribute to achieving this aim... This is our stance now and it will be our stance in September."

"There needs to be mutual recognition, otherwise it is not a two-state solution."

Plan to seek UN recognition of borders

The Palestinians have pledged to seek UN recognition of an independent state within borders established in 1967 - with east Jerusalem as its capital, despite Israel pressing ahead with controversial plans to build Jewish homes there. Netanyahu is on a diplomatic tour aimed at convincing western allies not to acknowledge the state.

Germany currently holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Merkel, who referred to some "controversy" during the meeting, said that the talks had been "very friendly and very direct."

She added that restoring momentum back to the stalled Middle East peace process was "more pressing than ever."

Merkel's office has denied that the chancellor and Israeli prime minister had fallen out in a highly-charged telephone conversation in February, with Merkel accusing Netanyahu of failing to make progress on peace.

Jewish Federation is moving to The Caspe Terrace!

As of April 14, 2011, the offices of the Jewish Federation will be moving to The Caspe Terrace.

 

 

 

Our new address will be: 

 

Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines

33158 Ute Avenue

Waukee, IA  50263-7538

 

Our new phone number, operative at some point, will be: 515  987-0899 

 

Contact: jcrc@dmjfed.org

 

Tactics of Hamas

"Immediately after the [Israeli school] bus was hit, militants in Gaza fired at least seven mortar rounds at the area, complicating efforts to evacuate the teenager and the bus driver, an AFP correspondent said.

By early evening, the army said at least 45 mortar rounds and rockets had slammed into southern Israel, one of which scored a direct hit on a house."

From Agence France-Presse  http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/restofasia/Israel-pounds-Gaza-kills-3-after-missile-hits-bus/Article1-682513.aspx

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From Hamas.  http://qassam.ps/news-4391-Al_Qassam_declares_responsibility_for_Kfar_Saad_operation.html

Gaza-Ezzedeen Al Qassam Briades (E.Q.B) the military wing of the Islamic resistance movement Hamas declared in a military communiqué released on Thursday April 7, 201l the full responsibility for the operation of targeting Israeli bus traveling in the nearby Israeli settlement of Kfar Sa'ad east of Gaza Strip.

The operation left two Israeli settlers injured, one of them was in a critical condition and evacuated by the Israeli medical crews to Soroka hospital.

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Note:  To Hamas.... all Israel is a settlement.  And all Israelis are 'settlers.'  //Mark  jcrc@dmjfed.org

 

Why Facebook took down the 3rd Intifada page

Why Facebook took down the '3rd Intifada' page, calling on people to launch a Third Palestinian intifada against Israel.

Richard Allen, Facebook’s director of policy for Europe, the Middle East and Asia:

 “Our reviewers felt that the content of the Page began as a call for peaceful protest, even though the term Intifada has been associated with violence in the past. In addition, the administrators initially removed comments that promoted violence. Under these conditions a Page of this nature would normally be permitted to remain on Facebook.

“However, after the publicity of the Page more comments deteriorated to direct calls for violence. Eventually, the administrators also participated in these calls .After administrators of the page received repeated warnings about posts that violated our policies, we removed the Page yesterday.”

Source:  http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/facebook-intifada-page-removed-when-comments-deteriorated-to-direct-calls-for-violence-1.353319

Iowa City Jewish and interfaith Third Annual Mitzvah Day, April 3

From:  Rabbi Jeff Portman [mailto:jrportman@agudasachimic.org] 

 Press Release   March 28, 2011

 

From: Jeff Portman, Rabbi

Agudas Achim Congregation

602 E. Washington Street

Iowa City, IA  52240

 

What: Third Annual Mitzvah Day

When: Sunday, April 3

Time: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Locations: Agudas Achim Synagogue and Iowa City area

Contacts: Rabbi Jeff Portman 319-337-3813 or Sue Weinberg 319-679-3120

 

What is Mitzvah Day? In Hebrew, the word “mitzvah” represents ancient laws requiring Jews to perform acts of human kindness, among other commandments. On Sunday, April 3, hundreds of people from Agudas Achim, Shulman Hillel,  Kingdom Apostolic Community Worship Center and The University of Iowa will come together to perform acts of kindness throughout the local community, across the country, and around the world in this annual service event.

 

This day of generosity and enrichment is an annual event led by the Tikun Olam Committee of Agudas Achim Congregation, Iowa City’s only synagogue, officially organized in 1916.   

 

Mitzvah Day brings together families, friends, and neighbors in the Jewish spirit of “Tikun Olam” which means “repair the world”—a commitment Jews make to community service and social action. Some of the activities taking place on Sunday include food packaging for Outreach International, a group that is sending food to Africa, a blood drive, military service correspondence, fleece blanket tying, nursing home visitation, and more. As part of the project, several collections are being taken of food, household goods, pet food and supplies, bicycles, and money, for the Crisis Center, the Iowa City Animal Shelter, the Iowa City Bike Library, and Mazon—an international Jewish organization dedicated to stamping out hunger around the world.

 

For the second year in a row, the Iowa City Jewish community will be joined by Kingdom Apostolic Community Worship Community Center, a local church currently without a building that has been using donated space in the synagogue for Sunday services. Pastor Vincent Allen and other church leaders decided to cancel services that day to join in the Mitzvah Day activities.

 

 

 

          

 

 

 

JCRC Action Alert: Help Iowa divest public funds from Iran!

A Coalitional Action Alert from the Jewish Community Relations Commission of the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines     Contact: jcrc@dmjfed.org

 Dear Fellow Iowans,

 A very important piece of legislation is before us in the Iowa Legislature and a coalition of Iowans, including Veterans groups, needs your help.  Our objective is for Iowa to become the 24th state to divest specified public funds from assisting Iran's oil industry.  To do this, we ask you to contact your local State Senator --immediately -- and respectfully request that he or she votes in favor of House File 484.

   House File 484 protects our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan by instructing the public pension boards to divest our direct holdings (not co-mingled funds like mutual funds) from foreign companies that do business with Iran’s petroleum industry.  Iran’s petroleum industry is owned by the Iranian government which has direct links to the arms being used to fight and kill our troops overseas.  (Talking points on this important issue are appended to this e-mail.)

  Please email your  State Senator Today  to support House File 484 !  

Instructions:   To find your Senator and their email please follow this link: http://www.legis.iowa.gov/Legislators/senate.aspx.  (Alternately, you can find the name of your State Senator on this map: Http://www.legis.iowa.gov/DOCS/DistrictMaps/2011/Senate/names.jpg  ) 

 

A Sample Letter in Support of House File 484.  Remember to include your address, so you can be identified as a constitutent -- and have your letter read.

Dear Senator_______;

I am a constituent of yours and would like to voice my support for House File 484.  This bill divests direct holdings from the public pensions companies that do business with Iran’s petroleum industry.  I support the 23 other states that have supported our troops overseas by taking this action. I do not want any of Iowa taxpayers’ money going to a regime that is supplying weapons and explosive devices to American opposition in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The cost of taking this action is very minimal and regardless I do not want to see us investing in a country that is putting our troops in harm’s way.  It is my understanding that “terror-free” investing is not any less profitable. 

The bill passed the House overwhelmingly 88-3.  The bill is currently in a subcommittee whose members include Senators Kibbie, Horn and Behn and to avoid the session procedural deadlines it must pass out of Senate State Government by April 1^st. 

I hope you agree with me and vote or encourage your colleagues to vote for House File 484.

Sincerely,

Name

Address