NY PROTEST AGAINST PM SHARON’S EXPULSION PLAN DRAWS 3000

By: Helen Freedman

            The threat of rain did not discourage 3000 protestors from all over the United States, but primarily from New York, to assemble on 23^rd Street off Lexington Ave. on Sunday, May 22, 2005, to protest PM Sharon’s plans to expel close to 10,000 Jews from Gush Katif/Gaza and northern Samaria.

            As the crowd gathered, wearing their ORANGE  T-shirts declaring LET MY PEOPLE STAY and GUSH KATIF FOREVER, carrying orange balloons, and brandishing orange signs protesting the expulsion, it became clear that the small area the police had cordoned off would be insufficient. The thousands spilled onto 23^rd Street, almost bringing traffic to a halt. They spread out east along 23^rd Street, reaching Park Ave., and filled the street across from the dais on the south side Everywhere, there was a sea of orange.

            Helen Freedman, Coordinator of the American Coalition to Save Gush Katif/Gaza and N., Shomron, and Executive Director of Americans For a Safe Israel/AFSI, acted as the Master of Ceremonies for the Protest Prayer Vigil. She sounded the recurring theme of the rally, that appeasement of terror in Gush Katif/Gaza, would bring terror to all of Israel, to America, and eventually to the entire world, as Islamic fundamentalism gains strength from Israel’s weakness.

            Amidst cries of NOT ONE INCH, LET MY PEOPLE STAY, LET THE PLO GO, and SHAME ON YOU, an impressive roster of rabbis and visitors from Israel took turns at the microphone, as Sharon was addressing the Conference of Presidents.

            Rabbi David Algaze of Forest Hills, Queens, led off, denouncing the immoral  and illegal expulsion plan. He stressed the other major theme of the protestors, THE LAND OF ISRAEL WAS PROMISED TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE BY HASHEM AND NO MAN CAN GIVE IT AWAY.

            MK Rabbi Benny Elon, from the National Union Party in Israel, denounced Sharon’s illogical and destructive expulsion plan, explaining that Israelis all recognize that nothing can be gained from forcibly removing Jews from their homes, except to encourage terror. Elon challenged the Prime Minister to a debate on the subject. 

            He was followed by Rabbi Steven Pruzansky of Teaneck, NJ, who gave an impassioned speech against the Sharon plan, and then distributed a special prayer for Gush Katif which he requested would be inserted in our weekly prayers.

            Assemblyman Dov Hikind, gave a rousing talk about the need to travel to Gush Katif, as he is doing shortly, with a group of 100 supporters. He also led the crowd in a sustained chant of SHAME ON YOU as the Sharon cars came into view, bringing the Prime Minister to his meeting at Baruch College.

            Motti Isaak, a resident of Gush Katif, who has been visiting the U.S. to raise consciousness about the communities, spoke of the need for American Jews to continue raising their voices in opposition to the Prime Minister’s evil expulsion and deportation plan. He also invited everyone to visit Gush Katif. He told us that houses are going fast, and will be out of our price ranges very soon, since they are in such great demand. The farmers are planting, schools are registering students for the coming year, and life goes on as usual, except that the numbers of people in Gush Katif have multiplied and continue to grow.

            Rabbi Heshy Reichman of Washington Heights, Rabbi Moshe Tendler of Monsey, Rabbi Raskin of Crown Heights, Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum of the Rabbinical Alliance,  Rabbi Neil Winkler of Fort Lee, NJ, and Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Jacobson of Crown Heights, all gave stirring talks citing the various reasons that “disengagement” is bad for Israel, America and the world. The crowd was encouraged to call President Bush at 202-456-1111 to tell him that American boys in Iraq would be threatened by increased terrorism if terror should win in Israel. The message is: “America’s war on terror is undermined by appeasement of terrorism in Israel.”

            The Children of Crown Heights Chabad read prayers calling out to HaShem for help. Aliza Karp, a Crown Heights coordinator, guided them through the prayers, and reminded the audience that HaShem listens especially to the prayers of children.

            The rain arrived just as PM Sharon departed from his meeting. His audience filed out to the cries of SHAME ON YOU. Our people, who had been inside the college, listening to Sharon, waited for the opportunity to display their orange shirts, then joined us. They explained that they, too, had been expelled upon voicing their cry of JEWS DON’T EXPEL JEWS.

            The afternoon ended with the blowing of the shofar – a call to all to treasure truth, courage and wisdom, in the face of inexplicable appeasement of terror.

            Thanks for the success of the afternoon go to all those who attended, along with the member groups of the COALITION OF AMERICANS TO SAVE GUSH KATIF/GAZA & N. SHOMRON. Spearheaded by Americans For a Safe Israel, the Zionist Organization of America, and the Crown Heights Chabad, they include the American Committee for the Preservation of the Land and People of Israel, American Friends of Herut, Freeman Center for Strategic Studies, Friends of Gush Katif, The Hebron Fund, Shulamit School for Girls, the Toronto Zionist Council, Pro-Israel, Chabad of Wellesley, MA; and Chabad of W. Orange, NJ.

            Marvin Belsky, a member of AFSI & ZOA, deserves much credit for initiating the idea of a Coalition. Shelly Fliegelman, Acting Executive Director of ZOA, gave full support to the Coalition’s efforts. Dr. Alan Mazurak represented ZOA President Mort Klein in his most able way, and Herbert Zweibon, Chairman of AFSI, once again supported AFSI’s full efforts towards making the Protest Prayer Vigil against the Sharon expulsion plan a huge success.

            Helen Freedman reminded the crowd that this demonstration was just the beginning. It would be followed on Monday, May 23, with visits to Capitol Hill, and on Tuesday morning, May 24, with demonstrations outside the Washington Convention Center in DC, where Sharon will be speaking. The AFSI/ZOA Chizuk mission to Israel will follow, with 45 people leaving May 29 to spend two nights and three days in Gush Katif, followed by visits to the threatened N. Shomron communities, Hebron, and Jewish east Jerusalem. The celebration of Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day, will cap the visit. Dov Hikind’s group leaves the night of June 5, following the Israeli Day Parade and the huge SOLIDARITY WITH GUSH KATIF CONCERT IN CENTRAL PARK. Freedman encouraged the thousands who attended the day’s Protest Prayer Vigil to mark their calendars with the future events. For up-to-date information about the Coalition’s Action Program, consult www.afsi.org or www.katifund.org. Call AFSI with your questions: 212-828-2424, or write, afsi@rcn.com. Tax-deductible contributions to FRIENDS OF GUSH KATIF may be sent to 1623 Third Ave. Suite 205, New York, N.Y. 10128 or may be donated directly through the website: www.katifund.org.