By Donald H. Harrison

SAN DIEGO, Calif.— In a 24-hour period, the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego raised almost  $50,000 from its regular donors in an emergency campaign for beleaguered Israel, with more fundraising, a teach-in and two July 23 community rallies on tap.  A local rabbi also composed a new prayer for Israel.

Charlene Seidle, associate director of the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego, said that in response to an alert to the Foundation's regular donors on Monday morning, July 17, contributions ranging from $100 to $10,000 began streaming in and by Tuesday morning had aggregated to just under $50,000.  Contributions have continued to come in since from the donors, she said.

Seidle said the money is being forwarded to the United Jewish Federation of San Diego, which, in turn, has been dividing it and other money received via its website between two emergency programs for Israel.  

One of these programs, operated by United Jewish Communities, takes children now living in bomb shelters in Northern Israel and sends them to summer camp far from the scene of the rockets and bombs.  The other, a program of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, provides "personal care packages, air conditioned recreation tents and open canteens for soldiers and the injured.

"San Diego's Jewish community has once again responded quickly and generously to crisis," Seidle said. "This outpouring of support for Israel is just one example of how Foundation donors are changing the world."

In other developments, San Diego State University's political science department scheduled a teach-in on the Middle East crisis for noon today. Chabad Center of University City announced that it will host a rally for Israel at 11 a.m., Sunday, July 23.  The United Jewish Federation later said it would host another rally that same day at 2:30 p.m. at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center.

The noon teach-in at the Aztec Athletic Center Auditorium across the street from Cox Arena will bring together three Ph.D scholars—Farid Abdel-Nour, former director of SDSU's Center for Islamic and Arabic Studies; Jonathan Graubart, a former U.S. Treasury Department attorney whose specialties include international law and international relations, and Dipak Gupta, director of SDSU's Institute for International Security and Conflict Resolution.  

Chabad Center of University City will conduct one pro-Israel rally Sunday morning on its premises at  3813 Governor Drive, San Diego.  While speakers still were being lined up, one already confirmed was Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort of Chabad of La Costa, who hosts the "Lechaim to Life with Rabbi E" show on KCBQ Radio and who also writes regularly for jewishsightseeing.com.

The UJF sponsored rally drew more than 20 synagogues and community organizations as co-sponsors. These included: Agency for Jewish Education, American Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, America-Israel Public Affairs Committee, American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, Beth Jacob Congregation, Congregation Adat Yeshurun, Congregation Beth Am, Congregation Beth Israel, Congregation Etz Rimon, Congregation Shir Ami, Friends of Magen David Adom, Hillel, Jewish Community Foundation, Jewish National Fund, Ken Jewish Community, Ner Tamid Synagogue, Temple Beth Sholom, Temple Emanu-El, Tifereth Israel Synagogue, and Wingate Institute.

Rabbi Scott Meltzer of Congregation Ohr Shalom of San Diego composed a prayer for the return of terrorist-held Israeli captives, the security of the State of Israel and peace for the Middle East.  It reads as follows:

 

Our God, and God of our ancestors,

Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca,

Jacob, Leah and Rachel,

please bring home safely our brothers

Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev,

who were kidnapped while defending

the state and the people of Israel .

 

God of Compassion, let Your compassion arouse compassion

amongst the terrorists who have captured our brothers

and who continue to terrorize and murder our people.

May God grant them the wisdom to desist from their

hate-filled violent ways and to turn towards a path of peace

for all of the descendants of Abraham -

the descendants of Sarah along with the descendants of Hagar.

 

May all the peoples of Your earth who know You

and Your blessings of goodness in this world

stand together at this dark hour in solidarity

with all victims of terror.

 

May we be unified and resolute in our condemnation

of those who would use terror and violence against

Your creatures, and together help bring the light of peace

to the four corners of this Earth.

 

May we experience Your will soon in our world,

beginning with the return of these three captives.

 

Ken yihi ratzon - May it be Your will.

Jane Scher, a community activist in San Diego who helped to create a website promoting the purchase of Israeli goods to help that nation's economy, issued a statement saying that especially in such times as the present, Israel needs financial support.

"As you know, the not-for-profit website, www.shopnisrael.com, was originally created to support small business enterprises in Israel whose businesses had been strongly and adversely affected by precipitous declines in travel resulting from terrorist activity," wrote Scher.

"One of our ongoing and most important goals has been to try to offer support to Israeli citizens, struggling to lead normal lives in the face of extended, abnormal circumstances. In the 4 years of operation we are proud to list over 650 Israel businesses and to have brought close to 940,000 shoppers from all over the world, directly to the merchants. 

 

"As the situation in Israel escalates again, we renew our commitment to all Israelis and to the merchants listed on www.shopinisrael.com.  Our hearts are with you, as we face the difficult challenges ahead.  We are joined with you in solidarity and prayer as we yearn and hope for a safe and peaceful future."