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Thousands visit Israel to demonstrate support in turbulent times

In the past year, 4,550 North American Jews traveled to Israel on UJC missions, undaunted by the violence and unwavering in their support for the Israeli people.

Although the numbers dropped following September 11th and the escalating violence in Israel, communities from across North America continued to organize delegations as small as 17 and as large as 500, determined to stand with Israel in the wake of its inter-national isolation. Whether participants wanted to retrace history, make a spiritual pilgrimage, or take a political stance, they all got behind-the-scenes access to an Israel beyond the headlines. And each mission this past year included a people-to-people component: a field trip to the participants' Partnership 2000 region.

Just before UJC's December 2001 Israel NOW mission departed for Israel, there were two suicide bombings and a car bomb in the center of Jerusalem and a suicide bus bombing in Haifa. On December 3, Rita and Werner Cohn, along with eight other members of the contingent from the Kane Street Synagogue in Brooklyn, sat at JFK International Airport. In the light of the latest attacks, some members of the group discussed whether or not to turn back. A cell phone rang—it was one couple's adult son calling from California to urge his parents not to go.
     Rita and Werner, who had organized the group, were not deterred. They wanted to demonstrate their support for Israelis, to help the economy by spending money in small Israeli shops, and to see for themselves the situation in the Jewish homeland.    
     "We have a project of taking each of our grandchildren as they turn bar or bat mitzvah," Rita said. Werner added, "Because of the situation, we thought we should go more often; we felt we were needed more."

Partnership 2000 is a UJC program that links 38 Israeli regions with over 550 North American communities.

The extraordinary circumstances of the past year required economic and creative strategies for reaching community members and addressing their concerns. The UJC Missions department reached out to federations nationwide to assess their needs and goals, then fine-tuned missions programming, targeting both first-time and repeat visitors. The Missions department also boosted recruitment via its long-standing Guide-in-Residence program. Israeli tour guides visited U.S. communities, lending their expertise to recruitment meetings, pre-mission briefings and post-mission reunions.

The thousands of mission participants, simply by visiting during these turbulent times, have demonstrated an unprecedented outpouring of support for Israel. In addition to contributing their physical presence, mission participants have given a boost to UJC's Annual Campaign. Many have made sizeable gifts to fund special projects such as playgrounds or ambulances for embattled communities, like the delegation from Pinellas County, Florida, who were on hand in October to dedicate an ambulance they purchased with Israel Emergency Campaign funds for their Partnership 2000 region, Hadera. The day before the dedication, the newly arrived ambulance was the first on the scene to save lives in the aftermath of a bus bombing.

By providing missions for singles, young couples, and numerous solidarity groups to Israel and other parts of the Jewish world, the UJC Missions department has brought Jewish history to life while making the present realities, both good and bad, crystal clear. Most importantly, those who have gone to Israel on UJC missions have proved that there is an eternal solidarity between Jews worldwide.

Annual Report table of contents:

Mobilizing Our Jewish Values | Annual Campaign | 9/11 Fund | Israel Emergency Campaign  Missions | Israel Overseas: Argentina | Planned Giving and Endowments | Renaissance and Renewal Alliance | Human Services And Social Policy | FedWeb |  How UJC Works