Johannesburg, South Africa

silver spring, md, usa

SYDNEY, NSW, AUSTRALIA

B"H

To a friend in "ALEXANDER CITY, ALABAMA, USA"

Here down under we have many imigrants from the former Soviet Union. Many do not know their roots. However, they come to our Synagogue, put on Tefilin, and pray. Not realy knowing what is happening. Last week we witnessed another miracle when a 68 year old, with absolutely no Jewish education had a Brit Mila. (The previous record was held by a 63 year old Russian Dr.) It is never too late to learn. And I'm glad you asked.

Yossel Weinstein

from "Down Under"

tekoa, Israel

ALEXANDER CITY, ALABAMA, USA

everett mass, USA

LONG LIVE ISRAEL

The latest news release here is coverage of the bomb that hit a hamas person and some civilians. Conversations among different people at work and in different social circles are basically in support of Israel, we can not imagine (or maybe we can now) what it is like to never know if just going about your normal activities day to day will result in the death of you or a loved one. Generally their is not very much sympathy for the palistine citizen. We still understand an old concept of "you are judged by the company you keep" or if the average palistine person does not agree with the nut cases among them but are afraid to voice it can still avoid those people as much as possible and raise their children likewise not dress them in suicide bomber outfits. Maybe that is a simplistic naieve (need spell check) view. Anyway hang in their and wish you (Israel) the best and don't worry we know you are fighting for your life over there and are surrounded by very hostile neighbors. jackie

Yardley, PA

To all children in Israel,

My sister, Mom, Dad, and I feel that Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people. It is a special place where we have had the freedom to practice our religion freely and openly. Jews around the world should keep Israel safe. It is the basis for our beginnings. It ties us all together.

-Alexander(11), Rachel(8), Jannah(47) & John(52)

Shalom Rav,

My family and I live in Oklahoma. I have strong impressions that I am to take my family and ALIYAH to Isreal to connect with our Abba and people there. My wife is in agreement to this leading. If anyone has made their aliyah to Isreal, please contact me, as I have many questions....how to begin, how to finace, how to travel???

What to expect?

We love and pray for the peace of Yerushalayim. We think of our people there in Isreal and hope that one day we will be right there beside you, and make a difference, somehow.

Shalom,

Miha'el and Tanah

Oakridge, OR

Remember G-d is with you and so are the thoughts of many Americans, both Jew and non.

liverpool, united kingdom

lv.nv, usa

I'feel we're still been persecuted,even though the times seem as they have change,my son shamir was once kidnapted by a palestinian,from bethlehem,he was four at that time.I was born in nicaragua and even so that I have serve in the military,as some kind of intelligence officer and have face the palestinians,and are not afraid of them,nothing better I want but to be in Israel,and fight for my homeland.

NY, USA

Let us all unite and give our blessings for all the good in this world. Let us not be selfish, let us be grateful for everything that we have and have gotten used to.

Pittsburgh,PA

My fellow jews- I feel compelled to reach out on this evening of Tisha B'Av

May we all have an easy peaceful fast and may this be the last Tisha B'Av for us!

East Brunswick; N.J., USA

My blessings go out to the young men, and women of the IDF who are risking their live's daily. You give so much, and take so little. May G-D watch over you in your battles, and return you safe and sound to your loved ones. Each one of you are so so special to the nation of Israel.

Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

TO zaki djemal

Well said my Friend. Very proud of you.

Western Australia, Australia

Dora, Alabama, USA

I am not Jewish, just a Christian. But I want you all to know that I stand hourly and daily with Israel, will love her forever, and continue to ask G-d for blessings on her! I belong to Standing With Israel, an MSN group, and my own web site has a tribute page to Israel. My best friend lives in Ashkelon (Ashdod), is Jewish, and I pray for the safety of her and her family continuously. One day, G-d's Promise to Israel will be fulfilled in total! Friend Forever...

Baltimore, MD, USA

as jews in the us we hurt when israel hurts and i feel the need for unity jews of all observances must unite for the same cause

Dallas, North Carolina, USA

I am an American Christian mother (and grandmother), who prays for Israel on a daily basis. I am also a member of our President's Prayer Team, and have written him regarding our support of Israel. I feel VERY deeply that Israel should NOT agree to a Peace for Land agreement. God gave the Jewish people Israel, and it RIGHTFULLY belongs to God's chosen people, the Jewish population. May God grant you the continued COURAGE to continue to withstand all terrorists' attacks, and the WISDOM to find any and all terrorists and their organizations. May God also grant you HOPE that soon peace will reign in Israel. May God continue to bless you all, now and forever. Jill

St Louis Park MN, USA

I was in Israel in October/November 2000, during the start of the current 'Intifada'. I toured thru most of the country, at a time when the highways were still considered to be safe..prior to the homicide bombings.

Although, I haven't been able to return since; my 17 year old daughter, Rachel, is now in Yerushalayim with the NCSY Michlelet Program (July 1-August 12, 2002) She is looking forward to meeting her cousins who live in in Tel Aviv..whom she has never seen until now...so the bond between Israel and the USA will be stronger than ever, within our immediate family.

Hollywood, FLA, USA

israel should be kept as a jewish state only,just like in 1948

Sydney, Australia

we here in australia, thank our brothers in Israel,and support you in our prayers and thoughts each and every day. We ask that Hashem give our people strength to continue to live in the holy land ISRAEL.

Shalom.

Michael And Shaindal Kirche

Helsinki,  Finland

Shalom

As a citizen of Finland, I feel shame for the anti-Israel statements of our Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja and our President Tarja Halonen. Our country and people used to be on your side.

Anyway, I want all you in Israel and especially you in Yerushalayim to know, that we are many here who love you because of the word of HaShem. We pray peace for you. We do not pray for such so-called "peace" (or empty and undelivered promises of peace) that can be brought by "peace processes", but we pray for such peace that only HaShem can bring. We pray for such peace in which Israel is a blessing to her neighbours, in which the Arabs and all other goyim will praise and pray the HaShem of Israel, and during which Israel will span from river Euphrates to the river of Egypt. We pray that HaShem, blessed be his name, will delivcer his promises that Israel will be blessed and all other nations will be blessed through Israel's blessing. Trust G-d Israel, when all goyim turn against you, even your closest allies. All promises of G-d will be delivered, and you will prosper in peace!

Israel

who is like Am Yisrael, one nation in the land.

Zohar: Am Yisrael is only one nation when we are together in Eretz Yisrael. The time is now! Jews of North America - the land of our Forefathers needs you and awaits your return. Make history. Be the one to return your familys roots back to Eretz Yisrael after 2000 years. After you make the choice, your children and grandchildren wont need to.

Zohar (parshat Balak): In the end of days, Yishmael will try to prevent Jews from settling in Eretz Yisrael. The key to weakening Yishmaels power is for us to return.

A First-Hand Account: ZAKA Volunteer First On Scene At Tuesday Morning Terror Attack

by Moshe Schapiro

It was a Tuesday morning just like any other. Shlomo Kurtz, 28, was in his office near Yerushalayim's Givat Mordechai neighborhood when he heard a thunderous explosion go off. His heart began to pound and, seconds later his beeper went off and confirmed his hunch.

Grabbing his first aid kit and the yellow vest that identifies him as a ZAKA volunteer, Kurtz jumped on one of the organization's first-aid motorcycle units and took off in the direction of the explosion, toward the road that leads up to Gilo. Sure enough, a suicide bomber had blown himself up in a bus, and signs of the destruction were everywhere.

Kurtz arrived to the scene of the attack in only 150 seconds after the blast, and was the first emergency medical volunteer on the scene; the police were just beginning to close off traffic to the area when he arrived.

There were no ambulances in sight. Immediately, he began administering first aid to the most seriously wounded, and was soon joined by other ZAKA volunteers who, like him, arrived to the scene mounted on motorcycles equipped with first-aid equipment.

"There was smoke and fire and shards of glass and pieces of warped metal everywhere," Kurtz says. "When I arrived, there was nothing left of the bus but the frame. It was obviously an extremely powerful bomb - more powerful than the ones used in the past. Also, the bus windows were closed, magnifying the force of the blast. The whole area was tinged in red. There were flames and thick smoke. People were running around in absolute hysteria. Onlookers were already starting to gather, but the dead and wounded were lying unattended."

In the first 15 minutes after the explosion, ZAKA volunteers, including Kurtz, provided first-aid treatment to 29 of the most seriously wounded in the attack.

The first ambulance arrived on the scene some 7 minutes after the blast - over 4 minutes after Kurtz.

When the last of the wounded was evacuated, Kurtz and his companions began the difficult work of attending to the dead - preparing the decimated bodies for burial, identifying the deceased, and notifying the next of kin.

Four teams of volunteers were deployed - one to remove human remains from the area, a second to search the bus for remains, a third to cover hospital emergency rooms and locate the next of kin, and a fourth to escort family members to Abu Kabir Pathological Center for the difficult task of identifying the bodies.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH

Kurtz is just one of the many religious Jews throughout Eretz Yisroel who volunteer for ZAKA and drop everything to rush to the scene of a tragedy no matter when it occurs.

ZAKA, which stands for Zihui Korbanot Asson (Identification of Disaster Victims), has in the last two years evolved into a rapid-response first-aid organization whose more than 600 volunteers provide emergency first aid, assist rescue efforts, and recover and identify attack victims to ensure they receive a proper Jewish burial.

Its volunteers are called in whenever there is a traffic accident, suicide, murder, missing person searches, fire, or terrorist attack. Each volunteer is trained in first aid and emergency rescue, undergoing a rigorous 88 hours of training that covers everything from CPR, to coping with the shock of arriving at the bloody scene of a suicide bombing, to informing victims' next of kin. Because its volunteers are arrayed throughout the country, from Kiryat Shemoneh in the north to Eilat in the south, ZAKA is on the scene wherever tragedy strikes.

ZAKA fills an important niche in the field of emergency first-aid in Eretz Yisroel, particularly due to its ability to consistently arrive first at the scene of the tragedy.

Speed is of the essence, explains ZAKA spokesman Shlomo Bloch, because the faster one arrives at the scene, the more lives one can save.

"In these kind of situations," he explains, "a few minutes - or even a few seconds - can literally mean the difference between life and death.

"Let's say someone sustained a severed artery," he continues. "In a matter of minutes he could bleed to death. If you can get to that person in time, you can apply a tourniquet in a couple of seconds and save his life. Or, let 's say someone has stopped breathing. If you don't start doing CPR within four minutes, that person will suffer irreparable brain damage."

In the last six months alone, ZAKA has successfully resuscitated 26 people - not including terror victims - thanks to its volunteers' ability to get to the victims in less time than it would have taken the average ambulance.

Since the start of the intifada, ZAKA volunteers have been the first on the scene at almost every terrorist attack.

The key, says Bloch, is the group's new fleet of motorcycle-mounted first-aid units. The versatile vehicles enable volunteers to weave through the debris and traffic jams and crowds that always clog Israeli streets in the vital minutes after a disaster.

"Anyone who has ever witnessed a terrorist attack," says Bloch, "knows what it looks like. There is debris and glass and smoke and victims everywhere, and it is impossible to drive an ambulance through it. To get to ground zero, you really need a lightweight vehicle."

ZAKA currently has 12 fully equipped first-aid motorcycles, but with the current intifada, this is not nearly enough. Bloch says the organization wants to build a fleet of 100 motorcycles by the end of 2002.

But getting to the scene first also has its down sides. Sometimes the shooting is still taking place when ZAKA volunteers make their appearance.

One or more terrorists may still be running loose, while additional bombs may have been set to go off on a delayed fuse. In fact, three ZAKA volunteers have been injured in the line of duty in the last 6 months.

ZAKA Rescue & Recovery 500 – 8th Avenue, New York NY 10018
Telephone 1- 212-868-2960 Fax 1-212-868-0389

Norwich NY,  USA

I would like to send a message of hope to the Israelis wishing them all safety and, someday soon, happiness. I want you to know that your brothers and sisters in America and around the world think of you daily and pray for your well-being. I pray that all the destruction and hate in Am Yisrael will soon end so that all of you and your families will not be burdened with so many painful memories. Blessed are all of you and Shalom. Peace will come someday.

Ankara, Turkey

Shalom Israel, G-d’s Chosen People,

I am Turkish. May Hashem end the conflict and terror in Israel and bring peace to all.