E-Update from the OU
April 9, 2002

MAJOR RALLY FOR ISRAEL SET FOR WASHINGTON, DC,
MONDAY, APRIL 15

You are urged to attend major a rally for Israel on Monday, April 15, at 1:00 pm, in Washington, DC. Exact details of the specific location and speakers will follow. Organized by the Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations, together with the Orthodox Union and other major groups, the rally will demonstrate American Jewry's commitment to unswerving support for Israel in this crisis. We expect tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people to participate. This is the time to show solidarity with Israel-don't be left out!

Transportation to Washington: Please call your local synagogue about travel arrangements, or take the initiative yourself and organize transportation for people in your neighborhood. The OU will serve as a clearinghouse for travel information, so if you are arranging buses, please call 212.613.8359, or e-mail sporerc@ou.org and let us know your time of departure, location of departure, round trip cost, whether reservations are required, and local contact name and number. We will make all this information available on our website and to callers.

A limited number of discounted airfares from New York's La Guardia Airport will be available at $255 round trip. For details and prepaid reservations, call 212.613.8183 by 11:00 am Friday.

OU Synagogue Rabbis and Presidents: A Thursday noon conference call with OU President Harvey Blitz and Executive Vice President Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb for OU synagogue rabbis and presidents, attracted nearly eighty participants. We reviewed all the efforts that have been made up until this point, and many new ideas were outlined.  Synagogue leaders are urged to make sure the Orthodox Union has all their contact numbers, email addresses etc. so that they can be kept fully informed.  Synagogues are encouraged to send us their entire email address list which will be used only for Orthodox Union purposes.  This information should be sent to webstaff@ou.org. Please call 212.613.8126 for more information. A Washington Rally poster (8 1/2" x 11", pdf format) that you can put up in your lobby is available on our website at www.ou.org.

Use Our Automated Letter System to Write to President Bush Now
Please take just a few seconds to express your support of the President's war on terrorism and advocate Israel's right to fight terrorism as well. Our online automated letter system enables you to sign the letter and send it to the President with just one click.

We are assured that the White House counts each message it receives and it is critical that the President hears from us in huge numbers.

Our last automated letter request was a great success, with many thousands of online letters submitted. Thank you for doing this, and please encourage everyone you know to do the same. Go to the link below to send your letter:

http://www.ou.org/public/action/ipa-supp.cfm

You can also call the White House at 202.456.1414 and ask for the Comment Line, where you may express your sentiments. The President's fax number is 202.456.2461, and his e-mail address is president@whitehouse.gov. For Vice President Dick Cheney, fax 202.456.7044; e-mail: vice.president@whitehouse.gov.

You should also send messages of appreciation to your national and local elected officials, as well as newspaper columnists who are supportive of Israel in this crisis, and call in to your local radio talk shows to express your opinion.

Tehillim Rally Planned for New York City
The OU, together with other Orthodox organizations, is formulating plans for a mass Tehillim Rally to take place in Manhattan on Sunday, April 21. Watch for details.

OU Joins with Israel Chief Rabbinate in Urging Prayers for Israel
In light of the urgency of the ongoing crisis, the Orthodox Union, together with the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, as well as the Rabbinical Council of America, and the National Council of Young Israel, is asking all of our synagogues and members to add extra tehillim (Psalms) and prayers for Israel. For full details, please visit our website, www.ou.org. Additional initiatives will be announced shortly.

Praying for Those Injured in Terror Attacks
While the focus is understandably on the number of those killed by Arab terror attacks, we must be mindful of the much greater number of individuals who have been wounded. We urge all synagogues to make special mention of them in the Mi Sheberach prayer for cholim, by adding wording such as "et hanifga'im al yedei mechablim aravi'im" (May the Almighty send speedy and complete recovery to those who have been wounded by Arab terrorists), or to make an extra Mi Sheberach for this specific purpose.

Yom Hazikaron Takes on Special Significance
Observances of Yom Hazikaron-Israel's Memorial Day that precedes Yom Ha'atzmaut-will no doubt be more prevalent this year, in light of the terrible toll of terror victims that continues to mount almost each day. Among other such events around the world, the West Coast Region of the OU will sponsor A Night of Torah Learning and Tefillah on Monday, April 15th from 7:45 - 9:45 pm at Mogen David Congregation in Los Angeles. Featured speakers will be Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, OU Executive Vice President, and Rabbi Nachum Sauer, Rosh Kollel, YULA. For more details, please call the OU West Coast office at 310.229.9000.

Report from the OU Israel Center in Jerusalem
Menachem Persoff, Director of the Seymour J. Abrams Orthodox Union Jerusalem World Center, reports that while several staff members have been called for reserve army duty, the Center's programming has not been curtailed. On the contrary, the Center has added special shiurim and lectures in an attempt to uplift Jerusalemites spiritually. It is also providing counseling sessions, both for adults and for youngsters, on how to deal with stress in the current difficult circumstances. Extra features in the Center's popular weekly publication, Torah Tidbits, are also directed at helping readers deal with the pressure. A full-time guard has been hired for the building.

Next OU/RCA Mission to Israel in July
The next OU/RCA Solidarity Mission to Israel will leave on Sunday, July 21st and return Sunday, July 28th, 2002. Previous missions have been highly successful both in bringing encouragement to Israelis and in enabling the participants to gain an understanding of some of the problems residents face. You can see reports and photos of previous missions by visiting www.ou.org/events/5762/solidarityjuly/default.htm.

What Else Can We Do?
Even if you are unable to be in Israel personally, you can help the economy by shopping online. Visit www.shopinisrael.com, where you will find a wide selection of products and services to choose from.

Visit www.ou.org/israel/message, the OU's Israel/Diaspora Message Board, and leave a note of encouragement which Israelis may read. Messages have been posted from countries around the world, and many Israelis have posted their own feelings on this site and have told of their experiences.

The OU Department of Community and Synagogue Services has just published a special Israel issue of Synagogue Trends, its newsletter for synagogue rabbis, presidents, board members and executive directors. Full of practical suggestions on how to connect your shul to Israel, extra copies are available, as long as supplies last, by e-mailing waxmanm@ou.org, or by calling 212, 613.8126.

May our efforts, our prayers and our hopes be blessed by the Almighty with success.

www.ou.org