September 23, 2004

In Attempt to Buoy Up Spirits of IDF Forces:
Following Murder of Three More Israeli Soliders, OU Renews Call for Community to Support Fundraising Campaign to Provide Sukkot Joy to Israel Defense Forces

Following the murder of three Israeli soldiers yesterday in Gaza, the Orthodox Union today renewed its call for a dramatic response to the OU’s fundraising campaign announced last week to bring joy during Sukkot on Zeman Simchatenu – the Season of our Rejoicing -- to members of the Israel Defense Forces. The program will provide soldiers with gift packages of food, candies and other treats at Simchat Bet Hasho’evah celebrations in sukkahs on IDF bases throughout the country.

“In another act of brutal Palestinian terrorism yesterday, three more IDF soldiers lost their lives and another was gravely wounded," declared OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb. "After the solemnity of Yom Kippur, when Sukkot comes it is even more vital than ever than we bring the rejoicing that the Torah commands to the beloved men and women defending our land of Israel. This campaign must and will succeed, and we thank the many OU synagogues nationwide that have already committed to participate in it, as well as the individuals who have contributed."

“The Sukkot festivities which will be made possible by the OU will serve to buoy up the spirits of the young men and women in uniform, assure them that we are thinking about them all the time, and remind them that the Jewish people have the uncanny ability to find joy amidst sorrow, an ability which has sustained us for our entire existence,” Rabbi Weinreb said.

The OU is sponsoring this program by providing its own funding and by going to its constituency for additional resources in response to a request from the Israel Defense Forces Rabbinate and the Agudah Lema’an Hachayal (Association for the Well-Being of Israel’s Soldiers) to provide assistance. The OU has called for contributions over the next week of at least $36 from individuals and of at least $500 from OU member synagogues. For that $500, an OU synagogue becomes a sponsor of the program and will receive Tefillah L’Chayalei Tzahal (Prayer for Israel’s Soldiers) cards for each of its congregants, as well as a certificate of appreciation and recognition on the OU website. Contributions may be made by credit card at www.ou.org.

The OU has announced that there is no overhead in the program, and that every dollar raised will be used for the celebrations.

The Simchat Bet Hasho’evah dates back to the first Temple in Jerusalem, in which there was a joyous water drawing ceremony on Sukkot. Minus the water drawing, the festivities now take place as a sukkah party.

Sweetening the lives of IDF soldiers is nothing new for the OU. Two years ago, it established the Tefillah L’Chayalei Tzahal program with the goal of selling at $1 apiece 100,000 credit card-sized cards featuring the MiSheberach Lema’an Hachayal – the prayer for the Israel Defense Forces – to be recited daily. The program is well on the way to its goal, and at Rosh Hashanah a year ago and at Passover this year, the OU sent substantial checks to the American Friends of the Israel Rabbinate to initiate a distribution process to soldiers in need which was overseen by base commanders, welfare officers and base chaplains.

In addition to credit card contributions via www.ou.org, checks may be made out to “IDF Campaign” and sent to the Orthodox Union at 11 Broadway, New York, NY, 10004. For further information about the Bet Hasho’evah or prayer card programs, contact Batya Harris at 212-613-8154, or harrisb@ou.org.

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The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA, and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher supervision label, the , is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 275,000 products manufactured in 68 countries around the globe.

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