December 21, 2000 ORTHODOX UNION HIGHLIGHTS PLIGHT In an ongoing effort to draw attention to the plight of the missing Israeli soldiers, the Orthodox Union, the largest mainstream Orthodox Jewish organization with nearly 1,000 synagogues nationwide, is sponsoring an upcoming "Shabbat of Remembrance" for the Israeli MIA’s to be held this year on Friday, December 22nd and Shabbat, December 23rd. Special remembrance prayers and services will be initiated in Orthodox synagogues throughout the country. Dr. Mandell I. Ganchrow, Orthodox Union President, said, "Sergeant Tzvi Feldman, Sergeant Zachary Baumel, who is also an American citizen, and Corporal Yehuda Katz, were reported missing in action seventeen years ago. They are still unaccounted for. They were captured after the battle of Sultan Yakub which raged in the Bekaa valley between an Israeli tank unit and a Syrian armored unit on June 11, 1982. The Syrians, who are responsible for the soldiers according to the Geneva Convention, have refused to reveal any information regarding the status or whereabouts. In 1986, Israeli Air Force Navigator Ron Arad bailed out of his airplane in Lebanon and was captured by an Iranian backed group. Since then, requests for his release or information as to his condition or whereabouts have been refused. On October 7, 2000, Adi Avitan of Tiberias, Staff Sergeant Binyamin Avraham of Bnei Brak and Staff Sergeant Omar Suaed of Salma were abducted while on operational duty along Israel's border with Lebanon. They are believed to have been wounded during the incident. No information as to their condition or whereabouts has been revealed. "This Shabbat, Shabbat Parashat Va’Yeshev, coincides with Shabbat Chanukah. As we read the portion of the Torah that tells us that Jacob our forefather never stopped longing for his missing son Joseph, and think of our brave heroes who saved the Jewish people in the time of Chanukah, we cannot help but be reminded of these brave MIAs who risked their lives for the security of Israel. We want rabbis to urge their congregants to publicize this issue to elected officials throughout the country. Rabbis and synagogue leaders will discuss this issue in the context of the commandment of redeeming the captive." Betty Ehrenberg, Director of International and Communal Affairs said, "It is crucial that all OU members join us in a full scale advocacy campaign to help bring about an end to the inhumanity of captivity and to call for the release of the Israeli MIA's. In particular, letters should go to UN Secretary General Kofi Anan asking him to assist in the release of these soldiers. "During this upcoming Shabbat Parshat Va’Yeshev and Shabbat Chanukah all our congregants will be asked to contact the President, the Vice President and the Secretary of State and all elected officials, enlisting their aid in making this a top priority agenda issue. For the families of the Israeli missing soldiers, every pain-filled day is a lifetime. We hope that the Israeli MIA’s will be reunited soon with their families and all of Israel." To obtain materials, please call (212) 613-8123. -30- FREE THE ISRAELI MIAS TODAY!!
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