September 15, 1999

Orthodox Union Urges Support for Israeli Epcot Exhibit

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America today expressed its strong support for the new Israeli exhibit in the Disney Millennium Village at Epcot Center. This special new exhibit has been constructed in order to feature aspects of Israeli history, culture, and information through which the community at large can become informed about the many facets of Israel.

Unfortunately, several Arab-American and American Moslem groups have criticized this new Epcot exhibit and have called for a boycott of Disney products since the exhibition features Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a factor that does not appear in the title of the exhibit. The exhibition has been given the non-political name “Journey to Jerusalem” and given that the exhibit will portray and honor the other monotheistic religions practiced in Israel as well, calls for boycott are provocative and unproductive.

The Orthodox Union calls on all its members and supporters to support the new Israeli exhibit at Epcot Center and to visit it as soon as possible. Israel’s participation in the Millennium Village is an impressive display of the miraculous accomplishments that the State of Israel has achieved in the past fifty years, a record of which we can all be proud.

We call upon the Arab states and Arab-American groups to rescind their boycott threats which constitute another attempt to circumvent direct negotiations and to politicize and prejudice the peace process. Calls for boycott revert to tactics of economic warfare and undercut any true hope for peace.

We ask all our member synagogues and constituents to write to the address below in order to express their support for the new Israeli exhibit at Disney’s Epcot Center. Letters should go out immediately to:

Mr. Michael Eisner
Chairman of the Board
Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521

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