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December 1, 2004
IPA of Orthodox Union Highlights Plight of Missing Israeli
Soldiers
In an ongoing effort to draw attention to the plight of the
missing Israeli soldiers, the Institute for Public Affairs of the
Orthodox Union, the largest mainstream Orthodox Jewish synagogue
organization, is sponsoring an upcoming “Shabbat of Remembrance”
for the Israeli MIAs to be held this year on Friday, December
3rd
and Shabbat, December 4th, Shabbat Parashat VaYeishev. Special remembrance prayers and services will be
initiated in Orthodox synagogues throughout the country.
Betty Ehrenberg, IPA/OU Director of International and Communal
Affairs, said, “Sergeant Tzvi Feldman, Sergeant Zachary Baumel
(who is also an American citizen) and Corporal Yehuda Katz were
reported missing in action twenty-two years ago. Captured after
the battle of Sultan Yakub, which raged between an Israeli tank
unit and a Syrian armored unit on June 11, 1982, they are still
unaccounted for. The Syrians, responsible for the soldiers
according to the Geneva Convention, have refused to reveal any
information regarding their 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 of
whereabouts have been refused.
“Guy Chever, a soldier in the Israeli army, disappeared in the
Golan Heights on August 17, 1997. He was last seen at his base and
there has been no sign of him since.
“On Shabbat Parashat VaYeishev, as we read the portion of the
Torah that tells us that Jacob our forefather never stopped
longing for his missing son Joseph, 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
synagogues leaders will discuss this issue in the context of the
commandment of redeeming the captive.
“During this upcoming Shabbat Parashat VaYeishev, we urge all our
congregants 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 MIAs will be reunited soon with their
families and all of Israel.”
A booklet of materials containing information and sources is
available to help you in forming your program. Please click on
www.ou.org to access this material
or call us at (212) 613-8123.
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