Celebrate 60! Walk the Land

For a "youtube" video: Walk the Land, Derry, NH: Israel at 60 Celebration

On Sunday, May 18th approximately 180 people walked along Rte 102 in Derry, NH waving their American flags, Israeli flags and signs. We heard loudly from many drivers passing by who read our HONK IF YOU LOVE ISRAEL sign.
We had all arrived in “Israel” at Ben Gurion Airport and received passports for our travels. The opening ceremony started with former NH Governor Jeanne Shaheen, Rep. Jason Bedrick, Pastor Thomas Peetz, Jeff Fladen, Rabbi Louis Rieser and Rev. Susan Leseuer voicing their support for the Jewish state.
When Rabbi Rieser sounded the shofar, off we went, walking to Haifa, Israel’s third largest city were we learned that there are families still living there today that date back to the time of the second temple. Then we turned south and walked to Eilat, the place where Moses led the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt to Canaan, and we learned that southern Israel is the site of one of the greatest concentrations of migrating birds in the world, one billion traverse this area! (Take note bird watchers!). Of course we were very excited about our next stop, Jerusalem, and we had a great time, listening to Rahel and Rootes perform, shopping with the NH Jewish Artisans, talking to Israelis about their experiences and eating falafels. Our wonderful shlicha, Carmel taught us some Israeli dancing and had to say "I had so much fun!!"

Etz Hayim Synagogue, Etz Hayim Sisterhood and VISION all helped to make this day special. Miriam Gitterman who helped prepare over hundred falafels said "what fun we had, and we really helped in educating local people about Israel."

Rev Sue Leseuer of the Church of the Transfiguration, who read the blessing for American troops said "The event was spectacular. I enjoyed it thoroughly. The passports with real Israeli stamps was a particularly fun idea."

Emil Campeneau of VISION said "I was humbled and proud to see all those people coming to celebrate Israel’s 60th anniversary. The support for Israel’s existence is big and strong. This is one of our goals at VISION, to make sure through education, this support gets bigger, stronger and more visible."

VISION Members and Word of Life Christian Church October 26 and 27th, 2007

On October 26 and 27th ,  more than fifty organizations gathered at the Old South Church in Boston showing their solidarity, in opposing the church’s renting of space to the Sabeel Foundation for their conference, “The Apartheid Paridigm in Palestine-Israel.”

In the words of Nancy Kaufman, Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, “the public needs to understand that (Sabeel) is anti-Israel and against Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.”

Kaufman states, “Anyone who uses apartheid as an accusation is really employing old anti-Zionist arguments - that's really what it is - and is really applying a double standard of judgment to Israel which can be traced to historic anti-Semitic rhetoric, that all things Jews do are evil, including their nationalism."

N.H. was represented by members of VISION and Word of Life Christian Church in Concord, N.H. Emil Campeanu, co-chair of VISION, Sonia Campeanu, Gail Thomas, Rabbi Joshua Segal, Karen Satz, Pastor Fumio Taku, Karen and Marty Weinstein, Pastor Thomas Peetz, Wendy and Kevin Thibault handed out educational information to passersby and held signs denouncing anti-Semitism.