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Israel Committee Communication

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Upcoming Talks

All times shown are California Time (PDT)

May 30 2023 8:00 am THE HISTORY, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF THE ABAYUDAYA JEWISH COMMUNITY OF UGANDA

Join the BZD and our presenter Shoshana Nambi for a Virtual presentation of the Jewish Community of Uganda, where Jews have been present for over 100 years. The Abayudaya Jewish community was founded by a tribal chief who converted himself and many of his followers to Judaism in 1919. One hundred years later, there are more than ten synagogues in different Ugandan villages and four Jewish schools, and the community continues to grow. Shoshana will share the history of Abayudaya, the Jews of Uganda, her own family story, her journey through rabbinical school, and her experiences living in Israel and the United States. She will present how the Abayudaya, predominantly subsistence farmers, have maintained their Jewish identity alongside their Christian and Muslim neighbors. Shoshana will also reflect on the transformation of the Jewish community since its founding in 1919, its challenges living under Idi Amin Dada, and Abayudayas latest struggles for recognition by the state of Israel.
Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtd-yprTssGtBUauYeIRkmKcLKgwsO6u3e#/registration

May 30 2023 9:00 am Israel Is in Danger of Losing American Jewry with Rb. Deborah Waxman


Register at https://maimonidesfund-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uFsc_QMhSjeLgH39AeKQvg#/registration

May 30 2023 9:00 am The View From Israel Within the Perilous, Shifting Sands of the Middle East with Brig. General Amir Avivi

As Iran, according to IAEA Director Rafael Grossi, is galloping toward a nuclear bomb, we are watching a rapid realignment of loyalties within the Middle East. Beijing has brokered an agreement between Riyadh and Tehran, and many nations have renewed old alliances that we had thought, only a few short years ago, had been severed, as a result of the Abraham Accords. We are watching as the Gulf Cooperation Council is embracing ties with Damascus, despite the fact that Syrian President Bashir Assad had murdered hundreds of thousands of his own dissidents, and created 5.5 million refugees, since 2011. Syrias allies, Iran, China, and Russia are therefore feeling empowered, not only within the Middle East but throughout the globe. However, this new empowerment, and the strength of the Iranian proxies that surround Israel, might possibly lead to an existential challenge for Israel. How are the Israelis prepared for this challenge? Are they left, once again, feeling alone and abandoned within the Middle East? Where will the United States be, in such a scenario? Beyond that, where would Hezbollah and Hamas be during such a scenario? Would they jump into the fray, forcing Israel to fight on all fronts? Brigadier General (Ret.) Amir Avivi is the Founder and CEO of Israels Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) which is comprised of more than 17,000 senior reserve/retired officers, commanders, and operators from all branches of the Israeli security establishment. Retired from the IDF after more than 30 years of military, counter-terrorism, and national security experience, he held various command positions in the Corps of Engineers leading thousands of soldiers in a dynamic environment combating terrorism.
Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_FkFFKLyqTxyp0VtRY2RVEw

May 30 2023 4:30 pm Antisemitism in the News, A Panel discussion with Leading Journalists

Journalists Barbara Kay, Sue-Ann Levy and Terry Glavin, join Rabbi Corey Margolese for a discussion on bias in the media, intentional misinformation or disinformation when it comes to reporting on Israel, a media created perception that Israel is war with Arab states while the conflict is much narrower, and continuously fueled by Palestinian Arab propaganda.
Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qDtLI24iTi-UqbxHgatSww#/registration

Jun 01 2023 10:00 am The Nakba Narrative Nonsense: How Anti-Israel Activists are Twisting Israels History and Making Peace Harder to Achieve

Since Israels rebirth in 1948, the Palestinian nakba (or catastrophe) narrative has taken root, portraying well-armed Jewish immigrants overrunning peaceful Palestinian villages. Though believed by many progressives, the nakba narrative is nonsense. Israel was not born in original sin, and the real Palestinian catastrophe is that their leaders have embraced violence and resentment while repeatedly rejecting peace plans, statehood, and a productive future.
Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2sYCDhJuRGupqzErgv3Aow#/registration

Jun 04 2023 1:00 pm Embracing the Bereaved Families of Israels Fallen Soldiers With Yoav Galant, Israeli Minister of Defense in a special event Embracing the Bereaved Families of Israels Fallen Soldiers.


Register at https://parkeastsynagogue.org/event/embracing-the-bereaved-families-of-israels-fallen-soldiers/

Jun 06 2023 8:00 am VIRTUAL TOUR OF JEWISH BELARUS THE LAND OF SYNAGOGUES

Join the BZD and Evgenia Kempinski for a virtual tour of Belarus, the Eastern European country bordering Poland, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Russia. When Jews first settled here, it was part of The Grand Duchy of Lithuania. Even though it changed hands later and became part of the Russian Empire and then USSR under the name Belorussia, in Jewish history, it is always Lite. The land was once home to about 1 million Jews. Unfortunately, most Jews from Belarus perished during the Holocaust, but one can still find distinctive Jewish Communities in many Belarus cities. Join us on a trip through the more prominent and smaller towns of Belarus, Minsk, Pinsk, Grodno, Volozyn, and Slonim, looking for traces of Jewish life, speaking about Jewish Communities, Great Rabbis, Jewish political and social leaders, and Jewish intellectuals who used to live there. We will travel from one town to another, one beautiful Synagogue to another, trying to recreate Jewish life in Belarus.
Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsceGsqD0uE9Sq2Odu6pmMQ_vjf-1FTGFG#/registration

Jun 07 2023 4:00 pm Israel at 75 Concert

Cantor Schwartz will host an evening celebrating the rich fabric of the Israeli people and their music. This momentous event will feature special guests Bat Ella, Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson, Gili Yalo, and Michael Feigenbaum, and will include Cantor Davis, all accompanied by an augmented PAS Ensemble directed by David Enlow. The concert incorporates many new arrangements and an original work by the eminent Israeli-American composer Oran Eldor.
Register at https://www.tfaforms.com/5061189

Jun 07 2023 4:00 pm Israel at 75 Concert with Cantor Azi Schwartz

Cantor Schwartz will host an evening celebrating the rich fabric of the Israeli people and their music. This momentous event will feature special guests Bat Ella, Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson, Gili Yalo, and Michael Feigenbaum, and will include Cantor Davis, all accompanied by an augmented PAS Ensemble directed by David Enlow. The concert incorporates many new arrangements and an original work by the eminent Israeli-American composer Oran Eldor.
Register at https://www.tfaforms.com/5061189

Jun 08 2023 4:00 pm Shared Legacies (Blacks and Jews) film

Join us for a screening of the full length documentary, Shared Legacies: The African American Jewish Civil Right Alliance. The crucial historical lessons of Black-Jewish cooperation are revisited and revived in this utterly fascinating, urgent call to action. The film explores the role Jewish leaders had working alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to achieve racial equality and harmony. With divisive seeds of hate taking root anew in the American landscape, a new generation also affirms their pledge to actively promote the values of social justice. This potent, inspiring story of unity, empathy and partnership validates the ubiquity of the human experience, and how freedom and equality for all can be achieved only when people come together.
Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kcumsqzsqH90UB7ohVWgO8G_M0dZvfoW3#/registration

Jun 11 2023 11:00 am Using Litigation to Stop BDS with Marc Zell

This webinar will focus on the use of litigation to stop BDS (boycotts, divestment and sanctions) against Israel. The speaker, Marc Zell, has acted in prominent victories over BDS, including the Ariel University/Solar Decathlon case in Spain, Airbnb and Ben & Jerrys. He will explain how these results were achieved and the lessons to be drawn.
Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_qa9WJvUqRJOtLBdpG_Cv7Q#/registration

Previously Presented Talks

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