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September 7, 2001/Elul 19, 5761, Vol. 53, No.48
Delegates primed for Israel mission
BARRY COHEN
Editor
During Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, Valley Jews will pray for the bond linking Israeli and Diaspora Jews to remain strong.
Nine days before Rosh Hashana, a delegation of Valley Jews will act to strengthen it.
Eleven Valley residents will participate in a national Israel solidarity mission, sponsored by the United Jewish Communities, Sept. 9-14.
"I am very proud of our community," said Art Paikowsky, executive vice president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Phoenix, in reference to the size of its delegation. The local federation is sending more people than Denver, Seattle, San Diego or Oakland, Calif., he remarked.
Valley participants noted that the main reason they wanted to go was to let Israelis know the Diaspora has not forgotten about them.
"I am doing whatever an individual can to let Israel know that they are not completely abandoned by the rest of the world," said Norman Dreyfuss, who has a son, Rabbi Howard Markose, a daughter-in-law, Judy, and four grandchildren living in Israel. This will be his fourth trip to Israel.
"The times dictate to show support for Israel," said Dr. Gary Grove. "I plan to be out and about and interact with the people." This will be Grove's seventh visit to Israel.
Randi Sherman, who, along with her husband David is a member of the UJC Young Leadership Cabinet, said she needed to go in order to put her words into action.
"I could not encourage others to go (to Israel) and not go myself," she said.
She also participated in a solidarity mission last January. Her husband David will be taking part in an October mission.
For other participants, the need to take part in the upcoming mission is more personal. Both Helen Kriegsfeld and Dr. M. Herbert Nathan, for example, will be extending their stays in order to see family.
Kriegsfeld has family members living in the Bakka neighborhood of Jerusalem. She said they are "leery" and "careful."
"My daughter says every day another family she knows has been affected in a negative manner," as civilians are "maimed, killed or hurt," explained Kriegsfeld.
However, she said she is not nervous about her safety during the mission. "I am more concerned about the country of Israel and about my children," she remarked.
Nathan has a son, a daughter-in-law and six grandchildren in Israel.
"My son has a mother-in-law who wants them to come back to the U.S. But they are not interested in leaving Israel," he said. "They are not that worried."
According to Paikowsky, one of the highlights of the mission will be a visit to Kiryat Malachi, the local federation's sister city. "It will be celebrating its 50th anniversary at the time the group will be there," he said.
Paikowsky said it is important for Valley participants to foster a direct connection between the two communities. "It gives our people a first-hand opportunity to see what (Kiryat Malachi residents) are doing."
Participants will see both Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Moshe Katzav, who will be making speeches to mark the event.
Paikowsky said the original goal for the September mission was to set up a "dedicated flight," to fill a 440-seat plane with federation delegations from the UJC Western region.
However, when separate federations set up their own delegations, it became logistically impossible for participants to depart on the same plane from the same city, he explained.
UJC federations will be sending approximately 500 people on the September solidarity mission, he added.
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