The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), Minneapolis Jewish Federation, and St. Paul Jewish Federation released the following joint statement:
We stand in solidarity with the people of Israel who are under attack by Hamas, an Iranian-backed genocidal terrorist enemy.
The all-too-familiar escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza is deeply upsetting and we mourn the loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilians in recent days. Hundreds of Hamas rockets from Gaza, aimed at Israeli cities and meant to terrorize civilians, are the cause of the current crisis.
To date, Hamas rockets killed three Israelis and injured dozens more, sending hundreds of thousands to take cover in bomb shelters. By purposefully launching these rockets from civilian population centers in Gaza, Hamas is responsible for both Israeli and Palestinian civilian deaths.
For many in our Jewish community, the trauma Hamas is inflicting on Israel is deeply personal. Hamas is targeting our parents and grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and dear friends. The brave members of the IDF are our family, especially those Lone Soldiers from the Twin Cities. We hold all of them, all of Israel, closely in our hearts.
We appreciate the US State Department’s condemnation of Hamas rocket fire and call on American leadership to continue their active engagement with Israeli and regional partners to calm tensions and ensure that Hamas is deterred from initiating future violence.
Finally, we recognize that images of violence in Jerusalem, especially during Yom Yerushalayim and Ramadan, are painful to Jews and Muslims. We pray for days when our holiest sites are known only for the peace that dwells in their midst.
I am not impressed with Alan Dershowitz. He is an opportunist, very arrogant, insensitive and so busy trying to prove himself right all the time that he doesn’t leave himself open listen to others. I’m sorry to say for me he is not the right spokesperson for the Jewish people.