Dear friends,
On Thursday, the 26th of October, the Israeli Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei (ISECO) hosted an event at the JCC to update the members of our community as well as the people of Taiwan and the media, on the current developments regarding the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. The purpose of this event was to provide a better understanding of the current situation and the response to the barbaric atrocities committed by Hamas since October 7th.
The room was early on packed with attendees before the conference started. We lit candles and all prayed for Israel, prayed for peace. We displayed many empty chairs on both sides of the venue, each symbolizing an innocent hostage. They all had their families and their own lives, but it all has been stripped away now. Every few seconds we saw a different kidnapped person on the screen. This evil act of abduction cannot be tolerated and should not happen in the international community.
The representative of ISECO, Maya Yaron opened her speech after we observed a moment of silence together . Through a short video, we learned a lot of cruel facts about the current Israeli hostages taken by Hamas, including the number of injured, and the number of deaths. As she pointed out this attack bears no political motivation but is solely driven by antisemitism. Now, “Israel isnot only facing a physical war but also facing many cognitive and informational battles against anti-Semitic perceptions in communities and the media.”
As Maya pointed out what we want to underline is that everyone must be cautious with videos and images on social media and the internet, as spreading Misinformation is a tactic in modern warfare frequently used by sources close to Hamas.
This is the war that Israel was compelled to engage in. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) are currently seeking to disable the Hamas military capabilities. Therefore, the IDF has called for Palestinians from the northern part of Gaza to move to the south, to minimized civilian casualties in the strikes. However, Hamas has deliberately positioned itself near civilian and important infrastructure sites like Mosques, Hospitals and power plants. They use Palestinian civilians as human shields.
Nevertheless 500,000 Palestinians from Gaza followed the instructions of the IDF and relocated to the south of Gaza, where humanitarian aid is arriving through southern checkpoints from Egypt, and the water supply is also ensured.
As Hamas rockets continue to be fired daily from Gaza at Israeli cities and civilians, so far, there’s approximately 8,000 rockets have been launched. As we all learned following the hospital explosion – about 500 of those rockets didn’t reach their targets among Israeli civilians but actually exploded among Palestinian civilians. These attacks are also frequently used to spread misinformation about the conflict.
Maya concluded the event with a moving prayer in Hebrew. On behalf of the JTCA, I extend our heartfelt gratitude to all those who have shown their unwavering support during these challenging times. NaTang said: “Peaceful coexistence is the hope for everyone, but it is a luxury for those involved in theIsrael-Hamas war”. Your solidarity and presence at the event mean a great deal to us.
Together, we stand strong in the pursuit of peace and understanding. We hope everyone will continue to care and pray for Israel, wishing for the safe return of all hostages and a swift arrival of peace.
In the face of terror threats, neither you nor I should remain silent! We hope that everyone can assist in spreading the truth.
We extend the deepest love and blessings to the whole world, to every individual.
אַחֵינוּכָּל בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל הַנְּתוּנִים בַּצָּרָה וּבַשִּׁבְיָה הָעוֹמְדִים בֵּיןבַּיָּם וּבֵין בַּיַּבָּשָׁה הַמָּקוֹם יְרַחֵם עֲלֵיהֶם וְיוֹצִיאֵם מִצָּרָהלִרְוָחָה וּמֵאֲפֵלָה לְאוֹרָה וּמִשִּׁעְבּוּד לִגְאֻלָּה הָשָׁתָא בַּעֲגָלָאוּבִזְמַן קָרִיב וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן”
As for our brothers, the whole house of Israel, who aregiven over to trouble or captivity, whether they abide on the sea or on thedry land.
May theAll-present have mercy upon them, and bring them forth from trouble toenlargement, from darkness to light, and from subjection to redemption, nowspeedily and at a near time.
Amen.
＊Those in Taiwan who need tax-deductible receipts for donations. You can also remit money directly to the “Israel National Foundation Head quarters/Taiwan Federation” account
Donation bank: China Trust Commercial Bank (822) Dunnan Branch
Taiwan dollar account name: United Appeal of Israel Taiwan Federation
Taiwan dollar account number: 1635-4030-7168
Foreign currency account name: KEREN HAYESOD-UIA TAIWAN
Foreign currency account number: 1631-3104-8807
Warm Regards,
Jeffrey D. Schwartz & NaTang
Co-founders, Jewish Taiwan Cultural Association
