Use Your Voice to Support Israel, Call for the Return of the Hostages, and Protect Jewish Communities by Taking 1 Minute to Contact Your Elected Leaders Now!
As Passover approaches and we prepare to celebrate our ancestors' freedom from slavery, we recognize that freedom is so desperately lacking for our people at this moment. Our tradition reminds us that the Jewish experience is the experience of resilience and taking action to overcome hardships. Today, we call on you to join Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven in taking action to help our Jewish brothers and sisters still being held hostage, by calling on your elected leaders to do all they can to bring them home.
In light of Iran's direct, unprecedented attack on the Jewish State this past weekend, we need your help to call on our Members of Congress and urge them to stand with Israel and vote for bipartisan legislation that advances a supplemental aid package to provide $14.1 billion in crucial support to Israel, including funding for essential defense systems like the Iron Dome, Davids Sling, and Arrow-3. This package must also include additional funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to protect communities from antisemitic violence. We thank our Senate for supporting this aid and call on our Representatives to do the same.
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As your constituent, I write during the season of Passover, which commemorates the Israelites’ freedom from 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Passover is known as the season of freedom, but this year, the Jewish people do not feel truly free, while members of our extended Jewish and American families are still being held hostage in Gaza, deprived of their basic freedoms. We feel the pain and the glimmering hope of the families of the hostages still held in captivity.
Moreover, we do not feel truly free as the Jewish State, the United States’ closest Middle East ally, is under attack on multiple fronts, namely by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its regional proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, all US-designated terrorist organizations. Recently, fears have escalated even further. On Saturday, April 13th, Iran launched a devastating, unprecedented attack on Israel, using drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles in a clear escalation of hostilities. Thankfully, due to the incredible U.S. supported defense systems, in addition to the swift actions of the IDF, US armed forces, and Israel’s allies, 99% of the incoming projectiles were intercepted, saving countless lives. This attack underscores the gravity of the threats Israel faces as well as the strength and importance of the US-Israel relationship.
This Passover, some of our most precious American values--liberty, democratic rights, human rights, and women’s rights-- are particularly relevant for the Jewish-American community as we see these values under attack. Targeting Israel--our sole democratic ally in the Middle East--is also a threat to the United States and our cherished values.
With that, I urge you to:
- Call for the immediate and unconditional release of the 129 hostages who remain in Hamas captivity for over six months, several of whom are American citizens. These innocent hostages were brutally abducted and assaulted on October 7 by Hamas. Among the hostages are women, children, babies, and elderly.
- Advance bipartisan legislation that includes a supplemental aid package to provide $14.1 billion in crucial support to Israel, including funding for essential defense systems like the Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow-3. As recently demonstrated, this aid is critical to provide Israel with the necessary means to defend itself as additional threats arise. This package must also include additional funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to protect communities domestically from antisemitic violence. We thank our Senate for supporting this aid and call on our Representatives to do the same.
Thank you for your support for Israel, for your concern for the innocent hostages, and for your commitment to upholding American values and freedoms.
Sincerely,
YOUR NAME
