Dear Friend
On this Tuesday, December 1, 2020, we ask for your continued support. Not only because it’s Giving Tuesday, but because we know that nothing is for certain. There were many scary surprises throughout the course of this year, among them the Wuhan virus, seemingly mainstream acceptance of the renewed vigor of Jew-haters and anti-Israel politicians in Congress, and accommodations made for violent BDS-supporters on college campuses and in the media. We know that the safety and security of Jewish people in America, and all over the world, cannot be taken for granted.
That is why we need your continued support, to help us fight to protect Jewish students on campus, to fight for the U.S.-Israel relationship on Capitol Hill and in the media, and to protect the civil rights afforded to the Jewish people.
It is only through the joint efforts of our committed supporters and ZOA staff that we are able to accomplish so much, as we did in 2020.
For example, the ZOA celebrated leading the successful fight to get Jewish students protected under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and filing many complaints against universities under Title VI, as well as being the only Jewish organization to take formal legal action to allow Jerusalem-born Americans to have “Israel” listed as their birthplace on their passports and other official documents; this was brought into effect by the U.S. State Department in October, 2020. The ZOA also persistently advocated for U.S. recognition of Israeli control over the Golan Heights, which successfully resulted in an official change in policy.
In addition, in the fall of 2020, the ZOA spearheaded a coalition of more than 30 organizations that sent a strong and comprehensive letter to the leaders of 165 colleges and universities to express deep concerns over campus antisemitism and Israelophobia. We also exposed the atrocities of the Palestinian Authority’s pay-to-slay program, which pays lifetime pensions to terrorists and their families for murdering Jews.
And it doesn’t stop there. The ZOA will continue to fight; we will not back down from our work on Capitol Hill, especially given the re-election of Israel-haters Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and AOC, and the incoming of new congresspersons who support BDS and openly promote hostile policies toward Israel.
“If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?”
We learn from Rabbi Hillel that we must fight for and protect our own community, and we must do so now. That sense of urgency has only been strengthened as we navigate the complexities of life in a pandemic. We cannot afford to wait to create a better future. We need your help to do it now.
On this Giving Tuesday help us continue to fight, not only for ourselves, but for all of us.
