Yesh Gvul Update 19 April 2010

Yesh Gvul invites you to an alternative beacon lighting Ceremony for a just, equitable and fitting Israel

Fascist group "Im-Tirtzu" intends to demonstrate at the site of the ceremony and perhaps try to interrupt it. On Saturday, they distributed a misleading, altered version of the memorial prayer (Yizkor), which takes aim at leftists and conscientious objectors.

Please join us, so that we can isolate the Fascist forces in Israel.

 The 13th annual ceremony, Mon, 19.4.2010, at 19:45, at Emil Grunzweig Square (facing the Prime Minister's Office), in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.

Haaretz says:

Im Tirtzu alters memorial prayer in fresh attack on Israeli left By Chaim Levinson, Haaretz Correspondent

 
Im Tirzu, which labels itself as a centrist party that aims to strengthen Zionism in Israel, has distributed 15,000 pamphlets in synagogues that feature an altered version of the memorial prayer (Yizkor), which takes aim at leftists and conscientious objectors.

"Let the people of Israel remember those from within it, flesh from their flesh, who participated in claims against its officers and soldiers. Those who during the time of the battle to defend Israel stood at protests and called their soldiers war criminals. Remember those in deep darkness befriended the worst enemies of Israel in order to harm the holy ones delivered their souls for the sake of the nation," the altered passage read.

Several Israelis who saw the additional passage expressed outrage on Sunday, the start of Israel's Memorial Day.

One woman who read it said the pamphlet was meant to incite and exploit Memorial Day to promote Im Tirtzu.

The group said in response that, "Unfortunately, those who are actually harming the memorial prayer are those harming Israel Defense Forces soldiers, and not those protecting them."

Im Tirtzu also said, "The aim of the pamphlets is for this years' memorial prayer not just to remember the fallen, but also to shine light on those from the New Israel Fund who call for the trial of IDF commanders, those who protest against them while they risk their lives. We are working in order to remember them as well, and we await the day we can return to the prayer's original form."

Im Tirtzu earlier this year claimed in a feature published in the Hebrew daily Maariv that it found that 92 percent of negative references to the Israel Defense Forces in the Goldstone report originating with Israeli sources came from organizations sponsored by New Israel Fund.

The fund's grantees include Adalah, Breaking the Silence, B'Tselem, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Yesh Din and the Israeli branch of Physicians for Human Rights.

Following the feature, Im Tirtzu launched an explicit campaign against the fund, whose president, Naomi Chazan, was subsequently fired from the Jerusalem Post, where she served as a columnist.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1163925.html  

 For an immediate cessation of senseless violence and of the occupation regime that generates it, for a correction of the wrongs caused by Israeli society, for an improvement in our attitude towards the weak and the needy among us, and for peace with all our neighbors.

 Beacon lighters, the people struggling for a better reality:

 Dany Amir (power to the workers), Sara Beninga (Shekh Jarrah activist), Mazen Gnayem (Mayor of Sahnin), Sharon Dolev (Greenpeace), Ahuva Tafsai and Gil Shatah (Cleaning union of the Ben-Gurion University), Ilana Lah (PsychoActive), Yasin Musa (Bney Darfur), Elisheva Milikovsky (A.S.F), Michael Mankin (Breaking the Silence), Shir Regev (Occupation refusenik), Yehoshua Rosin (Peace activist) and Mati Shemoelof (Gerila Tarbut).

 With performances by: Beny Eldar, Guy Elhanan, Dani Amir and Tarantina.

 Transportation from Tel Aviv (and back): 18:00, El-Al Terminal (Arlozorov Train Station)

 The ceremony presents an alternative to an official, whitewashed nationalistic ceremony taking place at the same time on Mt. Herzl. Your presence will encourage the beacon lighters to continue their activism for peace human rights, and will signal to Israeli decision makers that that there are many who will not buy their empty slogans.!