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• North American Jewish communities unite in Israel

Nov. 16-19 the annual General Assembly (GA) of the United Jewish Communities (UJC) of North America convened in Israel in celebration of Israel’s 60th anniversary. Speakers at the conference included President Shimon Perez, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Minister of Defense Ehud Barkat and Head of Opposition Benjamin Netanyahu.

At the conference, breakout sessions occurred, as well as a Seminar on Wheels day, where buses took groups of people to see and learn about different parts of Israel. The trips included Sderot (a city on the border with the Gaza strip), the Golan Heights, the Dead Sea, the Negev and more.

Breakout sessions included Tools to Empower the Ethiopian Community, The Drama of Holocaust Survivors in Israel and Election 2008: Opportunities and Challenges for Jews and Israel.

Throughout the conference, President-elect Obama, Iran and Israel were discussed.

At the Election 2008 session, a panel consisting of four people told the audience their views on how Obama will deal with Israel and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while focusing on the threat of Iran. The panelists were Professor Moshe Arens, the former Defense Minister; Colette Avital, Member of the Knesset; William Daroff, Vice President, Public Policy and Director, UJC Washington; and Malcom Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Both Avital and Daroff agreed with one another that Obama has nothing to lose by negotiating with Iran. They explained that he may as well attempt to negotiate with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad before Iran builds nuclear weapons to be used against, potentially, America and/or Israel. Arens commented that sanctions could do a lot more. He proposed increasing the current level of sanctions because of the progress they showed before.

Avital said, “Political dialogue is worth trying … worth it before Iran has a nuclear bomb.” Avital also noted how Turkey is an important ally in this way.

“Protection from Iran … strengthen Israel relations with other countries in the Islamic world,” she said.

After speaking about Iran, along with the youth movement involved throughout the Obama campaign, Hoenlein commented that this election is “transformational, not only trans-generational.”

Hoenlein soon afterwards commented on the strength of both Israel and America. “It’s time to be united,” he said. “A strong America is a strong Israel.”

Not only did this panel speak of Obama, but also of President Perez during his speech at the convention. Perez said Obama will be good for the state of Israel. When the two men met last, Obama asked Perez what he could do for Israel. Perez responded, “Be a great president for the United States.”

Perez went on to say how the United States possesses the power to fight the varying struggles in the world, adding that, “it is the country that helps others remain free.”

Obama has chosen Jews and people close with the Jewish community for some positions, such as newly-elected Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, newly-elected Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Top Middle East advisor to Obama during the campaign, Dennis Ross. Hoenlein specifically mentioned these three names, commenting on how they are good for Obama and for the state of Israel.

Though the entirety of the conference did not focus directly on America, it was an important part to engage North American Jews at the conference with Israeli officials in order to hear their viewpoint on how Obama may help and/or hurt the state of Israel.